you're at about 7 right now, we need you at 3, o.k. ? aw, folks, please. little towns simply aren't meant for big events. we love having visitors, but god, too many of ya is hurting my ecosystem. besides, film festivals shouldn't be about what celebrities are coming, or what film is gonna get shown, it should be about people gettin' together, and watchin' movies, and about people who could never get their movie seen, havin' a chance to have it watched. if only once. a good film festival should be something where ya'll say, "let's forget about lawyers, and agents and studios and celebrities for a while, "and just watch some new art." i...have had enough of you ! ahh ! no ! as i was saying, this shall usher in a whole new decade of film...

oh, he's dead, mr. hankey's dead ! well, this worked once before. thanks, chef. your big chocolate balls are just the trick. what the hell is he doing ? ( magical music playing ) wow ! oh, my god ! no ! ah ! aahhh ! oh, my god, ahhh ! it smells, it smells ! come on, the poo is coming !! i'm trying, dammit !

let's get out of this town ! whoo ! gosh, i guess i don't know my own strength. you did it, you got rid of all the film people. hooray. hooray. now all we have is a town covered in sh-- ( bleep !), this is much better. i couldn't have done it without you, kyle. kisses. i'm sorry i dragged you to all those independent films. that's o.k., wendy. sometimes i forget that, even though a few independent films are great, most of them suck ass. and i've learned something too. being a sell-out is sweet, because you make a lot of money, and when you have money,

you don't have to hang out with po'-ass losers, like you. screw you guys, i'm goin' home. >> trevor: does anybody play video games sometimes? yeah. one of my favorite games chefer, "uncharted," they said they're making a movie, they released, like, the trailer thing. i don't know, man. here's my thing. here's my thing. the whole point of a video game is you're in control of the character. that's what makes it more fun than anything else. then they're like, hey, you know how you could do all this stuff? imagine if you couldn't. now you just watch it. like, that's why the video game was better in the first place. i could just watch it streaming. i could go on youtube and watch someone playing the game. that's the same thing.

and now come with popcorn like an idiot. he should have jumped. what's the point of this thing? it's going to be these games now and at some point it will be pac man, and two hours of daniel day lewis-- baaaaaa-baaaaa-boooo. he would be amazing. if anyone could play pac man, it's daniel day lewis. how can you watch a movie about pac man. and he would come on and be bbbaaaa-booo. and you'd just be like, what a gripping performance >> announcer: coming to you from the heart of times square, most important place on earth, it's "daily show." tonight:

this is "the daily show," with trevor noah. >> trevor: hey, what's going on, everybody? welcome to "the daily show." i'm trevor noah. today i'm joined by... oh, nobody. we have no, no correspondent here today? sorry, okay. they've been stopping in so many times, i got used to. but that's okay. i'm excited to be going solo! because tonight-- oh, i thought someone came in. that's fine. let's just jump straight into the headlines. do you guys remember donald trump? you guys remember him? maybe not? reality tv guy, used to be president, tried to overthrow the government, still kind of is? well, if you haven't thought about him for a while, it's probably because back in january, he got kicked off of twitter and facebook, which was his main way of spreading his gospel. because of that he's been forced

to go on onlyfans. and he's doing great. but still, he wants a bigger platform, which is why last night he announced that he is starting his very own social media network called "truth social," saying, "i am excited to send out my first truth on "truth social" very soon." and, yes, in case you didn't get it, they're calling their posts "truths," which is so lame. i don't care what anyone says. it makes the whole thing sound like one of those guys who came to your school assemblies: "yo, lemme post a truth at you: drugs are wack! except for ivermectin!" and, also, you know what this means: if trump is posting "truths," knowing him, eventually he's going to start posting "dares." "okay, i shared my truth, now i dare you... to hang mike pence." and the big reason trump and his people want their own social

media app is that they are sick and tired of censorship from big tech. and "truth social" is promising to be a free-speech paradise, a place where anyone can say anything, with some exceptions. >> former president trump's new free-speech social network will not be allowing criticism of itself. the home page of "truth social" says the network will be a platform for open, free, and honest global conversation. the 'terms of service' page, however, says users will not be allowed to disparage, tarnish or otherwise harm the social media site." the truth social is expected to go live some time next year. >> trevor: this guy is a legend. he creates a free-speech website, and was immediately like, "okay, here's what you can't say." it's like if the first rule of "fight club" was "hey! no fighting!" no fighting! no fighting! we work shit out here. and i'll be honest, i'm on trump's side here.

