This Week in Psychoactives - 3.8.19

CANNABIS

• Bipartisan Legislation To End Marijuana Prohibition Filed (NORML)

• As of 2019, Legal Cannabis Has Created 211,000 Full-Time Jobs in America (Leafly)

• Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Passes New Mexico Senate (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico House Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Trump Administration Wants More Input On Marijuana Rescheduling (Forbes)

• North Dakota’s First Medical Cannabis Dispensary Is Open for Business (Leafly)

• Elon Musk Could Lose His Pentagon Security Clearance Over Video of Him Smoking Pot (TIME)

• Higher education: Colleges add cannabis to the curriculum (AP News)

• Liberal Hawaii Decides Again Not to Legalize Cannabis (Leafly)

• Cannabis conundrum: California researchers struggling to get their hands on it (The Mercury News)

• Why scientists are using yeast to make marijuana compounds (The Verge)

• Amazon Vet Joins Cannabis Site Leafly As New CEO (Forbes)

• Majority Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana And Expunging Records, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Hawaii Dispensaries Can Now Serve Out-of-State Cannabis Patients (Leafly)

• Marijuana Use Before Sex Leads To More Satisfying Orgasms, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Regulations Are Choking Out California's Legal Weed Industry (VICE)

• Bernie Sanders Hits Campaign Trail With A Big Focus On Marijuana Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Beto O’Rourke Rallies Support Around Marijuana Reform Ahead Of Potential 2020 Run (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate John Hickenlooper Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• How I Use CBD to Treat Endometriosis (Civilized)

• Texas Lawmakers Hold Marijuana Decriminalization Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

• Texas Sheriffs Stand Against Marijuana Policy Reform (The Appeal)

• The DEA Wants Help Differentiating Marijuana From Hemp (Marijuana Moment)

• Facebook May Loosen Marijuana Restrictions, Internal Company Presentation Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Guns or cannabis? Ohio patients must choose. (Cincinnati.com)

• South Africa's Cannabis Policy is Wildly Confusing, Despite "Dagga" Being Part of the Culture for Centuries (Civilized)

• Florida Poised to Repeal State Ban on Smokable Cannabis (Leafly)

• Massachusetts dogs suffering from “cannabis toxicity” now that pot is legal (The Takeout)

• Meghan McCain Says Marijuana Might Have Extended Her Father’s Life (Marijuana Moment)

• Boulder company conducting study on effects of CBD on brain injury (Boulder Daily Camera)

• Where Do The Major North American Sports Leagues Stand On Cannabis? (Yahoo! Sports)

LSD

• Stanford admissions employee charged in LSD stabbing of girlfriend (Los Angeles Times)

• How LSD Makes Us Trip, and Why It Might Be Good for Us (Esquire)

• Taking LSD every morning ‘could be beneficial’, say scientists (Metro)

• Gaspar Noé provokes again, this time with LSD as lubricant, in 'Climax' (The Boston Globe)

• This sailor brought acid aboard his carrier (Navy Times)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• A single dose of psilocybin enhances creative thinking and empathy up to seven days after use, study finds (PsyPost)

• B.C. counsellor wants Health Canada to approve psilocybin to treat death anxiety (Vancouver Sun)

MDMA

• Israeli approves compassionate use of MDMA to treat PTSD patients (420 Intel)

• MDMA is purer, more readily available than ever in New Zealand (Newshub)

• Man died plunging into Amsterdam canal after taking MDMA (Rave Jungle)

• Schoolgirl, 15, collapsed and died on first day of summer holidays after experimenting with ecstasy (The Sun)

DMT

• Scientists Microdosed Rats With DMT, and It Was Both Good and "Concerning" (Inverse)

• The DMT Trip and the Mysteries of Hyperspace Travel (Chacruna)

• Meet the real-life people probing one part of an Alex Jones DMT conspiracy theory (Rooster Magazine)

AYAHUASCA

• Ritualistic ayahuasca users tend to have positive health and psychosocial well-being (PsyPost)

• Six Playful Lessons from a Transgender Journey Through Ayahuasca Integration (Chacruna)

• Shipibo Women Healers on the Challenges and Opportunities of the Ayahuasca Boom (Psymposia)

• What I Learned During 15 Years as an Ayahuasca Scientist (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

• 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety (Taylor and Francis Online)

SALVIA DIVINORUM

• What It’s Like to Smoke Salvia for Science (Motherboard)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• 2C-B Is the Drug Taking Over the UK's Clubs (VICE)

• What is party drug 2CP and what are the side-effects after first UK death? (Metro)

• Examining the Tragic Bestival Drug Death of Louella Fletcher-Michie (VICE)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Synthetic cannabinoid use can affect psychological outcomes (Healio)

• Government moves to increase synthetic cannabinoids penalties (Radio New Zealand)

• Spice ‘zombies’ triggering NHS cost crisis (Metro)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Boca Regional Offering Nitrous Oxide Therapy For Patients In Childbirth (Boca Newspaper)

• Why ‘nos’, the nitrous oxide party drug, is no laughing matter (The Times)

KETAMINE

• A ketamine-like drug is the first new antidepressant to get FDA approval in years (Vox)

• Esketamine is not a breakthrough new drug: Why the nasal spray for depression is old news (KevinMD.com)

• How Is Taking Ketamine for Depression Different From Falling Into a K-Hole? (Gizmodo)

