We are a niche publishing house     specializing in works on psychopharmacology, psychedelic drug research, and other material relating to psychoactive compounds, society, states of consciousness, and the individual.

Our company was founded in 1991 by renowned biochemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin and his wife Ann Shulgin to publish their now cult classic, PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story. Their intention to voice and share material on the nature of drugs, without censorship, remains the guiding spirit of our enterprise.

Through our preservation of Sasha’s written legacy and upcoming new publications we cultivate a unique hub for scholarship and public discourse on this vital and provocative aspect of human activity and interest.

Our next publication, The Nature of Drugs: A Course on Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, Societal Responses, and Social Impact, Volume 1, is coming out in the Spring of 2021. The full text was transcribed from the original lecture tapes recorded at SFSU in 1987 and will be published in two volumes. Volume I presents Sasha’s views on the origin of drugs, the history of U.S. drug law enforcement, human anatomy, the nervous system, the range of drug administrations, varieties of drug actions, memory and states of consciousness, and research methods. The discussions in Volume I lay the groundwork for Sasha’s philosophy on psychopharmacology and society, what defines a drug, the nature of a person’s relationship with a given compound, and for extensive examinations of dozens of compounds in Volumes II. The Nature of Drugs is the story of humanity’s relationship with psychoactive substances from the perspective of a master psychopharmacologist and will enthrall anyone intrigued by this subject.

Both volumes will feature original watercolor images of plant sources discussed throughout the course. These stunning paintings were commissioned by Transform Press from the botanical artist, Donna Torres, especially for this publication.

Forensic Toxicology is based on Sasha’s lecture notes for the course he taught for many years in the UC Berkeley criminalistics program. The lectures focus on a comprehensive range of assays employed in assessing drug compounds as evidentiary items, the legal process of drug testing, and conclude with an advisory on providing expert testimony in court. The discussions are filled with Sasha’s characteristic humor, particularly in his descriptions of serving as an expert witness, and with his core views on the ethics of pharmacology, the law, and society. The material will be of greatest interest to students and professionals with a working knowledge of drug analyses and those engaged in the legal and forensic fields.

In a 1996 interview in Mexico Alexander Shulgin said, “I’m looking for tools that can be used for studying the mind, and other people then will use the tools in finding out the aspects of the mental process and how it ties to the brain. But my main drive is a tool maker, making of tools, and letting other people exploit them.” Tom Ray is one of the “other people” that Sasha refers to, and this is why we feel that his work is a part of Sasha’s legacy. 

We are proud to have Tom Ray's work on the Transform Press website. 

He has PDFs and a PowerPoint to download, and coming very soon a video presentation of his work for you to view. All of this is a gift from him to those who are curious, and who want to expand their ideas of how the mind works. His research is thorough and detailed, and he breaks it down to make it easy for anyone who is interested in this field to understand. You will find Tom’s work under the Publications tab. Enjoy!