This Week in Psychoactives - 11.29.19

CANNABIS

• Study: Daily Cannabis Use Among Pain Patients Associated with Less Non-Prescription Opioid Use (NORML)

• License revoked for California cannabis vape maker Kushy Punch after state seizes $21M worth of products (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Scientists Just Figured Out Why Some People Hallucinate on Weed (MERRY JANE)

• Another Study Links Vitamin E Additive to Lung Illness (NORML)

• California Is Raising Taxes On Cannabis Again (Forbes)

• Study Finds “Little Support” for Cannabis Impacting Cognitive Abilities (NORML)

• Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly half (ScienceDaily)

• Marijuana vaping disease strikes Thai patient (Coconuts Bangkok)

• Additives result in higher toxins for vape users, Portland State study finds (EurekAlert!)

• Michigan halts sale of marijuana vapes unless re-tested (MSN)

• Alcohol-Related Car Crashes Declined In Idaho After Washington Legalized Marijuana Next Door (Marijuana Moment)

• Feds Will Stop Funding State Addiction Programs That Use Cannabis (MERRY JANE)

• Trinidad And Tobago Government Introduces Marijuana Reform Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• For many, even 'automatic' clearing of marijuana records could be complicated (Crain's Chicago Business)

• Is Weed Safe When You're Breastfeeding? (VICE)

• US Air Force Bans Service Members From Using CBD, Despite its Legal Status (MERRY JANE)

• Joe Biden Walks Back Marijuana ‘Gateway Drug’ Comment After Week Of Criticism (Marijuana Moment)

• Inside the Contentious World of Cannabis Churches (InsideHook)

• Pete Buttigieg Says Marijuana Arrests Signify “Systemic Racism.” His South Bend Police Fit the Bill. (The Intercept)

• Where Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Congressional Candidate Smokes Marijuana And Talks Legalization In Campaign Video (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis legalisation: Does it lead to harder drug use? (BBC)

LSD

• New Zealand-based LSD microdosing trial gets go-ahead (Newshub)

• Inside the Archive of an LSD Researcher With Ties to the CIA’s MKUltra Mind Control Project (The Intercept)

• Thai medical authorities issue warning on recreational 'Magic Paper' hallucinogen (AsiaOne)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• FDA Grants Psilocybin Second Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Resistant Depression (Medscape)

• Scientists Discover New Compounds in Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Depression sufferers should not self-medicate with magic mushrooms, health experts warn (The Telegraph)

• Late frost means magic mushrooms will bloom in the UK on New Year‘s Day (Stock Daily Dish)

MDMA

• Parents of teens, here’s what you really need to know about MDMA (The Conversation)

AYAHUASCA

• Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend Harry Morton was 'hooked on ayahuasca', a psychedelic drug that distorts brain waves to create a vivid 'waking-dream' state — and was once used by the actress who said it 'changed her life' (Daily Mail)

• Don’t Forget Us Native People Behind the Ayahuasca (Kahpi)

• Personal Healing with Ayahuasca Helped Me Be a Better Psychologist (Chacruna)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Doctors warn of the dangers of ingesting nitrous oxide in light of OU student death (WHIO)

KETAMINE

• A Single Dose Of Ketamine Might Help Heavy Drinkers, Study Finds (NPR)

PCP

• Naked man reportedly high on PCP jumps off roof of Kansas City home ‘like Peter Pan’ (FOX 4 Kansas City)

OPIOIDS

• Pioneering Glasgow clinic offers addicts pharmaceutical grade heroin (The Guardian)

• Drugmakers and Distributors Are Under Federal Opioid Probe, Report Says (TIME)

• Heroin Pipes: How the “Hammer” Was Built for Harm Reduction (Filter)

• My friend and I both took heroin. He overdosed. Why was I charged with his death? (The Washington Post)

COCAINE

• Coca Plant Makes a Comeback (Reality Sandwich)

• When Paul McCartney Realized Cocaine Was Terrible for Him (Showbiz CheatSheet)

• Kirstie Alley Traded Cocaine For Flowers As 'Gift' To Herself (TooFab)

