food

This Week in Psychoactives - 7.12.19

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CANNABIS

  • Hawaii has decriminalized marijuana (Vox)

  • Congressional Committee Discusses How to Legalize Cannabis (Leafly)

  • Youth Cannabis Use Drops 8% in Legal States, Study Finds (Leafly)

  • In states where marijuana is legal, licensed dispensaries are pushing out drug dealers (MarketWatch)

  • New research indicates that cannabinoids could be efficacious pain management options (PsyPost)

  • Marijuana Gives Men And Women More Sexual Desire And Better Orgasms, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Congress Votes To Allow Home Loans For Veterans Working In Marijuana Industry (Forbes)

  • Israeli college to offer degree specializing in medical cannabis (The Jerusalem Post)

  • Cannabis cake gift eaten by unwitting Warrington nurse (BBC)

  • Over Half of CBD Products Sold in UK Are Inaccurately Labeled, New Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

  • New Evidence on Pot During Pregnancy (The Atlantic)

  • Too high? ‘Parachute’ down with a new pill created by Michigan scientist (mlive.com)

  • Illegal cannabis seeds may be used to make legal medicinal cannabis products (New Zealand Herald)

  • Tulsi Gabbard Files Bill To Study Hemp’s Uses For Just About Everything (Marijuana Moment)

  • FDA Issues CBD Warnings, But No New Regulations – Yet (MERRY JANE)

  • Can cannabis treat anxiety? It's complicated (The Guardian)

  • Most Addiction Specialists Support Legalizing Medical Marijuana, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • West Virginia Is Years Away From Medical Cannabis, Officials Say (Leafly)

  • Colorado grows annual cannabis sales to $1 billion as other states struggle (CNBC)

  • Pete Buttigieg’s Racial Justice Plan Would Legalize Marijuana And Decriminalize Drug Possession (Marijuana Moment)

  • A beloved cafeteria worker nicked his finger on a knife – and got fired for using marijuana at home (The Boston Globe)

  • Illegal cannabis getting even cheaper, as legal gets costlier, StatsCan says (CBC)

  • AOC And Kamala Harris File Bill Protecting Drug Offenders From Losing Public Housing (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis: Misinformation about CBD can be life-threatening (The Conversation)

  • You Can Legally Smoke Weed Naked on the Patio of a Southeast Portland Sex Club (Willamette Week)

  • People in states where marijuana is legal are eating more salty snacks and ice cream (MarketWatch)

  • Jay-Z joins cannabis company Caliva as chief brand strategist (CNN)

  • How Psychedelic Surf Smugglers Invented Dabs (With Help From the CIA?) (Leafly)

LSD

  • A Guy Allegedly Took LSD, Stabbed People With A Pencil And Lawn Light, And Hit Two Women With A Truck (BuzzFeed News)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

MDMA

  • STUDY: Use of MDMA & Similar Drugs May Increase Risk of Valvular Heart Disease (YourEDM)

  • Sydney teen swallowed MDMA pills 'to avoid detection' at a music festival (news.com.au)

  • 'The drug of the moment': five per cent of year 10 students have tried ecstasy (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  • Music festival MDMA overdose patient waited an hour for an ambulance (7NEWS.com.au)

  • Haunting texts reveal how young woman was scared to take MDMA which killed her at a Sydney music festival (New Zealand Herald)

  • Family devastated after schoolgirl, 16, dies after ‘taking ecstasy’ at party (Metro)

  • MDMA can make 'mild mannered people' aggressive, inquest hears (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  • Teen took up to nine MDMA capsules before dying at festival, inquest hears (ABC News)

AYAHUASCA

IBOGA

  • Opinion: Miami University must reverse unjust decision to terminate professors (Cincinnati.com)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • Study: Seizures, coma more common with synthetic cannabinoids than cannabis (AAP News)

KETAMINE

  • How the approval of esketamine has helped shift the perception of ketamine and other psychedelics (Tahoe Daily Tribune)

  • The Woodlands gets first ketamine infusion center to treat depression (Chron)

OPIOIDS

  • Teens abusing painkillers are more likely to later use heroin (Medical Xpress)

  • Generic Naloxone Approved for Opioid Overdose (Physician's Weekly)

  • Naloxone Dispensing Found Higher at Facilities with Opioid Workflow (Pharmacy Times)

  • The Global Opioid Supply Chain Begins in Tasmania (Pacific Standard)

  • With opium prices down, Mexican poppy planters are packing their bags (The Hustle)

  • Minnesota’s largest naloxone distributor won’t get grant funds (INFORUM)

  • If Cops Don't Die From Incidental Fentanyl Exposure, a Drug Treatment Specialist Warns, They 'Could Become Addicted to It Instantly' (Reason)

  • Portsmouth doctor reprimanded for treatment of chronic pain patient (New Hampshire Union Leader)

  • To fight opioid epidemic, treat drug use with compassion, not judgment (USA Today)

COCAINE

  • People are giving their greyhounds cocaine to make them run faster (GQ)

  • Teen violin prodigy dies of apparent drug overdose in London mansion (New York Post)

CAFFEINE

  • Scientists create ‘molecular coffee' that doesn't require beans (Fox 35 Orlando)

  • Caffeine powder in protein shake led to man's death, family says (Fox News)

  • Research shows that drinking Matcha tea can reduce anxiety (Medical Xpress)

  • World’s Coffee Growers Seek to Set Minimum Price to Help Poor Farmers (The Wall Street Journal)

  • One teaspoon of legal, popular but deadly caffeine powder is like drinking 60 cans of Red Bull (news.com.au)

TOBACCO

  • Netflix Promises to Reduce Depictions of Tobacco in Future Projects (Teen Vogue)

  • Children from deprived areas exposed to six times more tobacco retailing (Medical Xpress)

  • Will e-cigarettes usher in a new tobacco epidemic? Some researchers say yes. (Houston Chronicle)

  • Hennepin County Votes To Raise Tobacco Age To 21 In More Communities (WCCO)

