Cycling for Psilocybin
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Joe — and on June 21st, I’ll be cycling 200 miles (including 3,200 meters of elevation), from the East Coast of England (Whitley Bay) to the West Coast of Scotland (Ayr) — all in one day.
I'll be starting at 4:27am as the sun rises and racing to finish by 22:05, before the sun sets.
This is part of the endurance event "Chase the Sun" and I'm doing it to support a cause I care deeply about:
Psilocybin reform in the UK.
♂️ Why I'm Doing This
I'm riding to raise awareness and funds for #PAR: Psilocybin Access Rights – a grassroots campaign run by volunteers working to reschedule psilocybin from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 under UK law.
Under current legislation, psilocybin — the active compound in magic mushrooms — is treated as a substance with no medical value, despite a growing body of global research showing it's highly effective and in most cases beats the standard of care with treating treatment resistant depression, PTSD, cPTSD, various addictions, anorexia, cluster headaches, alcohol use disorder, end-of-life anxiety for terminal patients, and more.
This outdated classification, which was done without a proper review of the ample evidence available in favour of psilocybin being accessible:
Blocks scientific research
Creates barriers to treatment
Criminalises people seeking healing and relief
What PAR Does
Psilocybin Access Rights (PAR) is a UK-based drug reform campaign advocating for compassionate, evidence-based access to psilocybin therapy.
PAR works to:
Educate the public about psilocybin’s therapeutic potential
Support rescheduling efforts through lobbying, petitions, and policy engagement
Amplify voices of patients, scientists, and therapists
PAR is currently in the process of becoming a registered charity, and your support will help fund outreach, educational materials, events, and campaign infrastructure.
So far #PAR has:
- Wrote an open letter to parliament which four MP's have signed,
- Was instrumental in sending 1500 postcards to MP's all over the UK from concerned citizens who believe psilocybin shouldn't be a schedule 1 substance,
- Arranged a back bench business debate in parliament where an MP stood and discussed the importance of reviewing the evidence and changing the scheduling as this potentially life changing treatment,
- Sent 89,000 leaflets to the constituents of the Home Office ministers responsible for drug policy, urging them to contact their MPs and ask for the review of the evidence,
- Collected over 12,000 signatures on a petition to change the scheduling, and
- Had the first ever psychedelic ad campaign in the UK on digital poster signs all over London, asking 'Could magic mushrooms be medicine?' which was highly successful in opening a discussion and creating media attention.
For more information, please see the #PAR website: www.par.global
How You Can Help
Every donation helps us move closer to a future where psilocybin-assisted therapy is legally recognised and available to those who need it.
Even if you can't cycle 200 miles, you can ride alongside me in spirit by supporting this cause.
Thank you for being part of the change.
Organizer
Joe S
Organizer
England