CAFFEINE

• Some coffee drinkers claim it causes anxiety. Here's what the science says (Salon)

• Caffeine, Cough Medicines: What's in the Average Blood Transfusion (U.S. News & World Report)

• Calls for probe into 'energy gum' that has more caffeine than Red Bull (Scottish Daily Record)

Nicotine

• Massachusetts Becomes the First State to Ban Flavored Tobacco and Vaping Products (TIME)

• Pennsylvania Officially Raises Age Of Tobacco Purchase To 21 (CBS Pittsburgh)

• New York City Lawmakers Vote to Ban All Flavored E-Cigarettes (TIME)

• CPSC Will Go After Vape Shops That Violate Bottle Rules (Vaping360)

• How the British Approach to Vaping Puts the US to Shame (Filter)

• More People In US Now See E-cigarettes More Harmful Than Tobacco (Medical Daily)

• "Small Vape" Stood Up for Itself at the White House (Vaping360)

• What the E-Cigarette Bans Get Wrong (Slate)

• Vape debate: Are e-cigarettes wiping out teen smoking? (AP News)

ALCOHOL

• Does Drinking Alcohol Literally Shrink the Brain? (SciTechDaily)

• A Brain Network for Alcoholism? (Psychology Today)

• Stamford and the bottle: Study shows alcohol is a problem in city (Stamford Advocate)

• Utah underage drinking declines to record low (The Salt Lake Tribune)

NOOTROPICS

• Some Nootropics Contain a Substance Unapproved by the FDA (VICE)

KRATOM

• Which Liver Enzymes Metabolize Mitragynine (Net Newsledger)

• Retail sale of kratom supplement banned in Monument (Colorado Springs Gazette)

• Poison Control Centers Saw 5,000% Increase In Calls About Kratom Exposure (WOSU)

KAVA

• Fijian kava arrives in New Zealand pharmacies (NZ Herald)

• The viability of kava in healthcare — sensations of euphoria and relaxation (The Market Herald)

MISCELLANEOUS

• How Drugs Won the War on Drugs (Mixmag)

• Leaked Documents Say Roughly 2,000 NY Prisoners Affected By Erroneous Drug Tests (Gothamist)

• Are over-the-counter psychedelics in our future? (Big Think)

• Federal Health Agency Hosts Talk On Psychedelics Research (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic studies on depression recruiting subjects in the Netherlands (Stitching OPEN)

• Nearly 100 Cities Are Considering Decriminalizing Psychedelics, Map Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Is this the way the drug war ends - not with a bang, but a whimper? (Politics.co.uk)

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 - 11.8.19

Cannabis

• Mexican Supreme Court Grants Marijuana Legalization Deadline Extension (Marijuana Moment)

• House Panel Votes To Let Students With Drug Convictions Keep College Aid (Forbes)

• CDC confirms 2,051 cases of vaping-related lung injury (Engadget)

• Medical cannabis trial will target 20,000 UK patients (The Guardian)

• Quebec raising age of cannabis consumption to 21 in the new year (Leafly)

• Skinny Pot: Could Weight-Loss Weed Be Next? (Rolling Stone)

• Senior Citizens Are Canada's Fastest-Growing Weed-Using Demographic (MERRY JANE)

• Millions of cannabis plants in California with ‘black market’ value of $1B seized and destroyed (Fox News)

• Cannabis Reduces Suicidal Thoughts in People Suffering From PTSD, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• Poll: Most Americans Support Ending Federal Cannabis Criminalization (NORML)

• Calling It ‘Cannabis’ Instead Of ‘Marijuana’ Doesn’t Boost Legalization Support, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Alaska Recalls Weed Grower's Product Over Alleged Eagle 20 Contamination (MERRY JANE)

• Three More Ohio Cities Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Measures, But Three Others Are Defeated (Marijuana Moment)

• The NYPD Bragged About a Big Pot Bust. Turns Out It Seized 106 Pounds of Legal Hemp. (Reason)

• Problematic Marijuana Use Is Declining Among People Who Consume Every Day, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Americans Think Weed Is Much Safer Than E-Cigs or Tobacco, Poll Finds (MERRY JANE)