it's his website. he doesn't want people coming on there to roast it, just like he wouldn't want people walking into his home like, "who decorated this place? it looks like king midas molested your apartment." at the same time, though, you know this is going to backfire because half of the fun being on social media is talking shit about the platform. if you deleted all the tweets that talked about twitter on twitter. find another way to express yourself, people. how is trump of all people going to make a rule about disparaging comments? i mean, this man roast pems so much, he has to do it at auctioneer sphed. "we've got a fat guy in the front row. total slob. total slob. sold to the man who is weak on china. trump on social media-- man, it's crazy. right, roy? oh, right, he's not here.

but let's move on, because when trump lost the election, he was so humiliated that, ever since, he's been spreading completely made-up claims of voter fraud. and in response to this imaginary voter fraud, republican-led states around the country have been making it harder to vote, passing laws that limit voting hours, restricting access to mail-in ballots, and offer an express voting line for anybody with a valid photo of them storming the capitol. which is why democrats in congress put together a bill designed to protect voting rights. and this isn't some woke bill but last night, the bill failed in the senate, with every democrat voting for it, and every republican voting against it. which, yeah, of course republicans weren't going to support a bill that's going to make it harder to win. no one wants to make it harder on themselves to win. if i have a choice of playing pickup against kevin hart or shaq, yo,s i'm going to choose to play against shaq.

have you seen all those "icy hot" commercials? the man's body is falling apart. i have a good shot. once again, the only reason the republicans were able to block the vote is because of the filibuster. and man democrats say they've had enough. >> some democrats say it's time to scrap the filibuster rule to get the bill passed. >> more democrats now agreeing to carve out a voting rights exception to the filibuster rule, something they have been reluctant to change. >> that appears highly unlikely to happen, because two key democratic holdouts, senator kyrsten sinema and senator joe manchin, they're on board with the "freedom to vote act," but they also support preserving the 60-vote threshold. there's no daylight-- or, really, no movement, i should say-- on their part in terms of changing the filibuster rule to allow this to move forward." >> trevor: basically, most democrats think it's fine to alter the filibuster, at least in this one case, because protecting voting rights is an emergency, the same way that when you need to get to a hospital, it's okay to drive over the speed limit.

but manchin and sinema, they're basically saying, yeah, you might do it now, but where does it end? first you say you'll only speed to get to the hospital, then it's to make a doctor appointment on time, then it's to get to the grocery store, then it's if you're late to the movie you speed. then if you're not late for the movie but you really want to see the trailer you speed. then you're speeding all the time! i will say this as someone who's not from this country, people around the world don't envy america because of its commitment to the filibuster. people envy america because of its longstanding commitment to stuffing things with cheese. those are the principles congress should be living up to. if you ask me, there's a compromise here. they should just treat exceptions to the filibuster like it's wishes from a genie: you only get three. ( whispering ) the trick is to use your third filibuster exception to ask for more exceptions. what's that? did you say something, empty table?

