culture 26 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 7-13, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Beneath the forests, there is an underground network of organisms that may hold the secrets of the universe. This network is made up of mycelium—root-like structures extending from molds, yeasts and mushrooms (collectively known as fungi)—believed to be the most common species on the planet. Fungi, which have given way to compounds like Penicillin and are used to treat Alzheimer’s, have held deep significance for millennia, studied and utilized long before our time by Indigenous peoples, shamans and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. But if there is one modern voice that has gotten the most attention uplifting the secrets of the mushroom world, it is that of Paul Stamets. His work weaves together the medicinal and mental health benefits of mushrooms, both magic and non-psychoactive, to strengthen our collective immunity against future viruses, highlight the importance of old-growth forests, and ultimately help us become healthier, happier people. “What I’m very much involved in is applied mycology, applicable solutions—using fungi as a platform to fundamentally improve human life,” Stamets says. And his passion for the field of mycology is a promising and contagious one, fueling widespread interest in the potential benefits of mushrooms to the mind and planet as well as advocating for the need for more research. He is both scientist and storyteller, appearing on the TED stage numerous times over the last decade, on the Joe Rogan podcast and at big-name festivals like South by Southwest. He is known by many for his role in the 2019 film Fantastic Fungi, which attracted many more mycophiles into the fold, pairing science with powerful, personal stories about how fungi has changed his life and others. The film shows that while fungi are integral to the health of the planet, serving as the Earth’s “digestive system” of sorts, they have historically been disregarded. “Stamets has made it his life’s work to right this wrong, by speaking out on their behalf and by demonstrating the potential of mushrooms to solve a great many of the world’s problems,” writes famed journalist Michael Pollan in How To Change Your Mind. Stamets has studied fungi in many forms and practices. He’s spoken about its use to help remediate the soil from oil spills. He’s spoken about using fungi to bolster bee populations by assisting their fight against infections. And perhaps in one of his most famous talks, he shares the story of how turkey tail mushrooms helped his mother successfully fight Stage 4 breast cancer; at the end of the talk, she joined Stamets up on the TED stage. “Fungi has been underfunded, under-appreciated, underutilized—and it should be funded as well as the computer industry and the software industry, in my opinion,” Stamets observes. “Because it has that much of a dramatic, positive difference.” Although he has long focused on the therapeutic use of psychoactive mushrooms, particularly psilocybin, it might be more accurate to say these mushrooms contribute to a unique and compelling worldview—one in which people are happier, better stewards of the land, have immune systems operating in a “higher state of readiness” and can enable people to heal from negative memories or associations in profound ways. And both public interest as well as scientific research, which was halted in the 1970s during the Nixon administration’s war on drugs, are making a comeback, joining Stamets in this view. In 2018 and 2019, the FDA declared psilocybin as a breakthrough drug for depression. In June of this year, the RAND Drug Policy Research Center released a report that said an estimated 8 million American adults used psilocybin in 2023, also finding that those who use psychedelics typically do so far less frequently than substances like cannabis. Today there are hundreds of clinical trials involving psilocybin whereas 15 years ago, Stamets says, there was one. And policy is shifting to meet these emerging demands. On Nov. 5, Massachusetts voted on whether to decriminalize psychedelics, following many cities like Detroit, Seattle and Denver. Washington, D.C. and Oregon have decriminalized psilocybin. While Stamets believes that psilocybin should be accessible to everyone, certain controls are essential to ensure safe and responsible use. “I’m very much an advocate that if there are financial transactions with psilocybin, it should be taxed for the benefit of the commons,” he says. “Also, if people make money from selling psilocybin mushrooms, they should pay their fair share of taxes. “It’s not only a social obligation, but it’s a moral obligation, because if you give it to another person without professional, therapeutic support, it could be damaging.” Leading up to his talk at the Golden State Theatre on Nov. 14, Stamets shares that some of his most formative experiences took place in Monterey County, most notably in Big Sur. “Monterey County is my favorite county in California. It has been the crucible, in a sense, of this movement from very early on,” he says. An Evening with Paul Stamets 7:30pm Thursday, Nov. 14. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $35-$99; VIP package available. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com. Mushroom Magic Acclaimed mycologist Paul Stamets visits his favorite California county to talk about how mushrooms can transform our health—and our world—for the better. By Katie Rodriguez “Fungi has been under-appreciated and underutilized.” “Mushrooms have become the zeitgeist of our time,” says Paul Stamets. “Psilocybin mushrooms are just one element in this fungal revolution.” Pamela Kryskow Some mushrooms are toxic: Under the right conditions, colorful amanita muscaria mushrooms surface locally. This one was photographed in Monterey in January 2024. Michael Sheehan
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