  • Livermore votes to ban the sale of flavored tobacco, e-cigarettes (KGO)

  • Big tobacco shifting to smokeless as smoking becomes ‘less and less’ popular (Fox Business)

  • Maine Law To Prevent Tobacco Use, Streamline Tobacco Taxes (Maine Public)

BENZODIAZEPINES

  • B.C. harm-reduction sites, doctors struggling with new type of overdose (Vancouver Sun)

  • Psychedelic Healing & Benzodiazepines: Are Chill Pills Cool to Combine? (Spirit Pharmacist)

ALCOHOL

NOOTROPICS

  • These Clinically-Proven Nootropics Are Specially Formulated to Improve Cognition and Focus (Futurism)

  • Nootropics is the Fyre Festival of the Supplement Industry (Equities)

  • What’s Phenibut and When Should You Consider Using It? (Prague Post)

KRATOM

  • Kratom Linked to Serious Side Effects and Deaths in New Study (Gizmodo)

  • As some states ban kratom, Michigan considers regulating it (Detroit Metro Times)

  • Local doctor, CDC warn of potential dangers of kratom (WAVY.com)

  • Kratom supporters respond to recent FDA warning (WMBF)

KAVA

  • Kava for Anxiety- Separating Fact from Fiction (MedShadow)

KHAT

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Psychedelics Take the TED Talk Stage for the First Time (Filter)

  • Amnesty International Is Calling for a U.N. Probe Into the Philippine Drug War (TIME)

  • Why Malaysia’s New Proposal Could Change Southeast Asia’s Drugs Debate (The Diplomat)

  • New law allows NC drug dealers to be charged with murder (WTVD)

  • Psychedelic mental health treatment expected to be approved in Australia within five years (The Guardian)

  • Philadelphia supervised injection site plan gets backing from attorneys general in 7 states (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • U.S. Prosecutors Say Drug Lord El Chapo Should Get Life in Prison (TIME)

  • Testing festival goers’ pills isn’t the only way to reduce overdoses. Here’s what else works (The Conversation)

  • Social Factors Are an Essential—And Changeable—Element of Addiction (Filter)

  • I hate drugs, but teenagers are dying while we maintain a supposed moral veneer (The Guardian)

  • Florida Sheriff Deputy Arrested After Planting Drugs on Innocent People (Reason)

  • A man I found guilty of dealing drugs died in prison. I wish I could take that verdict back. (The Washington Post)

  • How Can Harm Reduction Do Better for Transgender People? (Filter)

  • Minister hopes drug deaths record will be 'wake-up call' (BBC)

  • How Psychiatry and Hallucinogenic Drugs Meet in Painting (Hyperallergic)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

This Week in Psychoactives - 4.19.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Study Finds Marijuana Motivates People To Exercise, Smashing Lazy Stoner Stereotype (Marijuana Moment)

  • Report: Adult Use Legalization Associated With Increased Home Values (NORML)

  • Dogs Treated With Cannabis Oil Experience Less Frequent Seizures, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • In the age of legal marijuana, many employers drop ‘zero tolerance’ drug tests (Los Angeles Times)

  • Georgia: Governor Signs Law Licensing Low-THC Oil Production (NORML)

  • Another Federal Agency Wants You To Stop Calling About A Marijuana-Related Job (Marijuana Moment)

  • Where the war on weed still rages (The Washington Post)

  • Missouri Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • Alabama Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Marijuana Decriminalization In Committee Vote (Marijuana Moment)

  • Marijuana legalization is very popular (Vox)

  • Alabama Police Ruined a Couple’s Lives Over $50 of Weed. Now the Charges Against Them Have Been Dropped (Reason)

  • Unlicensed LA Dispensary Sold Pesticide-Tainted Cannabis, City Says (Leafly)

  • Illinois: Cook County State’s Attorney To Expunge Thousands Of Low-Level Cannabis Convictions (NORML)

  • Why Carl's Jr. is testing out a CBD burger (CNN)

  • Joe Biden Applauds Anti-Marijuana Speech At Opioid Forum (Marijuana Moment)

  • How Cannabis Prohibition Is Harming Veterans With PTSD (Forbes)

  • Mitch McConnell Touts Hemp Legalization Achievement In Reelection Campaign Ad (Marijuana Moment)

  • Doctors Have a Cannabis Problem, and It’s Harming Patients (Leafly)

  • Mental illness implications of cannabis use must not be ignored (CALmatters)

  • People Could Use Marijuana In Public Housing Under New Congressional Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Roadside drug-testing flaws exposed in local court case (Echonetdaily)

  • How to Be an Ethical Weed Consumer (Lifehacker)

  • Can Cannabis Help You Get off Xanax? (Civilized)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Eric Swalwell Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Don't expect your doctor to prescribe CBD, says physicians' college (CBC)

  • Meet the ‘Bliss Molecule’ Anandamide, a Cannabinoid Your Body Produces (Leafly)

LSD

  • Study: Microdosing LSD for 1 month was followed by improved mood, productivity (Big Think)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • The First Vote To Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms Is Happening Right Now (Marijuana Moment)

  • What is Denver Initiative 301: Psilocybin mushroom decriminalization (The Denver Post)

MDMA

  • Professor in western Japan allegedly made students produce MDMA (The Mainichi)

  • The Push To Legalise MDMA In Australia (10 daily)

  • MDMA Study Shows Promise In Fighting Brain Disease (EDMTunes)

  • Psychedelic renaissance: could MDMA help with PTSD, depression and anxiety? (The Guardian)

  • Teen who died at Kelowna festival last summer was given MDA instead of MDMA (Vancouver Sun)

  • “I Think I Can Leave Afghanistan in the Past”: Interview with a Military Psychologist about MDMA Therapy for PTSD (Psychedelic Times)

  • Liverpool teenager dies after suspected MDMA overdose (Milbank Monitor)

  • Mum of schoolboy, 13, who died in park ‘after taking homemade ecstasy pill’ makes Facebook plea for help finding dealer ‘who sold my son these drugs’ (The Sun)