• One-time exposure to cannabinoids during early pregnancy can impair fetal development (News-Medical.net)

• Illinois Will Ban Cannabis Use in Public Housing, Despite Legalization (MERRY JANE)

• Drake is launching a Canadian cannabis brand (Leafly)

• Don't blame legal cannabis for the vaping health crisis, focus on black market THC (USA Today)

• How legalising cannabis in London would crush violence and the illegal drugs trade (The Independent)

• Can cannabis help with lupus? Patients recommend it, but research is lacking (Leafly)

LSD

• Logan Paul buys Timothy Leary's LSD ranch in California for $1M (SFGate)

Magic Mushrooms

• Activists File Ballot Measure To Legalize Psilocybin Mushrooms In California (Marijuana Moment)

• Why Johns Hopkins Medicine has Just Begun to Research Psilocybin Mushrooms (PR Newswire)

MDMA

• NHL Players Are Swapping Out Opioids for Cocaine and Ecstasy, Report Says (MERRY JANE)

• Young woman's split second decision to swallow two MDMA capsules because she feared cops would catch her with the illegal drugs led to her death (Daily Mail)

DMT

• What is DMT? What makes it dangerous? (CBS 17)

Ayahuasca

• Fake News About Ayahuasca’s Archeological Antiquity (Chacruna)

Ketamine

• Ketamine Use for Pain Not Associated With Hepatotoxicity, Adverse Drug Events (MD Magazine)

• Ketamine Holds Promise in Derailing Veteran Suicide (PR Web)

PCP

• Trick-or-treat gum balls tested for possible PCP in Lake Stevens (KOMO News)

• Claymont man pleads guilty to murdering ex-wife while they took PCP, watched TV (WDEL)

Opioids

• Drug reversing effects of opioid overdose to be handed out in England (The Guardian)

• Naloxone use by London police saves 103 lives so far in 2019 (Global News)

• Feds Warn Of Heroin-Laced Vape Solution After Two High Schoolers Hospitalized (CBS Dallas Fort Worth)

• Naloxone underprescribed to high-risk patients, Maine researchers say (Press Herald)

• Advocates fear new opioid panel will minimize harm reduction focus (Calgary Herald)

Cocaine

• The NHL seems to disagree about its cocaine usage (New York Post)

Methamphetamine

• A Medication To Treat Meth Addiction? Some Take A New Look At Naltrexone (NPR)

• Trick-or-Treaters on US Air Force Base Handed 'Goodies' That Resemble Crystal Meth (Newsweek)

• Cheap and powerful 'meth 2.0' is ravaging communities and slowly killing its victims (USA Today)

Tobacco

• New Study Casts Further Doubt on Warnings That Vaping Is a Gateway to Smoking (Reason)

• Juul Halts Sales of Mint E-Cigarettes, Its Best-Selling Flavor (TIME)

• The US vaping flavour ban: twenty things you should know (The Counterfactual)

Benzodiazepines

• The Evolution of Designer Benzodiazepines (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Nootropics

• The Risks of Nootropic Use (Psychology Today)

Miscellaneous

• Can a Trip-Free Psychedelic Still Help People With Depression? (VICE)

• Is the 'War on Drugs' Over? Arrest Statistics Say No (The New York Times)

• Trump calls for ‘war’ on drug cartels after 9 Americans killed in Mexico (Los Angeles Times)

• Another UK Parliament Committee Is Calling For Drug Decriminalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Why Psychedelics Could be the Future of Anorexia Treatment (Elemental)

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Voices Support For Decriminalizing Psychedelics (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma Frees Hundreds of Minor Drug Offenders From Jail (MERRY JANE)

• Fewer young people are going into drug treatment – thanks to the government, there’s virtually nowhere left to get it (The Independent)

• Mexico’s drug policy is failing. That’s why the cartels are on the offensive. (The Washington Post)

• Could a combination of psychedelics and meditation treat depression? (Medical News Today)

• Rap and Hip-Hop Mention Drugs and Booze More Than Any Other Genre, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

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 - 10.25.19

Cannabis

• Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana for Personal Use (NORML)

