Then (1998), The Cosmic Serpent
The Decolonization of Psychedelic Research: Narby's Framework Applied
Narby's central argument was that Western science appropriated indigenous knowledge without acknowledgment, credit, or benefit-sharing. He was describing a historical pattern. He did not predict a political movement that would organize around this critique.
partially-confirmed
The 'decolonization of psychedelics' discourse has become a significant force in the psychedelic research community since approximately 2018. Key organizations: Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines (Beatriz Caiuby Labate, founded 2017) explicitly addresses indigenous reciprocity; Zendo Project incorporates indigenous ceremony acknowledgment into its harm reduction model; MAPS's Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative acknowledges that MDMA-AT builds on knowledge traditions using MDMA-like plant compounds. Psychedelic Science 2023 included multiple panels on decolonization, indigenous rights, and benefit-sharing. Several major research papers now include acknowledgment of indigenous knowledge origins. No major pharmaceutical company has implemented a Nagoya-compliant benefit-sharing agreement for psychedelic compounds. The discourse has reached the center of the field; implementation lags significantly.
Sources
- Chacruna Institute publications (2017-2026)
- MAPS Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative
- Psychedelic Science 2023 decolonization panels