AYAHUASCA

  • Do Ayahuasca Shamans See Microbial Worlds in Their Visions? (Kahpi)

  • Eleven Otherworldly Visionary and Ayahuasca Artists You Probably Don’t Know (Kahpi)

  • How Ayahuasca Taught Me Gratitude And Pulled My Life Together (Reset.me)

  • Ayahuasca Spirits Are Special Because They Are Not Real (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

  • A single inhalation of vapor from dried toad secretion containing 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) in a naturalistic setting is related to sustained enhancement of satisfaction with life, mindfulness-related capacities, and a decrement of psychopathological symptoms (Springer)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • New York launches new effort to fight synthetic cannabinoids (WNYT)

  • The Study of “Synthetic Cannabinoids” Condemns Punitive Marijuana Laws (Filter)

  • Flood of synthetic cannabinoids threatens to undermine CBD market, experts say (NutraIngredients-USA)

  • Why Synthetic CBD Is (Probably) the Future of Cannabis Pharma  (Green Entrepreneur)

NITROUS OXIDE

  • Laughing Gas to Be Used as Antidepressant in Australian Medical Trial (VICE)

KETAMINE

  • J&J’s new ketamine-like depression drug Spravato off to ‘very, very strong start,’ company says (CNBC)

  • Researchers Are Unraveling How Ketamine Works as an Antidepressant in the Brain (Discover Magazine)

  • What Is Ketamine And Should It Be Used For Addiction? (Psychology Today)

PCP

  • Lakewood man was high on PCP when he attacked man with ax before escaping police custody, police say (News 5 Cleveland)

  • Six Onondaga County deputies treated for possible exposure to PCP (WSTM)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • Exclusive: DHS is considering classifying fentanyl as a 'weapon of mass destruction' (Task and Purpose)

  • Andrew Yang’s plan to take on opioids: decriminalize heroin and fentanyl (Vox)

  • Life-saving opioid addiction treatments get a negative slant (Columbia Journalism Review)

  • "Narcansas" app developed to combat the opioid crisis (KATV)

  • Maine Pursues Plan To Stock Schools With Naloxone And Expand Drug Prevention Efforts (Maine Public)

  • New York Heroin Use Figures Higher Than US Average (Tech Times)

  • One Doctor’s Answer to Drug Deaths: Opioid Vending Machines (WIRED)

  • Vermont State Police issue update on trooper who experienced serious medical event (Vermont Biz)

  • 60 People Charged For Roles in Illegal Prescription Opioid Crackdown (TIME)

  • The DEA announces new strategy to fight against opioid and heroin abuse (WGNO)

  • Southern States Slowly Embracing Harm Reduction to Curb Opioid Epidemic (The Pew Charitable Trusts)

  • HUHS Rejects Student Proposal to Make Naloxone Publicly Available on Campus (Harvard Crimson)

  • Indivior Case: Don’t Throw Out the Buprenorphine With the Bathwater (Filter)

  • Saving lives with Naloxone shouldn’t cost you life insurance (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

COCAINE

  • Study: US Cocaine Interdiction Efforts Just Spread More Cocaine Around (Observer)

CAFFEINE

  • Switzerland to reconsider emergency coffee stockpiles, says it’s not 'vital' for survival (Fox News)

  • Does Caffeine Help A Headache Or Not? Here's What Experts Say. (HuffPost)

  • Caffeine content of different types of coffee (Medical News Today)

TOBACCO

  • FDA threatens to fine Walmart, Kroger and convenience store chains for selling tobacco to minors (CNBC)

  • Sacramento city council bans flavored tobacco products (KCRA)

  • American Cancer Society opposes Iowa bill to raise tobacco use age (WQAD)

  • The Percentage of Americans Who Understand That Vaping Is Less Dangerous Than Smoking Continues to Fall (Reason)

  • In Approaching Nicotine, Let’s Learn From Past Harm Reduction Victories (Filter)

  • House Dems unveil legislation aimed at curbing youth tobacco use (The Hill)

  • Snowmass Village set to raise tobacco age limit (Aspen Daily News)

  • Mitch McConnell Wants to Raise Tobacco Purchasing Age From 18 to 21, Including for Vaping Devices (TIME)

  • How Changing Tobacco Laws Can Save Thousands Of Lives, Billions Of Tax Dollars (Forbes)

  • Ohio could raise tobacco, e-cigarette and vape purchase age to 21: Five things to know (Cincinnati Enquirer)

ALCOHOL

  • Heavy drinkers consuming more than half of all alcohol (Medical Xpress)

  • Child and Adolescent Anxiety May Be Associated With Later Alcohol Use (Psychiatry Advisor)

  • Can you drink alcohol with antibiotics? (Medical News Today)

  • 10% of 8th graders in U.S drank alcohol in the past 30 days (WICS)

NOOTROPICS

  • This Powerful Nootropic Is the Perfect Start to Your Morning (and Afternoon, And…) (Inverse)

  • Are Silicon Valley’s brain-boosting 'smart drinks' as clever as they seem? (The Telegraph)

KRATOM

  • Opioid Users Call Kratom a Godsend. The F.D.A. Says It’s a Menace. (The New York Times)

  • Kratom is all the rage, but this natural supplement can be dangerous (Popular Science)

KAVA

  • Abuse of Kava at workplaces an issue: Minister (FBC News)

  • CBD Vs. Kava Kava: Two More Natural Remedies Compared (Ministry of Hemp)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Silk Road 2 founder sentenced five years after the site was shut down (Engadget)

  • An algorithm is attempting to block drug deals at UK WiFi kiosks (Engadget)

  • Chemsex: a dangerous shortcut to intimacy (The Independent)

  • Can the Psychedelic Movement Learn from the Movement for End of Life Liberty? (Chacruna)

  • Locking Up Drug “Dealers” to Save Users Doesn’t Make Anyone Safer (Truthout)

  • Why block the promise of a psychedelic renaissance? (openDemocracy)

  • Proposal for decriminalizing drugs could be tabled for debate in Saeima (LSM.lv)