yeah, you're right-- the democrats really can't get their act together! you said it, table. oh, man. ah... and, finally, here's a story guaranteed to leave you yawning and half asleep but, like, in a super-interesting way. >> a new bus tour is designed to be boring and put people to sleep. the five-hour ride on a double- decker bus takes people around hong kong. it's meant to appeal to people who are easily lulled asleep by long rides. and it was inspired by the tendency of tired commuters to fall asleep on public transit. tickets cost between $13 and $51, depending on whether they choose seats on the upper or lower deck. a goodie bag for passengers includes an eye mask and earplugs. some even come prepared with their own pillows and blankets. >> trevor: that's right, a bus you just sleep on! which i actually think is a great idea, because remember how nice it was being a little kid when you could just drift off and fall asleep in the car? now, as an adult, you can't do

that, because you'll hit a pedestrian-- or whatever. and, look, yeah, $51 might seem pricey, but i think it's a bargain. i mean, one ticket, and you get access to dozens of unguarded wallets. those losers sleep and you go and grab the shit. you don't do that with sleeping people? i will say there are a couple of problems with this. first, i don't know if i trust this company, because this is exactly how you get to "squid game." and, second, let's be honest, this is wasteful. i mean, sleeping was the one human activity left that didn't leave a carbon footprint, and now that is ruined. if getting knocked out on a bus appeals to you, the good news is, you can experience it right here. you just get on a greyhound bus and wait for someone to open the bathroom door! you won't wake up for two days! hey, table, did you hear what i said? i said, "if you want to get knocked out, open the bathroom

door on a greyhound!" what's that? i should set the studio on fire? that would be so funny! that would be so great because it would burn! ( ominous music playing ) all right, that's it for the headlines. let's move on to our top story. and you may or may not know, october is disability employment awareness month. a month where organizers inform us about how unfairly disabled people can be treated at work. but the question is why is this still an issue in today's society. we'll find out why in another installment of "if you don't know, now you know." ♪ ♪ ♪ disabled people face a lot of challenges when it comes to employment: discrimination in

hiring, a lack of accessible office spaces, coworkers who claim they're disabled because they "just can't do gluten." and there's a big issue getting a lot of attention right now about how much disabled people get paid. >> minimum wage isn't the same for everyone. businesses can take advantage of a section of a federal act that allows them to pay people with disabilities less. employers can apply for a section 14"c" certification of the federal labor and safety act of 1938. that grants the ability to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. >> this program was established under the roosevelt administration with, arguably, good intentions. war veterans who developed physical and mental disabilities from combat came home from abroad and struggled to find employment. >> there's no limit to how low an employer can pay, so employers could legally pay pennies per hour.

>> there are even places in america where workers earn as little as $0.22 an hour its all perfectly legal. >> trevor: yeah, $0.22 cents an hour. i don't know about you but i was shocked when i heard that. i don't think any human being should be earning less than a gum ball machine. evening in africa we would be like that's not even enough for a cup of coffee a day. how can a wage be lower than the minimum wage. the minimum is supposed to be minimum. when the weatherman says it's freezing out there. once something is frozen, it's frozen. we've had it with your weather voodoo. there is a movement to get rid of subminimum pay. more and more states have been passing laws to close the loophole, and president biden recently called on congress to phase it out completely. this seems like one of the things everyone should agree on, like free britney. or the first aunt viv was better, or that the best song to do at karaoke is "no scrubs"

by tlc. but it's actually more complicated than you might think, because some argue that this wage loophole is actually a good thing for the disabled. >> employers that can pay below $7.25 an hour are typically agencies that work directly with people with disabilities to help them find jobs. >> what's called a "sheltered workshop." here, the disabled get virtually guaranteed employment, but they are not guaranteed minimum wage. >> these job programs are designed to develop skills, create social groups, and instill a sense of value for their clients. >> if 14c certificates cannot be applied for, some are worried about the unintended consequences. they say people with profound disabilities may lose the chance to be employed. >> if sub-minimum wage goes away, the biggest impacts will be on our folks who have severe disabilities. >> the handicapped, the disabled worker is not going to be given an employment opportunity. >> rory rowland says his son's tried other jobs, but sheltered workshops provide gainful employment and purpose for his son. >> if we forced him to go out and try to find a minimum-wage

