Why I invested in Tactogen
Psychedelic medicines are generating excitement everywhere — among academic researchers and therapists, in the press, even with members of Congress — everywhere, that is, but among investors. Several startups developing psychedelic therapies have gone bust. Shares in others sell for less than the price of a latte. Companies developing psychedelics struggle to raise capital.
So it was with trepidation that I recently invested in Tactogen, a startup that is developing synthetic molecules to complement or replace MDMA.
Why, you ask? Because MDMA is an extraordinary drug and Tactogen is an admirable company that wants wants to make it better. Let me explain.
MDMA — chemical name, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine — is better known as ecstasy, molly or, going back a ways, as the love drug. Love drug says it best: MDMA brings out feelings of empathy, connection and trust. Developed by Merck in 1912 and then forgotten, it was rediscovered by the brilliant, renegade chemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin at his Lafayette, CA, lab in 1976.
Shulgin loved MDMA. “I feel absolutely clean inside, and there is nothing but pure euphoria,” he wrote in his lab notes. “I have never felt so great, or believed this to be possible. The cleanliness, clarity, and marvelous feeling of solid inner strength continued throughout the rest of the day and evening. I am overcome by the profundity of the experience.”
This was quite the testimonial, coming, as it did, from a man who invented and sampled a mind-boggling array of drugs in his lifetime.
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You can read the rest of this story here at Medium.