• Finland’s Government Will Consider Decriminalizing Marijuana In Response To Citizen Petition (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s What Researchers Know So Far About How Marijuana Legalization Affects Public Health (Marijuana Moment)

• CBD Is Googled More Than Acupuncture or Meditation, New Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• China Has Officially Kicked Off Its Own Reefer Madness Campaign (MERRY JANE)

• CBD Linked to Sleep Disturbances in Adolescent Rats (The Scientist)

• FDA Warns Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers to Avoid THC and CBD (MERRY JANE)

• Matt Every Reveals Cannabis Use Was the Reason for 3-Month PGA Tour Suspension (Bleacher Report)

• Presidential Candidate Julián Castro Calls For Marijuana Legalization And Expungements In New Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• Sleep Deprivation Triggers the Munchies the Same Way Pot Does, Study Shows (MERRY JANE)

• Questions Raised Over Whether The Cannabis Industry Is Contributing To Air Pollution (NPR)

LSD

• The Man Who Turned On The World: The Life Of Michael Hollingshead (The Quietus)

Magic Mushrooms

• Mindfulness meditation enhances positive effects of psilocybin (EurekAlert!)

Ayahuasca

• A Homosexual Marriage Experience in Santo Daime (Chacruna)

• Can Ayahuasca Save The World? What I Learned at the 2019 Ayahuasca Conference (The Link)

Iboga

• Interview about Bwiti initiation and iboga with Nima Grégory Puente (LIMINAL)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• We need to talk about the deadly dangers of designer drugs (MedCity News)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing gas helpful for labor pain, but epidural still top choice (EurekAlert!)

• Edmond emergency room using nitrous oxide to alleviate fear, pain in pediatric patients (KFOR)

Ketamine

• One in three pain patients suffer side effects after ketamine infusion therapy (EurekAlert!)

PCP

• Police: Man high on PCP breaks into Germantown Walmart, uses hair clippers on $2 pumpkin (WJLA)

• Driver admits he was high on PCP when he killed expecting mother in crash (KFGO)

Opioids

• Massachusetts Study Confirms That People Rarely Die After Using Opioids Prescribed for Them (Reason)

• People who smoke or snort drugs half as likely to carry naloxone: BCCDC (The Tri-City News)

• Drug users urged to get naloxone kits after research shows many in B.C. don’t have one (Coast Mountain News)

Cocaine

• You Can (Illegally) Order a "Cocaine Taxi" in Germany (MERRY JANE)

• The Public Needs to Know Today's Cocaine Contains Fentanyl (The Cleveland Scene)

Methamphetamine

• Meth is most common drug in overdose deaths in chunk of US (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Iowa Cops Denied Medical Care to Arrested Man Who Died of Meth Intoxication (Filter)

CAFFEINE

• WVU researcher studies link between caffeine, sleep and alcohol use in middle-schoolers (The Herald-Dispatch)

• More electronic device use tied to more sugar and caffeine in teens (Medical Xpress)

TOBACCO

• In a First, FDA Endorses Brand of Tobacco Pouches as a 'Reduced Risk' Alternative to Cigarettes (TIME)

• Young people who use flavored tobacco at first are more likely to keep using tobacco later, study says (CNN)

• Which Countries Do Best — And Worst — At Keeping Big Tobacco Out Of Politics (NPR)

• Tobacco firms accused of using gimmicks to subvert plain packaging (The Guardian)

Alcohol

• FBI Rules Out Poisoned Alcohol In Deaths Of American Tourists (HuffPost)

• Antibiotics caused man’s gut to turn carbs into alcohol (New York Post)

• New Study Says People Who Frequently Drink Alcohol Had Lower Rates Of Obesity, But Doctors Disagree (CBS Philly)

• World first clinical trial commenced in alcohol use disorder (PR Newswire)

Nootropics

• The ‘smart drugs’ revolution: how pharmaceuticals will leave us ‘accelerating into a 24/7 society’ (Metro)

Kratom

• A new kratom report maps one possible future for the drug (Inverse)

Kava

• Government aims to establish a Kava research institute (FBC News)

• Behind the kava craze: Fiji's world-famous plant putting people to sleep (New Zealand Herald)