  • Our Irrational Cruelty to Pregnant or Parenting People Who Use Drugs (Filter)

  • Hallucinogenic Healing: Could Psychedelics Cure Toxic Masculinity? (Playboy)

  • Dark Web Drug Seller Sinmed Goes Down—Thanks to ATM Withdrawals (WIRED)

  • Don’t Have a Bad Trip with the Police: Know your Rights with Police and Psychedelics (Chacruna)

  • What Is Psychedelic Integration? (Maps Of The Mind)

  • My Life in Two Parts of Texas Illustrates Our One War on Drugs (Filter)

  • Needle exchange program pioneered in Miami-Dade may soon grow to other Florida counties (Miami Herald)

  • Plant medicines in indigenous cultures (The Psychedelic Scientist)

  • Why We’re Starting the Conversation Around Queerness and Psychedelics (Chacruna)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

This Week in Psychoactives - 4.12.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Israel Decriminalizes Adult Use Cannabis During CannaTech Conference In Tel Aviv (Forbes)

  • FDA Is Taking Public Comments On CBD. Here’s How To Make Your Voice Heard (Marijuana Moment)

  • Police across the UK are given green light to let cannabis users off scot-free and suggest they get treatment instead of punishment (Daily Mail)

  • Alex Berenson and the Last Anti-Cannabis Crusade (The New Republic)

  • Georgia: Lawmakers Advance Bill To Regulate Low-THC Oil Production (NORML)

  • Mother of girl with epilepsy has supply of medical cannabis confiscated (The Guardian)

  • New York City: Lawmakers Advance Bills Limiting Drug Testing for Cannabis as a Condition of Employment, Probation (NORML)

  • Nova Scotia Woman Plans Constitutional Challenge of Roadside Cannabis Test (Leafly)

  • Hawaii Senate Committee Approves Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Senate Bill Would Let Marijuana Businesses Store Profits In Banks (Forbes)

  • California bill to block home delivery of cannabis sidelined for year (Los Angeles Times)

  • Another Connecticut Committee Approves Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

  • Will the European legal cannabis industry prosper? (Health Europa)

  • GOP Congressman’s Bill Would Let Medical Marijuana Patients Possess Guns (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mergers And Acquisitions Light Up The Cannabis Sector (Forbes)

  • Indiana Lawmakers Amend Hemp Bill To Allow Smokeable Flower (Marijuana Moment)

  • People of Color Were Targeted by the War on Drugs. They Must Benefit from Marijuana Legalization (Newsweek)

  • Can Cannabis Help You Get Off Adderall? (Civilized)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Tim Ryan Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis stocks lower as investors await the fate of the States Act (MarketWatch)

LSD

  • ‘SNL’ Introduces a Hilarious Film Critic Who Sees Movies on Acid So You Don’t Have To (IndieWire)

  • T.C. Boyle’s new novel takes a trip with LSD evangelist Timothy Leary (Los Angeles Times)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • China Enters Magic Mushroom Industry – Wuhan, MJMedTech, and M2BIO (Psilocybin Technology)

  • Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects (ScienceDirect)

  • Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee Is Open To Decriminalizing Psychedelic Mushrooms (Marijuana Moment)

  • Seth Rogen Talks About Taking Magic Mushrooms At Cirque du Soleil (Marijuana Moment)

  • I went to a chic fundraiser for Denver's psilocybin mushroom vote (Rooster Magazine)

  • The return of the 'stoned ape' theory (Big Think)

  • Sacred Mushrooms of the Mazatec Tradition: Transforming the Inner Landscape of the Human Psyche (Chacruna)

  • How Psilocybin Reset My Suicidal Thoughts And Taught Me To Love Myself (Reset.me)

MDMA

  • Inside an Innovative Study of MDMA Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder (Filter)

  • MDMA helps adult mice socialize like their adolescent selves (Quartz)

  • Cate Faehrmann: Why a lawmaker admitted to taking MDMA (BBC)

  • Teenager dies after taking six times the 'safe' level of Ecstasy (Your EDM)

  • 'She didn't get the chance to learn from her mistake': Father's anguish after his daughter, 18, died from her first hit of liquid ecstasy - as he reveals the tragic final words she spoke to him (Daily Mail)

  • Illinois man dies after taking ecstasy; parents now educate others on dangers of drug (WTKR)

  • Psychedelic Drug MDMA May Help Treat PTSD (Tech Times)

AYAHUASCA

  • Translating Ayahuasca Shamanism and Western Medicine (Kahpi)

  • Global Ayahuasca Community Joins Together to Defend Ceremony Leader (Talking Drugs)

5-MEO-DMT

  • Study: 5-MeO-DMT May Rapidly Improve Anxiety and Depression (Reset.me)

PEYOTE

IBOGA

  • Dutch natural healer gets 8 years for death of Swedish woman (NL Times)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

  • Ireland: Controversial ban on new psychoactive substances succeeds in reducing health problems (Scottish Legal News)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • State forensics lab identifying new synthetic cannabinoids (WLOX)

  • A Bunch of Dutch People Smoked Fake Weed for Science (Civilized)

  • Leeds outreach workers devise revolutionary treatment for Spice addiction (Leeds Live)

NITROUS OXIDE

KETAMINE

  • Ketamine May Relieve Depression By Repairing Damaged Brain Circuits (NPR)

  • Thai boys trapped in cave were sedated with ketamine (The Independent)

  • Ketamine vs. Esketamine for Depression (Psychology Today)

  • Emily Atack reveals she was offered ketamine in a nightclub toilet...as she recalls losing her knickers after an all night romp after the BRIT Awards (Daily Mail)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • DOJ Charges UK Firm With Conspiracy, Fraud Over Opioid Withdrawal Drug Suboxone Film (Gizmodo)

  • After three years of controversy, CDC clarifies its opioid prescribing guidelines (STAT)

  • More than 10,300 Canadians lost their lives to opioids in less than 3 years (CBC)

  • Poppy Cultivation and Potential Opium Production in Afghanistan (The White House)