job, he would be unemployed. >> trevor: yeah, you see, that's what makes this so complicated. many of the places that use this loophole are called "sheltered workshops," which exist to provide these jobs to disabled people. so there's a legitimate concern that losing this wage loophole might end up hurting the very people they're trying to help, because if they close down, some disabled people won't be able to get jobs at all. and having a job is important. i mean, it gives you structure, a sense of community, a sense of purpose, and an i.d. badge with the worst picture you've ever taken. so you could see how this arrangement, as messed up as it seems, might be better than nothing. at the same time, many advocates say that by providing a safety net for the disabled, these sheltered workshops could actually be doing more harm than good. >> when it's legal to pay people less than the minimum wage, often as little as 20 or 30 cents an hour, it raises serious

questions about exploitation and whether people are really being given an opportunity to reach their full potential. >> the sheltered workshop system takes people and systematically tells them they're not as good as the rest of the workforce. >> to me, it's not right that we're getting the pay that we get, because we work hard over there. we work very hard. >> its not like they're just helping them get any job. they help them get only the jobs that this place has available. >> ken capone attended johns hopkins university. ken also has cerebral palsy. finding a job was difficult. he ended up in a sheltered workshop. >> do you know how demeaning it was going to a sheltered workshop after completing a difficult programing class? >> he left after one day. >> but what if i did go back and work there? i probably would have still been there working for pennies on the dollar, not having the opportunities i have today. >> trevor: yeah, you see? this makes sense, too. if society pushes disabled people into these low-wage

workshops, it tells them that this is where they're supposed to be and it limits their potential, because we know that disabled people are capable of doing great things. i mean, stephen hawking was an astrophysicist, even with a.l.s. franklin roosevelt ran the country from a wheelchair. stevie wonder is the reason that "happy birthday" is better at black birthday parties than white birthday parties! and, look, this whole idea that disabled people shouldn't be paid the same as able-bodies people because they're not that productive, i don't know about that argument, guys. because it's not like every able-bodied person is great at their job, either. if you ask me, disabled people should have the right to be as shitty at their jobs as everyone else. they should also be able to show up late, do just enough work to not get fired, play fruit ninja in the bathroom, then leave at 4:30 on the dot. that, my friend, is equality. for more on this debate around for measure on this debate, we're joined by tammy duckworth. welcome to "the daily show."

>> thank you for having me. >> trevor: this is a topic i know is near and dear to your heart. not not only a combat veteran but a combat veteran with a disability, and you went into the capitol building that is not designed for people with disabilities. what do you think are some of the issues still standing in the way of disabled people in america being able to get a fair wage and being able to get a job that can sustain them, you know, to live? >> with everything from prejudice that they're going to be more expensive to employ, or that you're going to have to do something with your workplace to accommodate somebody with a disability, and that's going to cost too much money, that's really-- those are really false arguments. in fact, studies show that when a disabled person lands a job, they become very loyal, and they stay in those jobs for far longer than anybody else. there's far less turnover with persons with disabilities. and they make really good, productive employees. people with disabilities suffer

very, very high unemployment rates, over 50%. >> trevor: in your home state of illinois, the governor just signed an executive order denying companies, or really government contractors from hiring people with disabilitied at sub-minimum wage, many within the disabled community will say, "hey, we can't transition into normal jobs. we can't do everything that these companies require us to do. and so, some of these moments, some of these experiences are less about the income and more about us being a part of society." so to those people, what do you say to them? are you concerned at all that they will lose an opportunity to be part of something? or do you think there's a world where the companies won't now say, "there's no reason to hire them," or "we should hire them"? >> well, these companies are saying if you don't incent vise us we won't hire someone with a disability. yet the people with disabilities have been doing that work. it doesn't make sense. the argument doesn't make sense. if they're already doing the job you should pay them the same

pay. and many of these companies have nondisabled workers doing the same job, but they're paying a far higher salary. but because this law exists on the books, they're allowed to basically exploit people with intellectual disabilities, in particular, to do work that they're paying somebody else to do the same work a higher wage. and that simply is not fair. and, frankly, it's un-american. >> trevor: do you think there's a way to protect these workers once this law goes into effect? do you think there's a way to protect them from losing their jocks,jobs, whether it be spitem the companies or trying to prove a point? >> we're seeing many of these companies that had this argument previously have moved away from the sub-minimum wage and have not employed fewer persons with disabilities. in fact they have employed the same people. we see this is an empty argument. so there's intimidation that's going on to really prey on the fears of both the adults with intellectual disabilities, but also their family members.