Miscellaneous

• Chicago Follows Oakland, Introduces Resolution to Decriminalize Psychedelic Plants (Psychedelic Science Review)

• There’s Now a Federal Psychedelic Lobby (DoubleBlind)

• What the heck happened to Reality Sandwich? (Psymposia)

• UK Parliament Committee Endorses Decriminalizing Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• What Drugs Are Most Popular Globally? Scientists Screened Sewage for Years to Find Out (VICE)

• B.C. festival-goers' drugs contain only expected substance 2 out of 3 times: study (CTV News)

• Vaping Companies Brace for Wave of Lawsuits Over Lung Illness (Courthouse News Service)

• Drug laws not fit-for-purpose, world-leading drug experts warn (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Beto O’Rourke Calls For Drug Decriminalization And Safe Injection Sites In New Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• Drugs and Me sets up the First Harm Reduction Information Booth in Malta (Talking Drugs)

• What’s the Psychedelic Community Talking About? Three Main Takeaways from the 2019 Horizon’s Conference (Psychedelics Today)

• For-Profit Psychedelics and Access for All: A Conversation with Ronan Levy of Field Trip Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)

• Should I try microdosing at work? The science behind the Silicon Valley brain hack (Mic)

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 - 8.9.19

CANNABIS

• Study Reviews How Marijuana Compounds Inhibit Tumor Growth And Kill Cancer Cells (Marijuana Moment)

• Study Finds Cannabis Dispensaries Reduce Opioid Deaths by 21% (Leafly)

• 14% of Americans Say They Use CBD Products (Gallup)

• The Mexican Government Is Taking Public Input On How Best To Legalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Louisiana Patients Finally Get Their Medical Marijuana (Leafly)

• California OKs cannabis sales and use at San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival (Los Angeles Times)

• Federal Court Says Ohio Officials Can Block Local Marijuana Ballot Measures (Marijuana Moment)

• Arizona Groups File 2020 Cannabis Legalization Initiative (Leafly)

• Navy Bans Sailors From Using CBD Despite Federal Hemp Legalization, New Memo Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Delaware: Law Signed Reducing Marijuana Penalties for Juvenile Offenders (NORML)

• Study: Colorado Teens Reduce Cannabis Smoking, Increase Edibles (Leafly)

• Florida Lawmaker Files Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• With little funding or political will, Michigan police let black market weed slide (MLive)

• Top Senate Democrat Announces Construction Of Only Hemp Seed Bank In The U.S. (Marijuana Moment)

• Bernie Says He’d Legalize Cannabis Through Executive Order (Leafly)

• Colorado Sold Twice As Much Recreational Marijuana As Medical Cannabis Last Year (Marijuana Moment)

• Wisconsin man — who arrived in U.S. in ’81 as Cambodian refugee — is deported for marijuana offenses, leaving behind his wife and new baby (Chicago Tribune)

• Is Cannabis Safe When Pregnant? Study Seeks Answer, Draws Critics (Leafly)

• NASA Warns Employees That Using CBD Products Could Get Them Fired (Forbes)

• Could a cannabis substance replace opioid pain relievers? (Medical News Today)

• Idaho Medical Marijuana Initiative Clears Early Hurdle On Way To 2020 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

MDMA

• Warning Issued for Dangerously Strong Ecstacy Pills in Europe (EDMTunes)

• Number of people hospitalised with 'severe illness' from ecstasy at Indiependence Festival in Cork (Irish Mirror)

• Alert after MDMA pill that is three time the adult dose is identified at Boomtown (Daily Echo)

AYAHUASCA

• Pieces of Ayahuasca, a Cash Crop (Chacruna)

MESCALINE

• Here are 7 notorious Peyote and Mescaline aficionados who used these drugs to open new doors in human perception and understanding (AlterNet)

PEYOTE

• The Encounter That Introduced Peyote to Western Science (Chacruna)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Sea of laughing gas canisters left on beach after Brighton Pride (Metro)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine Changes Course of Major Depressive Disorder Treatment (Psychiatry Advisor)