  • In poll season, Punjab debates legalising poppy seed and opium farming (Down To Earth Magazine)

  • Public urged to keep free naloxone overdose kits on hand (The London Free Press)

  • Family Dog Survives Eating Five Bags of Heroin (The Epoch Times)

  • Naloxone available at UNT pharmacy without a prescription (North Texas Daily)

  • Alabama school staff trains to administer naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses (CBS News)

  • Forcing treatment and tying the hands of physicians won’t solve the opioid crisis (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Big Pharma’s Millions Won’t Solve the Opioid Crisis (Tonic)

  • Rajasthan farmers caught in ‘opium crisis’ (The Times of India)

  • How eating four slices of multigrain bread at a airport lounge led a fly-in-fly-out miner to failing a drugs test - and him stood down from his job (Daily Mail)

  • Hanover deputy released from hospital following possible fentanyl exposure (WWBT)

COCAINE

  • The United States' 'War on Drugs' Really Did Make Things Worse, New Research Finds (ScienceAlert)

  • Heather Yakin: Cocaine making comeback with new, lethal forms (Times Herald-Record)

METHAMPHETAMINE

  • Meth Mania: From Biker Gangs to the Psych Ward, How Speed Came of Age in California (KQED)

  • Family's dog tests positive for meth, molly after walk in park (WKRG)

CAFFEINE

TOBACCO

  • Illinois Becomes First State in Midwest to Adopt 'Tobacco 21' (NBC Chicago)

  • Delaware House approves raising age to buy tobacco products (Delaware Online)

  • Iowa Senate bill would increase age to buy all tobacco, vape products from 18 to 21 (KGAN TV)

  • Temple University takes major step in becoming tobacco-free: 'It's incredibly important' (KYW Newsradio 1060)

  • Texas could soon increase the legal age to buy tobacco, though active military members might be exempt (The Texas Tribune)

ALCOHOL

  • Alcohol use disorder: Brain damage may progress despite sobriety (Medical News Today)

  • No, moderate drinking can't protect against stroke. It actually increases risk, study says (USA Today)

  • There's new evidence for why we get the 'drunchies' after a night of heavy drinking (INSIDER)

  • Penn study finds genetic differences between heavy drinkers and alcoholics (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

  • A gene linked to alcohol habits may influence who you choose to marry (New Scientist)

  • Ethiopia passes tough law regulating alcohol sales, adverts (Africanews)

  • Proposed Federal Alcohol Labeling Revisions Retain Constitutionally Suspect Review Standards (Forbes)

  • The Big Number: 17.6 million Americans suffer from alcoholism (The Washington Post)

  • Australian Instagram personalities found to be under influence of alcohol industry (The Guardian)

  • First-Ever Female Libido Pill Gets Relief on Alcohol Warning (Bloomberg)

  • Lawmaker aims to lower blood alcohol limit (WIVB)

  • Does Red Wine Help You Live Longer? Here's What the Science Says (TIME)

  • April is National Alcohol Awareness Month (Marietta Daily Journal)

KRATOM

  • An Herbal Drug Called Kratom Has Been Linked to Almost 100 Overdose Deaths, the CDC Reports (TIME)

  • Castle Rock steps out front on regulating kratom, the popular but controversial herbal extract (The Denver Post)

  • Oregon Lawmakers Could Pass a Law Regulating Kratom (The Portland Mercury)

  • Kratom ban pushed by Pa. parents of son who fatally OD’d on ‘herbal heroin’ (PennLive.com)

  • FDA Report Finds Heavy Metals in Kratom – Is It Really That Bad? (Kratom Guides)

  • Northeast Mississippi counties continue conversation on Kratom (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)

  • 'Kratom literally saved my life' (WGRZ)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • The World’s Biggest Dark Net Market Has Shut – What Next? (VICE)

  • Sciencing the mystical: the trickery of the psychedelic trip report (Taylor and Francis)

  • California tests if addiction treatment can be incorporated into primary care (Politico)

  • Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Walks Back Pledge To Pardon All Non-Violent Drug Offenders (Marijuana Moment)

  • Rejected Depression Drug Could Provide Relief For Opioid Withdrawal (The Fix)

  • Inside the Legal Struggle Over Safe Consumption Spaces (Filter)

  • The new science of psychedelics: How hallucinogens provide a tool for changing our minds (AlterNet)

  • Psychedelic Plants in a Time of Ecological Crisis (Adventures Through The Mind)

  • How drugs got on the metric system (Rooster Magazine)

  • To Address Addiction, Confront Racism in Our Health and Justice Systems (Filter)

  • Proposal to allow needle exchanges statewide heads to House floor (Tampa Bay Times)

  • How Helpful—Or Harmful—Are Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs? (Filter)

  • Overdose prevention sites can help cities like Philadelphia save lives (STAT)

  • Psychedelic Research and You. Well, Maybe, not You (Chacruna)

  • Vindictive Drug-Induced Homicide Charges Are Set to Surge in Chicago (Filter)

  • LSD, shrooms, and psychiatry: Penn summit highlights clinical applications of psychedelics (The Daily Pennsylvanian)

  • Law enforcement are not drug experts (AOD Media Watch)

  • Playlist for Psychedelic Restoration (Tam Integration)

  • How Open Relationships and Psychedelics Have Shaped This Entrepreneur's Mindset (Entrepreneur)

  • Acetaminophen crisis bigger than opioid epidemic? (Drug WarRant)

  • There’s a way to stem the increase in HIV infections (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Microdosing psychedelics may improve mood and productivity (ZME Science)

  • Psychedelic club emphasizes benefits of shrooms (Rocky Mountain Collegian)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

This Week in Psychoactives - 2.22.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Tough cannabis policies do not deter young people – study (The Guardian)

  • Marijuana Companies Urged Governor To Ban Cannabis Home Cultivation, Document Shows (Marijuana Moment)

  • Popular book on marijuana's apparent dangers is pure alarmism, experts say (The Guardian)

  • Legalization Coming ‘Within Weeks,’ New Jersey Advocates Say (Leafly)

