Aaron Rodgers Is Coming to Denver...to Speak About Psychedelics

Rodgers will be interviewed his experiences with ayahuasca, according to organizers.

February 15, 2023

Aaron Rodgers will talk about his experiences with ayahuasca during a psychedelics conference in Denver this June. Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

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Aaron Rodgers is coming to Denver in June, but he won't be visiting Mile High Stadium.

Instead, the NFL quarterback and four-time MVP is scheduled to appear at the Psychedelic Science conference, according to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. Rodgers, who is open about his use of the psychedelic ayahuasca plant and its benefits, will discuss his experiences in an interview with Aubrey Marcus, with whom he first spoke publically about his ayahuasca use in a 2022 conversation.

Organizers expect more than 10,000 people to attend Psychedelic Science, which will run June 19 through June 23 at the Colorado Convention Center. The event was announced last December, shortly after Colorado voters approved Proposition 122, a landmark initiative decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics statewide while also legalizing medical psilocybin therapy.

Psychedelic Science doesn't currently list the Rodgers on the event agenda, but talks about ayahuasca are scheduled for June 22 and June 23.

Rodgers may have more to talk about than just ayahuasca, though. On February 14, he told The Pat McAfee Show that at the end of the week he plans to undergo a four-day "darkness retreat," which is supposed to raise natural DMT levels through sensory deprivation and stimulate hallucinations, in order to help the 39-year-old decide where he'll play next season.

A natural compound of ayahuasca, DMT, along with ibogaine and mescaline, were decriminalized in Colorado thanks to Prop 122, with the three substances set for a state regulatory review by 2026 for possible legalization, similar to the legalization of psilocybin by Prop 122.

Even if he leaves Green Bay, it won't be for Denver, despite last year's rumors that had Rodgers joining the Broncos. Denver eventually traded for and signed Russell Wilson to a seven-year extension before going 5-12 last season, and Rodgers had one of his worst years statistically.

There's not enough ayahuasca or DMT in the world to make that match happen.

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Thomas Mitchell has been the news editor of Westword since February 2024. He's been with the publication since 2017 and was formerly its cannabis editor. He’s earned numerous awards and accolades for his work, including placing second for the Marijuana Enterprise Reporting Award from the Colorado Society of Professional Journalists in 2018; being named a Top Cannabis Journalist by Leafbuyer in 2020; and placing first for the College Sports Writing Award from the Arizona Press Club in 2014. His prior work experience includes Arizona Republic, Inman News and Fox Sports.

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