Colorado has been at the forefront of the psychedelic movement in recent years. In 2019, Denver voters decriminalized psilocybin. This November, Coloradans will vote on the Natural Medicine Health Act, a ballot proposition aimed at both legalizing a medical model and decriminalizing recreational use of psychedelics. For Colorado to reap the benefits of a possible legal change, it must educate its residents. While the medical and business communities are in the early stages of creating psychedelic education, most Coloradans lack a basic understanding of these medicines.
Psychedelics have been used for centuries for spiritual and therapeutic purposes, but there is still a lot we don’t know about them. This is where community-based learning and healing comes in. Community healing is a process by which a community comes together to learn, heal, and grow. By coming together with others who share our interests, we can learn from each other and explore the potential of psychedelics.
Community healing can take many different forms, but the goal is always the same: to help the community learn more about themselves and heal. There are many benefits to community healing and education. For one, it allows communities to come together and share their experiences. Communities can also learn and heal through working with local businesses and organizations. By working together, community-based healing empowers individuals from all walks of life, strengthens community relationships, and builds stronger communities.
The Nowak Society is a nonprofit that is working to promote psychedelic education and grassroots community organizing in Colorado. The Nowak Society strives to create platforms to highlight knowledge and practices held within the community. Nowak makes its education and outreach accessible to all, offering information and skill sets as open source, belonging to everyone, and held in the community. Its mission is to connect and organize psychedelic communities and give voice to the essential values and pressing issues of the psychedelic movement. The society is doing important work, and it needs your help to continue its mission. Please consider donating to the Nowak Society so that it can continue its efforts to promote psychedelic education in Colorado.
If you’re interested in learning more about psychedelics, join Colorado’s psychedelic community as we celebrate our emergence at Emergence: A Psychedelic Education Festival. The first-of-its-kind festival will be held in Denver, Colorado on October 1, from 12 to 5 p.m. outdoors at ReelWorks (formerly the Exdo Center) in RiNo. The event is presented by the Nowak Society and will feature presentations and educational booths from leading experts in the field of psychedelic research and therapy. There will also be interactive workshops, vendors, activities for kids, live DJs, artists, food trucks, and more. This event is for anyone who is interested in learning more about psychedelics: from first-time users to experienced psychonauts. We hope that everyone who attends will leave with a better understanding of these powerful substances and their potential benefits.
Ashley Ryan, M.S. 