  • Vermont Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Approved By Key Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • Thanks to New York City Health Officials, New Yorkers Can No Longer Get CBD in Their Coffee (Reason)

  • West Virginia House Passes Medical Marijuana Banking Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Medicinal cannabis: Why has it taken so long to get to patients? (BBC)

  • Scientists Actually Did A Study To Confirm That Marijuana Causes The Munchies (Marijuana Moment)

  • Denver's second cannabis lounge opens in the Green Mile, making history (Rooster Magazine)

  • Marijuana Decriminalization Narrowly Rejected By North Dakota Lawmakers (Marijuana Moment)

  • Wisconsin Could Decriminalize Cannabis, Legalize Medical Use (Leafly)

  • Worldwide Marijuana Conferences Confirm The Business Of Weed Is Officially Legit (Forbes)

  • Liberal Democrats Overwhelmingly Support Marijuana Legalization, Survey Data Reveals (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Shows That Bees Like Hemp, And That’s Great News For The Environment (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mothers Demand Baltimore Police End Marijuana Arrests And Instead Focus On Murders (Marijuana Moment)

  • Survey Says: Price, Quality, and Access Are Key for Canadian Consumers (Leafly)

  • Marijuana Legalization Bill Approved By Key New Hampshire House Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • Florida Senate panel takes another step toward lifting ban on smokable medical marijuana (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

  • Virginia Law Would Protect Students Who Use CBD and THC-A Oils (Leafly)

  • Marijuana Businesses Plea For Congress To Provide Banking Access (Marijuana Moment)

  • End the cannabis banking problem (The Hill)

  • Cannabis on Campus: A Deep Dive Inside Higher Education Pot Policy in Medical Marijuana States (Civilized)

  • Proposed packaging regulations for cannabis edibles decried as excessive, wasteful (The GrowthOp)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Alaska cannabis industry cites uncertainty with new governor (The Seattle Times)

  • France's Softening Stance On Cannabis Opens Up Huge Economic Potential (Forbes)

  • CBD Is Now Regulated and That May Be a Good Thing (Pain News Network)

  • Lawmakers Push FDA To Allow CBD-Infused Food Products (Marijuana Moment)

  • Medical marijuana is on the rise in Australia, but we still don't know a lot about how it works (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

LSD

  • We Finally Have Evidence on Whether Microdosing LSD Can Help With Your Work (ScienceAlert)

  • 4th USS Ronald Reagan Nuclear Electrician Pleads Guilty to LSD Posession (The Daily Beast)

  • Tapping the Potential of LSD (Jewish Journal)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • Psychedelic mushrooms just put Denver at the center of the national drug debate — again (The Denver Post)

MDMA

  • Victorian MP Admits To Taking Drugs She Believed Were MDMA (Ten Daily)

  • The dangers of taking MDMA when you’re on antidepressants (Metro)

  • Decades ago, ecstasy — yes, MDMA — was used in marriage counseling (Big Think)

  • MDMA Could Revolutionize Care for Trauma, a Social Worker’s Perspective (Psychedelic Support)

DMT

  • From the Vasty Deep: The Reality of DMT Entities and Other Spirits (Psychedelic Times)

AYAHUASCA

  • Plant Hallucinogen Holds Hope for Diabetes Therapy (Infosurhoy)

PEYOTE

IBOGA

  • New Roots Ibogaine Addiction Treatment Clinic brings Ibogaine to California (Digital Journal)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

  • Louella Michie trial: Drug that killed woman at Bestival 'makes trees look like demons and giant dinosaur creatures', court hears (The Independent)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

NITROUS OXIDE

  • Autopsy confirms OU student died of asphyxiation due to nitrous-oxide (The Athens News)

  • The laughing gas parties of the 1700s — and how they sparked a medical breakthrough (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

  • Boca Raton Regional Hospital offers nitrous oxide during childbirth (WFLX)

  • Another Austin hospital offering laughing gas to help moms manage pain during labor (KVUE)

  • Warnings issued over nitrous oxide 'drug abuse' after evidence of increasing use across Bromsgrove District (Bromsgrove Standard)

KETAMINE

  • FDA Panel Endorses Johnson & Johnson Ketamine Nasal Spray For Treatment-Resistant Depression (KSRO)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • Purdue’s Sackler embraced plan to conceal OxyContin’s strength from doctors, sealed deposition shows (STAT)

  • For first time in Mass., male inmate will get methadone (The Boston Globe)

  • 'Heroin buyers club' vision unveiled for legal heroin sales in B.C. (CBC)

  • Intranasal naloxone now available in Australia (Australian Journal of Pharmacy)

  • Blaming pharma alone for opioid crisis is shortsighted | Opinion (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Naloxone proposal for London facilities fails committee vote, decision left to council (Global News)

  • Bill Filed in Maryland to Create Safe Opioid Injection Sites (WBOC)

  • Sandoz Inc. launches authorized generic version of buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual film (PR Newswire)

  • FDA may recommend overdose reversal drug alongside opioid prescriptions (CNN)

  • Trump “Most Excited” About China Executing People for Selling Fentanyl (Talking Drugs)

  • A Tale of Two Cities in the Grips of the Opioid Crisis (The Nation)

  • Indiana nonprofit will offer free naloxone, training in Muncie (Muncie Star Press)

COCAINE

  • The Rumours Are True: Sydney Really Is The Cocaine Capital Of Australia (Junkee)

METHAMPHETAMINE

ALCOHOL

  • Drinking contexts associated with early onset of alcohol intoxication among adolescents (ScienceDaily)

  • Daniel Radcliffe says he used alcohol to cope with immense 'Harry Potter' fame (Fox News)

  • Cannabis May Pose a 'Long-Term Risk' to the Alcohol Industry (Fortune)

  • These 52 celebrities don't drink alcohol (Midland Reporter-Telegram)

  • Alcohol is getting expensive - and other reasons why you should drink less (Health24)

ABSINTHE

NOOTROPICS

  • The Best Nootropics for Productivity, Focus, and Cognitive Performance (Better Humans)