and i feel what we need to be working towards is an integrated work environment where we do make accommodations. target does a great job of hiring persons with intellectual disabilities, and they stock the shelves. some even work the registers. and they're working alongside any of the other target team members. we have grocery stores that do the same thing. so we've seen that this model that we should be going to already exists, and it's successful, and we can start ditching these old models from not just the 20th century, but the 19th cernry, when we take people with disabilities and put them in a segregated work scpriermt then pay them less. >> trevor: congratulations on the fight. i know we support you in the movement going forward. and i know we've got to let you go. thank you so much for taking the time. >> thank you so much for covering this issue. >> trevor: all right, when we come back, how much are you keeping up on the news? well, michael kosta, is going to find out. behind you.

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the question is, will you be part of the 80%? do you know what the future holds? daily show." here at the show, we pay a lot of attention to what's going on in the news, but how much are the people right outside our studio following along? well, we sent michael kosta to find out. >> welcome to "fill me in," the game show where you fill in the... >> news. >> blank.

♪ ♪ ♪ okay, let's get started. republican senator chuck grassley. you know who he is? >> no. >> he's a republican senator. >> okay. >> i just told you that. chuck grassley, 88-year-old senator, he recently tweeted, "it's 4:00 a.m. in iowa, so i'm blank." >> he's in the restroom. >> drirpging coffee. >> why would you say that? >> because he's 88 years old. >> and if you're 88 and you're not drinking coffee you are... >> boring! >> correct. >> milking the coys. >> no, he said he was running. >> oh, that sounds like a lie. >> why do you say that? >> because he's 88 and he looks like that. >> my grandpa is 88, i don't even like him standing. zero points on the board. it's still anyone's game. alabama republican kim james is running for governor, vowing to "fight the beast with three heads: critical race theory,

transgender right and blank in public schools." >> masks. >> masks. >> okay, think dumber than masks. >> i don't know, basic human rights? >> think less threatening. >> religious freedom? >> even less threatening! >> evolution. >> even-- >> oh, my god. >> less-- what is something that maybe you've done in the last month that made you feel centered, like i'm doing it right now. >> yoga. >> yoga. >> are you kidding me? >> alabama republican. hey, that's good enough for one point. next question: you're going to love this next one. a lyric from a new kanye west album. some say adam could never be black. because the black man will never blank. white guy, i would sit this one out. >> i'm not going to say-- >> i'm sitting this one out. >> don't be shy. you won't get canceled. this is tv. it's not twitter. >> cheat. >> cheated on. >> cheat. it is wrong! some say adam could never be

black, because the brack man will never... >> die. >> a black man will never die? is that accurate? >> i don't know, maybe. >> how about this, what if i told you the answer was, "share his rib." >> wow. >> now i'm going to get canceled. let's give some people a chance for double points. this one i'm not going to give you the speaker. but if you can guess who said this i'll give you bonus points. who said, "i'm more of a blank than i am a politician. the. >> trump has said it in some form. >> okay. this man looks great with his shirt off. >> putin? >> you think putin looks great with his shirt off. >> i don't, but he does. >> that jumped right out, though. >> yeah, right. ( laughter ). >> does this help? >> yeah, i should definitely know who that dude is? could it be batman? >> absolutely he was batman. >> matthew mcconaughey. what is he more of than a politician? >> a stud. >> you think he said i'm more of

a stud than a politician. he said i'm more of a folksy plos fer statesman than i am a politician. isn't that kind of a bad-ass answer. >> no, i don't think so. >> congratulations toern who played. let's find out what they won. here's your prize. you get a photograph of chuck grassley. put it in your bathroom and it will be a reminder to use sunscreen. you don't want that? >> i do not. >> thank you, bye. >> trevor: thank you so much for that, michael. when we come back, author michael pollan is going to try to convince me to take drugs. you don't want to miss it, and neither do i. neither do i. this is goi ♪darling, i, i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪girl, i don't know, i don't know,♪ ♪i don't know why i can't get enough of your love babe♪ ♪oh no, babe girl, if i could only make you see♪ ♪and make you understand♪

