OUR STORY
Portland Psychedelic Society (PPS) is the leading psychedelic education and community-building 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the Pacific Northwest.
Since our humble beginnings, PPS has been guided by passionate individuals united by a shared vision and a deep desire for connection, rooted in a belief in the transformative power of psychedelics. Our story began with a simple Meetup post in December 2014, inviting like-minded people to come together and share their stories. The group quickly and enthusiastically grew and adopted the name Portland Entheogenic Exploration Research Society (PEERS), officially becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2017.
After joining a network of similar organizations, PEERS soon began operating as Portland Psychedelic Society, expanding its vision to serve the community and support the psychedelic renaissance. This ambitious vision led to PPS hosting its first Psychedelic Conference in October 2018 featuring Dennis McKenna, Paul Stamets, Albert Garcia-Romeu and local speakers that highlighted the movement here in Portland.
The resonance of that gathering inspired and generated a depth of connection that allowed PPS to follow up with our second conference the following October 2019, held at Revolution Hall. There we were honored to host Kilindi Iyi, James Fadiman, Rachel Harris, & many more visionary leaders.
The pandemic of 2020 was a catalyst to expand into virtual meetings, broadening PPS’ reach into the psychedelic community and providing more accessible space to gather, learn, and share. As the desire for human connection, spiritual nourishment, and existential grounding grew, so did our membership. At the same time, Oregon was emerging as a national leader in psychedelic therapy with the passing of Measure 109 – the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act – which made it the first state to legalize the manufacture, delivery, and administration of psilocybin in licensed service centers. In response to this rising momentum, PPS deepened its impact by hosting its third conference in 2022 at Alberta Abbey, featuring keynote speaker Hanifa Nayo Washington.
2024 was a landmark period for PPS. In addition to delivering our numerous, on-going services and events, PPS organized its fourth large-scale locally-driven conference – the Portland Psychedelic Symposium. With support from generous sponsors, the Symposium (among many other events) was made possible through the dedicated work of many passionate volunteers who donated over 6,000 collective hours of their time over the course of the year.
Also in 2024, PPS took the leap into more formal political organizing and advocacy by establishing a brand new entity called
Portland Psychedelic Society Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization. Finally, in the Fall of 2024 through generous support PPS was thrilled to hire its very first staff person,
a new Executive Director. This has allowed the organization to begin laying down the foundation and building out the organizational infrastructure needed for sustained growth. These have been critical steps that our organization has taken to meet the growing interest and needs of our community and the larger public.
Now more than ten years into existence as a pillar of community, the work of PPS is more crucial than ever as the larger psychedelic landscape continues to shift and change rapidly, bringing new people to the power and promise of psychedelics every day. PPS has grown into an institution that offers over twenty regular monthly integration circles, educational and informational gatherings, as well as singular special events – film screenings, expert panels, workshops – that serve both the local and national psychedelic community. All the while, PPS has remained a community-led, community-run endeavor, always aiming to be of better service.
Through the years PPS has showcased dozens of visionaries, experts, community builders, and practitioners from both the Portland area and other leaders in the field of psychedelics. We’ve partnered with countless other allied organizations, businesses, artists, researchers, authors, and are a proud member of the Global Psychedelic Society network. We’ve been fortunate to sustain this organization through many small donations, ticket sales, grants, and, most importantly, thousands of hours of dedicated volunteer service.
At PPS we believe that a real and robust community of educated, informed people who look out for one another and desire what’s best for the world is what humanity needs at this potent time.