KRATOM

  • Poison Control Calls for Kratom Rose Sharply, but the Caveats Are Crucial (Inverse)

  • Backlash continues following Kratom ban (WCBI)

  • Kratom Imported by Denver Company Seized by the Feds (Westword)

  • Kratom: A Nationwide Ban Will Be Deadly (71 Republic)

  • Benefits of Buying Kratom Powder Online vs Capsule Form (WORLDHAB)

  • Is Kratom a Performance Enhancer or a Lethal Opioid? (Outside Magazine)

  • Health Benefits of Kratom Powder and Why You Should Buy It (Kerala News 24/7)

  • What to know about kratom capsules and how to stay best informed (Augusta Free Press)

KHAT

  • Researchers find ties between Africa’s khat use and liver disease (Africa Times)

  • Somali traders say no to Kenyan khat (CGTN)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • The Supreme Court Just Struck a Huge, Unanimous Blow Against Policing for Profit (Slate)

  • El Chapo's Lawyers Are Pushing for a New Trial After Report Jurors Read News Stories About Him (TIME)

  • El Chapo Highlighted Mexican Corruption, but Drug Money Also Lubricates U.S. Border (The New York Times)

  • Phony Houston Drug Warrant Prompts FBI Investigation and Review of 1,400 Cases (Reason)

  • Decades before the pill testing debate these little bins caused an uproar (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

  • How I Started South Carolina’s Only Formal Syringe Exchange (Filter)

  • How to Think about Weird Psychedelic Beings (Kahpi)

  • Study of Microdosing Psychedelics Finds Mixed Bag of Effects (PsychCentral)

  • MAPS Canada charts the way for psychedelic therapy (The McGill Tribune)

  • New Zealand university students offered free drug-testing in 'harm-prevention' first (The Guardian)

  • Australia drug use: Meth and cocaine up, MDMA and heroin down (Infosurhoy)

  • Democratic 2020 Candidates on Cannabis and Other Drug Policy (Talking Drugs)

  • The Harvard Science of Psychedelics Club (The Harvard Independent)

  • Kitty Flipping, Nexus Flipping and other dangerous drug mixtures (Rave Jungle)

  • COLUMN: New medical research shows benefits of psychedelic drugs (Daily Toreador)

  • What IF psychedelics can heal? (Purdue University)

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 2.15.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Senator Files '420' Marijuana Bill To Legalize It Federally (Forbes)

  • Mexican Senate Report Lays Out Marijuana Legalization Considerations (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Mexico Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill At Committee Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

  • Oregon has more legal cannabis than the state can consume in six years (Quartz)

  • States With Legal Medical Marijuana Have Lower Teen Use Rates, Large-Scale Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Why CBD Works Better With a Little THC (Even If You Don’t Want to Get High) (Leafly)

  • Study Shows How Marijuana Component CBD Can Help People With Substance Use Disorders (Marijuana Moment)

  • Veterans Medical Marijuana Access Legislation Introduced In House and Senate (NORML)

  • European Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana Resolution (Marijuana Moment)

  • Bill to Provide Greater Access for Virginia Medical Cannabis Patients Succeeds (NORML)

  • Missouri Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Expungement Bill For Medical Cannabis Patients (Marijuana Moment)

  • Kamala Harris Got So High Smoking Weed in College She Thought She Was Listening To Snoop Dogg and Tupac (Reason)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Michigan’s First Cannabis Lounge Is the Chill Alternative to Bars (Leafly)

  • Marijuana possession bill reintroduced in state Senate (Winston-Salem Journal)

  • Maury Povich Smoked A Marijuana Strain Named After His Wife, Journalist Connie Chung (Marijuana Moment)

  • Dan Bilzerian's Weed Company Is Keeping Sexist Cannabis Ads Alive (VICE)

  • If you support marijuana legalization, you should support safe injection sites (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Here's How New Mothers are Using CBD to Combat Baby Brain (Civilized)

  • Aurora Cannabis earnings show big growth in pot sales, but worrisome profit trend (MarketWatch)

LSD

  • The Man who Mapped LSD (OUPblog)

  • Microdoses of LSD change how you perceive time (Big Think)

  • Amanda Feilding: ‘LSD can get deep down and reset the brain – like shaking up a snow globe’ (The Guardian)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • $1m kicked into campaign for magic mushroom therapy (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  • Push to legalize psychedelic mushrooms gains traction in Eugene (KEZI)

  • Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Are Having a Moment. Here's What It's All About. (Cheddar)

  • Magic Mushrooms Show Promising Results for Treating PTSD and Depression (San Diego Entertainer Magazine)

MDMA

  • MDMA Users May Have a Social Advantage Over People Who Use Other Drugs (Inverse)

  • Israel's Health Ministry Approves Compassionate Use of MDMA to Treat PTSD (Haaretz)

  • MDMA Expanded Access is almost here. What’s it all about? (Psymposia)

  • Use of Ecstasy spreading in Cebu: PDEA 7 (Sun.Star)

  • Police issue a warning for yellow octopus ecstasy pills (Mixmag)

  • Daniel Eades, 19, took MDMA at Halo and Wetherspoon (Bournemouth Echo)

  • Young dad dies after taking ecstasy on New Year's Eve (Derbyshire Live)

AYAHUASCA

  • The First Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Yubaka Hayrá) in Acre Demonstrates Political, Cultural and Spiritual Resistance (Chacruna)

  • Ayahuasca Shows Huge Potential As a Treatment For Severe Depression (Reset.me)

  • What Ayahuasca is Trying to Teach Us: An Interview with Dennis McKenna (Reality Sandwich)

  • Mindful Eating as a support for Ayahuasca Dieta (Tam Integration)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • Severe bleeding associated with use of tainted synthetic cannabinoids (AAP News)

  • Colorectal cancer: Scientists halt growth with cannabinoid compounds (Medical News Today)

  • Children as young as THREE are treated in hospital after taking Spice as Britain's synthetic drug crisis deepens (Daily Mail)