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alberto and i don't fit into those other family plans. that's our baby girl. [sound of that's why on ultrwe love visible. yeah, it's wireless with unlimited data and if you join a group it's as low as $25/mo. just get together and save! we look goooood! visible. wireless that gets better with friends.

[knocking on door] ♪ ♪ so many bottles of champagne ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm in a room with the famous faces ♪ “ready and action!” ♪ oh, i feel like scorsese ♪ ♪ ♪ yeah, this sure is like a movie ♪ ♪ (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) ♪ ♪ whoa, we're 'bout to make a movie, ♪ ♪ woo ♪ ♪ ♪ roll out the red carpet for me ♪ “ladies and gentlemen, that's a wrap!" >> trevor: welcome back to "the daily show." my guest tonight is bestselling author michael pollan. he's here to talk about his new book about the human attraction to psychoactive plants and how we think about drugs. michael pollan, welcome to the show. >> it's good to be here. >> trevor: it's a pleasure to have you here. most people were introduced to

your work through food. it was food, it was food, it was food. then all of a sudden, it was drugs. what changed for you? >> it didn't change for me that much mp my interest in food was part of my broader interest in the human relations to other species, plants especially. what do we use plants for? what desire do they gratify? food was the biggest one the the first thing you would do. but the thing plants have done for us, in all of history, every culture on the planet, is change consciousness. health, plant, and ingestion. those are the three things that made me think i have to do this next. and then i started hearing about this incredible research. >> trevor: right. >> using psychedelics psilocybin mushrooms to heal mental illness and that was such a strange idea i had to delve in. >> trevor: it feels like you discovered shangri-la, or atlantis, because that research has been hildten for so long.

>> buried. >> trevor: yeah, it's been buried. >> that was a real surprise to me mp i read about the studies when they were using psilocybin to help cancer patients deal with their depression and jiet. i thought this was a brand new thing, and like most peoples i thought of psychedelics as a 60s things. but it turns out through the 50s and into the 60s there was a lot of serious research using l.s.d. and psilocybin as treatment for mental illness. they were getting really good results, great success of dealing with alcoholism, breaking people of those habits. and l.s.d. was considered a wonder drug and there were conferences, thousands of reviewed papers, international conferences. and then it stopped. there was a moral panic in the late 60s about psychedelics and they were regarded as disruptive to society and nixon lawrps the drug war as a result. all the research is buried. 30 years go by, nobody studies

it. suddenly around 2000, a group of really dedicated researchers who never gave up faith started bringing it back and doing some studies and getting really impressive results. it was when i started hearing about that that i realized i've got to dig in. >> trevor: do you think that drugs that i would term as-- and i mean you probably know the professional classification for them-- but drugs that have been created in a lab. do you think, like, those drugs, things like fentanyl, cocaine, et cetera-- do you think they have sort of tarnished the conversation and the imagery of psychedelics? >> i don't think we can say in general if it comes from a plant it's definitely better. i mean, there are some pretty troxic plants. but we-- you know, it's very important to make distinctions and take each drug on its own. we have this category "illicit drugs." psychedelics are very dinner than opiates, for example. psychedelics are not addictive,

believe it or not. they're not habit forming. there are no lethal dose. >> trevor: but they break your habit to other things. >> that seems counter-intuitive to people to use a drug to deal with addiction. it's a nonaddictive drug that seems effective in dealing with cigarette addiction, alcohol addiction, and cocaine addiction so far. that's very exciting because we have very few ways to treat these things. >> trevor: i loved how in this book, everyone loved "how to change your mind." that was, for many people, the first foray into psychedelics. this is "this is your mind on plants," and i didn't know what to expect, but it was a classic michael pollan of really being your guinea pig. >> i am my own guinea pig. >> trevor: which i love, i genuinely enjoy. as much as it's research based, it's experience based. >> i can't write about this without-- i have to write about it from the inside. that's just the way i work. >> trevor: are you ever afraid, though? >> terrified. >> trevor: okay. >> i don't think-- i hadn't used

