Summit Principles and Streams
The Summit design is informed by principles and streams. Principles are intentionally woven into every discussion, decision, outcome, and plan. Streams represent the thematic tracks that organize our work together.
Principles
Public Good–Centered Approach
Prioritize the public’s well-being above any individual stakeholder’s benefit or perspective. Design sessions, interventions, and policies to support and protect the broader community’s needs.
Inclusivity and Access
Build all solutions and recommendations with the diverse communities we serve in mind. Actively support meaningful participation and equitable access.
Realistic
Align our plans with the realistic resources and capacities available within the psychedelic ecosystem. Consider feasible funding mechanisms and coordinate collective fundraising efforts to support sustainable outcomes.
Ethics
Embed integrity, transparency, and respect throughout every discussion and outcome. Clearly articulate ethical frameworks and ensure the active participation of psychedelic ethicists to enrich informed dialogue. Intentionally set agendas, thoughtfully encourage participants to uphold ethical standards, and support diverse perspectives to embody ethical principles and responsibly advance the field. Utilize harm-reduction as part of healthy relationships.
Evidence-Backed
Ground actions and interventions as far as possible in a shared knowledge base and available data, acknowledging that evidence exists in varying degrees of strength, relevance, and applicability. Leverage evidence to support discussions, decisions, and recommendations through thoughtful interpretation of evidence, rather than relying solely on personal opinions and perspectives, while recognizing that what constitutes evidence may differ among individuals and contexts.
Indigenous Experiences and Perspectives
Understand the impact on Indigenous peoples and explore healthy relationships with Indigenous rights, cultural traditions, and knowledge systems. Actively support these perspectives to meaningfully inform frameworks and practices.
Build Relationships and Have Fun
Design sessions to foster meaningful relationships, collaboration, and connections. Include structured and unstructured time for relationship-building. Create an engaging, enjoyable environment with opportunities for play, humor, creativity, and celebration to enhance well-being and productivity.
Honor and Integrate Existing Work
Recognize, respect, support, and build upon the substantial efforts and innovations that have come before this Summit. Strive to avoid duplication of efforts by actively identifying and incorporating existing initiatives, research, and diverse perspectives into our planning, discussions, and outcomes.
Support an Interoperable Data-Driven Framework
Recognize a data framework as essential to psychedelic public health and safety. Across all streams, actively support the development of a cohesive and interoperable data framework by establishing shared definitions and identifying common metrics. Support ethical and stakeholder-informed data practices, emphasizing informed consent and privacy. Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement in psychedelic public health and safety by leveraging data-driven insights to advance evidence-based interventions.
Prioritize Interventions for Underground Use
In service to focusing on public good, recognize that approximately 96–97% of psychedelic use occurs in non-clinical or underground settings. Responsible public health and safety strategies must address the needs of these unregulated users by prioritizing pragmatic risk and harm-reduction approaches. Throughout all summit streams, ensure that any proposed strategies and recommendations or solutions prioritize, protect and support the well-being of those working with psychedelics in underground and extralegal contexts.
