Who Owns the Medicine? Psychedelics at the Crossroads of Empire and Earth As psychedelics enter mainstream discourse, they do so through frameworks shaped by Western ideologies and regulations that often sideline and appropriate Indigenous knowledge systems that have long held these medicines as sacred. This talk explores the complex tension that exists between the benefit of traditional healing practices and the institutionalization of psychedelics in Western pharmacotherapy. We will examine how the colonial gaze continues to shape what is considered legitimate healing, who is seen as a healer, and how medicines are extracted, commodified, and recontextualized for profit. Cailean Dakota MacColl is from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band in SK, Canada. They are a 2-Spirit MS4 at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a 2026 MD Candidate with special focus in Arts & Humanities. Dakota is an aspiring gender affirming dermatologist who strives to serve Indian Country and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. She received a BS in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, and a BA in Comparative Literature with special focus on film analysis from the University of Oregon. Dakota’s past research has included film analysis and ethnobotany, and current research areas include Indigenous medical ethics, medical education, dermatologic disparities in Indigiqueer and 2S communities, and addictions medicine. They are also passionate about coalescing aspects of traditional healing, ceremony, and western medicine. Dakota’s professional interests include adult education, sexual health and wellness, gender affirming care, harm reduction, healing informed care, and traditional plant medicine use.