a psychedelic until i was 59. i came very late. i'm a late bloomer. so every night, i had a series of guided and not guided experiences. i went through the whole menu of psychedelics, for you, dear reader. and the night before every one of these days, i was up all night. i was a wreck. >> trevor: yeah, i can only imagine. because, i don't know about you, but i was taught my whole life, "you take one of these things, and it's over for you, trevor. you are just-- you're out on the street. you're breaking car stereos, you're jumping off buildings because you think it's a pool." that's all i thought of, and dying. >> i also ingested all those crazy ideas. i mean, there are risks. it's important to stress. but, yeah, there's a lot of urban legends about what psychedelics will do to you. >> trevor: right, right. >> so i was nervous. and, also, the self, going into yourself to see who you are, that's a scary place to go. >> trevor: it's terrifying. >> and i didn't know what i discovered. >> trevor: what was the thing you learned about michael pollan

that you almost unlearned about yourself because of psychedelic is? >> that's a good question. i had one experience, a guided psilocybin trip at a very high dose, where i experienced the complete dissolution of my ego. that was valuable teaching for me and very surprising and the experience felt so good. because when you lose your ego, when the walls come down, there's nothing separating you from the world. >> trevor: right >> and you merge with it. there is good evidence that a single psilocybin trip, if you do have this ego dissolution experience will leave you more open than you were before. god knows, we need more than mo. >> trevor: going forward, your work has shifted many people's perspectives. what do you see changing in america? do you see a change happening in america? and what would you hope that change would be, considering lawmakers, the money they get from drug companies? because this doesn't seem good for drug companies. >> no. >> trevor: i would say from my

personal perspective. >> you're absolutely right. you're only going to sell one or two pills over the course of somesomeone's lifetime. you don't need to do this every day. you can't do it every day. the model for the drug industry is here is a drug you take every day that doesn't cure you. it helps with the symptom. here we're administering an experience that changes you and cures you when it works-- and it works about two-thirds of the time. it's a totally different model. i think we're on the road toward f.d.a. approval of psilocybin, and mdma-- or ecstasy-- which is also sometimes considered a psychedelic and useful in treating trauma. we're very quickly decriminalizing psychedelics around the country. when i published "how to change your mind" i really felt there would be a lot of pushback from the psychiatric establishment. there wasn't. there was an embrace. the reason is-- and i learned this from talking to some very

prominent psychiatrists-- they know perfectly well the tools they have to treat mental illness stinks. >> trevor: wow. >> they don't have-- all they have are really ssris and these antipsychotic agents which have all sorts of side effects, don't really work that well-- ssri's-- antidepressants-- they only work two percentage points better than a placebo. so they're desperate for new tools. we have a mental health crise in this country-- in this world. and it got worse during covid. >> trevor: definitely. >> so there is an eagerness to do the research necessary, to prove psychedelics can help. and we really could be on the verge of a revolution in mental health care. >> trevor: thank you so much for joining me on the show. i appreciate having you here. i'm a big fan. don't forget, michael's book "this is your mind on plants" is available now. i cannot recommend this enough. we're going to take a quick we're going to take a quick break but we'll be right back when we started our business

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>> trevor: that's our show for tonight. but before we go: today is glaad's spirit day, where millions of americans wear purple as a sign of support for l.g.b.t.q. youth and to speak out against bullying. so, any donations that come in today will not only be matched. they'll be doubled! so if you want to help out, please visit the link below and donate. until next time, stay safe out there, get your vaccine, and remember: if you can't make it to hong kong to sleep on the bus, try sleeping in a bed. now here it is, your moment of zen. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> i