• Royal Navy pleads with sailors to stop taking ketamine amid fears that the Class B drug is rife among junior naval personnel on ships and submarines (Daily Mail)

OPIOIDS

• Decline in opioid deaths is tied to growing use of overdose-reversing drug, CDC says (Los Angeles Times)

• Study Finds Increase in Pharmacy Dispensing of Naloxone, More Efforts Needed to Improve Access (Pharmacy Times)

• “Go Slow”—Baltimore’s Peer-Led Fentanyl Harm Reduction Campaign (Filter)

• Author Testifies That China Fails to Crack Down on Fentanyl (The Daily Signal)

• Autopsy: Bonnaroo attendee died from drug overdose involving fentanyl and ecstasy (The Tennessean)

COCAINE

• Colombia’s Drug Strategy Paradox – Less Coca Crops, More Cocaine (InSight Crime)

CAFFEINE

• Here's How Much Caffeine May Trigger a Migraine, According to a New Study (TIME)

• Why Alcohol, Nicotine Disrupt Your Sleep More Than Coffee (Healthline)

• Teenager commits suicide by overdosing on caffeine (Independent Online)

• Science Says Drinking Coffee Helps People Slow Aging, Lose Weight, and Cheat Death. These Fascinating Studies Explain Why It's a Miracle Drink (Inc.)

• Caffeine and how it affect’s the central nervous system. (Thrive Global)

TOBACCO

• Dayton, Ohio, will no longer hire job applicants who use tobacco, nicotine (New York Daily News)

• Tobacco plant buffet: Sticky surface traps insects and another feasts, study says (WRAL)

ALCOHOL

• Low-level alcohol use increases miscarriage risk (Medical Xpress)

• Alcohol Producers Tout Wellness Benefits. Health Experts Say Don't Swallow Claims (NPR)

NOOTROPICS

• Say no to nootropics (Deccan Herald)

KRATOM

• Ohio delays kratom ban; bill proposed to regulate the herbal supplement (Cincinnati.com)

• What is kratom? Users praise its pain-relieving ability, but Louisiana officials look to ban it (The Advocate)

• PM says kratom can be legalised ‘if proved useful’ (ThaiVisa News)

• Kratom: The Real Problem With This Botanical Drug (Medical Daily)

• Kratom In Your Skin Care Products (Kratom Guides)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Ireland Partially Decriminalizes All Drugs (Cannabis Now)

• Another Study Confirms Psychedelics Can Help Treat Depression and Anxiety (MERRY JANE)

• CDC: Fatal Overdoses Are More Common in Cities Than Rural Areas (Filter)

• The Top 10 Psychedelic Research Papers of the Last 10 Years (Psychedelic Science Review)

• 2020 Candidate Andrew Yang Tweets Support for Safe Consumption Sites (Filter)

• Bernie Sanders Wouldn’t Legalize Drugs Other Than Marijuana, He Tells Joe Rogan (Marijuana Moment)

• The Most Psychedelic Technology in Human History is Here, and it’s Called Neuralink (Psychedelic Times)

• Remembering Psychedelic Therapy Research Elder, Dr Claudio Naranjo (Kahpi)

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 - 7.12.19

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

• The Top 10 Psilocybin Research Papers of the Last 20 Years (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psilocybin Mushroom Extract More Effective Than Pure Psilocybin in Reducing OCD Symptoms in Mice (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Both CBD And Psilocybin Show Potential In Fighting Alcohol Use Disorder (The Fresh Toast)

• Why Some Women Are Treating Their Anxiety With Magic Mushrooms (Yahoo! Lifestyle)

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

• Reflections on 2019 World Ayahuasca Conference (Synergetic Press)

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

• Does drinking alcohol in older age prolong life? (Medical News Today)

• How secondhand drinking ruins lives: ‘Every family has been touched by this’ (The Guardian)

• Giving Up Alcohol Boosts Mental Health in Women (WebMD)

• How does alcohol affect rheumatoid arthritis? (Medical News Today)

• 10 things governments could do to reduce the harmful use of alcohol (World Health Organization)

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

• Khat is big business in Ethiopia (Deutsche Welle)

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)

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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.

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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:

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