Crowds are gathering in downtown Denver this week to learn about the future of psychedelics like magic mushrooms and MDMA. The five-day Psychedelic Science 2023 event, attracting medical professionals, politicians, celebrities and practitioners, covers a wide variety of subjects from the business of psychedelics to therapeutic uses for these substances.

“We are facing very difficult challenges in mental and behavioral health and we’re very excited about the opportunities that psychedelics offer to break cycles of addictions for opioids, to deal with severe depression and anxiety,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis during his opening address on Wednesday.

Hosted by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), more than 11,000 people have registered for the event which the organization describes as “the largest psychedelic conference in history.” This conference is the fourth of its kind, the most recent gathering took place in California in 2017.

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