NITROUS OXIDE

  • Laughing gas now an option for women giving birth (Everything Lubbock)

  • Residents 'disgusted' after piles of 'hippy crack' canisters dumped outside Cambridge home (Cambridgeshire Live)

  • Everything you need to know about nangs, the worrying craze growing amongst Aussie teens. (Mamamia)

KETAMINE

  • Taking Ketamine Can Feel a Lot Like a Near-Death Experience (Tonic)

  • F.D.A. Panel Recommends New Depression Treatment (The New York Times)

  • Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles Commemorates Five Years of Patient Success Stories (New Kerala)

PCP

  • Man who killed USA Today reporter in PCP-fueled crash sentenced to six years in prison (The Washington Post)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease (The New York Times)

  • Mapping the Opioid Epidemic (New America)

  • Overdose remedy naloxone now carried by all Ventura police officers (Ventura County Star)

  • Mass. Issues Guidelines After Boston Nurse Was Denied Life Insurance For Carrying Naloxone (WBUR)

  • Even in best-case scenario, opioid overdose deaths will keep rising until 2022 (Los Angeles Times)

  • Opioid-Related Deaths Decreasing in Iowa, Report Shows (WHO-TV)

  • Veterinarian sentenced to 6 years for stitching heroin into puppies and turning them into drug mules (INSIDER)

  • Why the Rural Opioid Crisis Is Different From the Urban One (CityLab)

  • Opium cultivation business squeezed by market shift towards meth (Myanmar Times)

  • Vet saves Victoria puppy with naloxone injection (Maple Ridge News)

  • Offer: help solve the opioid crisis, have your student loans forgiven (Rooster Magazine)

  • Indy coffee shop is the newest place to offer life-saving drug naloxone (Fox 59)

  • Coroner: No carfentanil spike locally, but OD deaths are up (Dayton Daily News)

  • 'Church Of Safe Injection' Offers Needles, Naloxone To Prevent Opioid Overdoses (NPR)

  • It's too late to save my son's life, but this drug can save others (The Sacramento Bee)

  • Houston Cop Involved in Deadly Drug Raid Relieved of Duty Due to 'Ongoing Questions' (Reason)

  • Naloxone training could help save numerous lives (KVAL)

METHAMPHETAMINE

BENZODIAZEPINES

  • The Deadly Worst Case Scenario for America's Xanax Obsession (VICE)

ALCOHOL

  • Beer before wine, you'll feel fine? Not according to a new study (CTV News)

  • More than 100 dead after drinking bootleg alcohol in India (Reuters)

  • Man 'under influence of alcohol' allegedly beats stepdaughter to death (Jakarta Post)

  • How heavy drinking might boost your appetite for alcohol (Health24)

  • Alcohol Problems Grow as Booze Gets a Bigger Kick (WebMD)

  • Alcohol’s effects on the brain (The Ithacan)

  • Plan to raise alcohol limits in beer at Utah stores approved (Cache Valley Daily)

  • Report says Utah has lowest alcohol consumption per capita in country (KUTV 2News)

  • Thousands sign petition to stop ban of alcohol on some Michigan rivers (WXYZ)

  • I Stopped Drinking For 30 Days — & My Skin Got So Much Better (Refinery29)

  • Giving up alcohol made our lives better — and turned us into terrible guests (The Washington Post)

ABSINTHE

  • Does absinthe really make drinkers hallucinate? (Fox News)

NOOTROPICS

  • Brain‑Enhancing 'Smart Drugs' Promise a Boost in Creativity, Memory (The Swaddle)

  • Seven Mental and Athletic Performance Benefits of Nootropics (Youth Health Magazine)

  • Noopept: one of the most potent brain boosters on the market (London Post)

KRATOM

  • Kratom Is A Drug, But Indonesia Really Wants It To Remain An Unlicensed Supplement (Science 2.0)

  • The FDA is wrong about kratom (The Washington Post)

  • Regulations Are On Hold as Kratom Debate Rages (WebMD)

  • Kratom No Longer Allowed In Columbus (WCBI)

  • What Is Kratom & Why Is It Being Used For Opiate Self-Detox? (Psychology Today)

  • Miracle treatment or dangerous drug? (The Star Online)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • El Chapo, the Notorious Drug Kingpin, Has Been Found Guilty in His U.S. Trial (TIME)

  • 'Kitty Flipping' and the Psychonaut Obsession with Mixing Drugs (VICE)

  • FDA explores using blockchain to track drug supplies (Engadget)

  • How Brexit Will Shape Britain's Drug Supply (VICE)

  • GOP Iowa lawmaker proposes decriminalizing psychedelic drugs for medical use (The Hill)

  • Sri Lanka hiring hangmen, inspired by Philippines' war on drugs (Reuters)

  • Will El Chapo's conviction change anything in the drug trade? (The Guardian)

  • Victoria city councillors call on B.C. to provide safe-inhalation sites for drugs (Times Colonist)

  • Tennessee bill would charge pregnant women using drugs if baby born addicted (KMPH)

  • Students Turn To Study Drugs And Alcohol To Cope With Campus Life (Forbes)

  • Is there something divine about gender and psychedelics? (The Psychedelic Scientist)

  • Microdosing Hallucinogens Has Positive Effects—but Not What You Might Suspect (Pacific Standard)

  • Riverstyx: A Small Family Foundation That Funds Psychedelic Research and Other Fringe Causes (Inside Philanthropy)

  • Sex On Drugs (PSU Vanguard)

  • The case for drug decriminalization in Baltimore (The Baltimore Sun)

  • Japan managed to win its war on drugs, why can’t we? (The Spectator)

  • Trip Sitters and Conscious Bachelorette: Interview with Chi of Truffles Therapy (Psychedelic Times)

  • Psychedelics Live Up to Early Promise (Discover Magazine)

  • How 'Russian Doll' flirts with psychedelic therapy (The Outline)

  • Becoming an Entheogen (Medium)

  • Psychedelic Meditation (The Third Wave)

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.