Psychedelics Today

Brad Adams — LAMPS (Los Angeles Psychedelic Society) joins Kyle to trace his path from PhD researcher to community builder. Brad shares how early work in AIDS, Alzheimer’s, gerontology, and cancer research primed him to notice Harbor-UCLA’s psilocybin pilot for stage-4 cancer patients with death anxiety—where the strongest mystical experiences correlated with profound death acceptance. Teaming with Dennis McKenna, he ran an ayahuasca pilot in Peru and presented findings at Psychedelic Science 2017. From there, Brad founded LAMPS: first as research meetups at UCLA, then as a thriving hub hosting speakers and, ultimately, an L.A. psychedelic conference. He previews the November 1 event at Above the Block in West L.A.: daytime panels on cannabis, preparation/integration, and music & psychedelics; a vendor hall; and a “Healing Lounge” with bodywork, astrology, human design, and more—closing with a late-night dance party featuring David Starfire. Brad offers grounded advice for starting local communities (b