• Driver high on ketamine ploughed into woman walking in Kings Heath (Birmingham Live)

PCP

• Bryan police: Man charged after resisting arrest, assaulting officer (Bryan-College Station Eagle)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Maryland to distribute fentanyl test strips to allow users to test drugs (The Baltimore Sun)

• How One Group Is Expanding Access to Overdose-Reversing Drugs Through the Mail  (Tonic)

• French poppy seed bread found to contain dangerous levels of morphine (The Telegraph)

• Good News: Opioid Prescribing Fell. The Bad? Pain Patients Suffer, Doctors Say. (The New York Times)

• Investigation: Where Are Naloxone Confiscations Happening the Most? (Filter)

• 'Opium-addicted' parrots terrorize Indian poppy farmers (The Jerusalem Post)

• The Opioid Dilemma: Saving Lives in the Long Run Can Take Lives in the Short Run (The New York Times)

• Naloxone kits will be added to 29 city-owned public buildings (CBC)

• Staten Island nonprofit will include naloxone training in CPR classes (SILive.com)

• Naloxone credited with decrease in overdose reports in Lima region (Lima Ohio)

• Scott Gottlieb was one of the few Trump officials taking on the opioid crisis. Now he’s out. (Vox)

• Fulton commission considering ban on synthetic opioids (MDJOnline.com)

• Report: Man overdosing on heroin crashes into restaurant (News 12 Westchester)

• Saira Khan: Stop doctors creating a nation of addicts (Mirror)

• Charges dropped in historic opium poppy bust in Catawba County (WCNC)

• Why aren’t slots for opioid treatment filled? City tries to turn the tide. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Training Day: Naloxone indications and administration (EMS1.com)

• Naloxone saves lives and experts say it's easier to get than most people think (9News.com)

COCAINE

• Insta-gram: How British cocaine dealers got faster and better (Mixmag)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Local dentists show dangers of meth (KRQE)

ALCOHOL

• Alcohol Reduces Fibromyalgia Pain (Pain News Network)

• Why You Can't Buy Alcohol on Election Days in Some Countries (VinePair)

• Drinking Alcohol Is More Harmful To Young People Than Previously Thought, According To Study (Bustle)

• Push to allow more alcohol in Utah beer hits stumbling block (Standard-Examiner)

• Locals reflect on first year of having Sunday alcohol sales (WTHI-TV)

• Is It More Difficult for Women to Quit Drinking Alcohol? (The Bold Italic)

• More than a dozen Clayton businesses caught selling alcohol to minors (WRAL)

KRATOM

• Kratom recalled after salmonella bacteria found in products sold by Oregon company (Statesman Journal)

• Chester County family sues kratom distributor in death of son (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• US Poison Control Is Being Inundated With Calls About an Opioid-Like Herb (ScienceAlert)

• Two Parents' Kratom Stories: One Nightmare, One Miracle (Westword)

• Monroe County sheriff to ask for banning of Kratom (WCBI)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Psychedelics and Dying Care: A Historical Look at the Relationship between Psychedelics and Palliative Care (Taylor and Francis Online)

• The IRS Targets Drug Policy Reformers (Reason)

• Gwyneth Paltrow thinks psychedelics are the next big wellness trend (Quartz)

• Labour supports trials of consumption rooms to cut drug deaths (The Guardian)

• “Never Give Up”—State Commission Urges Mass. to Move for Supervised Consumption Sites (Filter)

• Leaving The Third Wave: Team Statement (The Psychedelic Scientist)

• Reframing Psychedelic Integration into a Continuum with Community (Psychedelic Support)

• Alex Jones Says Secret Government Program Uses Psychedelics To Communicate With Aliens (Marijuana Moment)

• Can We Quantify the Placebo Effect in Psychedelic Medicine? (Psychedelic Support)

• Wavepaths Conversations — Jon Hopkins (Medium)

• Record Number in US Dying From Alcohol, Drugs, Suicide (Newsmax)

• Teens Need the Truth About Drugs (The Wall Street Journal)

• Male drug-related deaths up 98% in Northern Ireland (BBC)

• Yale researchers bolster conversations on psychedelic science (Yale Daily News)

• Could Microdosing Psychedelics Treat Mood Disorders? (The Fix)

• Psychedelic Drugs Heal, Too (Washington Square News)

---

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 - 3.1.19

CANNABIS

• Vermont Senate Passes Marijuana Sales Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• San Francisco will remove more than 9,300 marijuana-related crimes from people’s records (Los Angeles Times)

• THC found more important for therapeutic effects in cannabis than originally thought (Science Daily)

• Portugal Rejects Recreational Cannabis, as Medical Becomes Legal (Talking Drugs)

• Cory Booker just reintroduced a bill that would legalize weed (Roll Call)

• Yeast produce low-cost, high-quality cannabinoids (Science Daily)

• New Hampshire House Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Multistate Cannabis Operators Facing Unique Challenges (Forbes)

• Uh-Oh, California Could Run Out of Legal Cannabis by Summer (Leafly)

• Denver just made a big change on social-use cannabis: It will be permanent (The Denver Post)

• Marijuana Decriminalization Approved By Hawaii House Committee (Marijuana Moment)

• Studies: Cannabis Exposure Not Associated With Significant Changes In Brain Morphology (NORML)

• This ER doctor is about to launch the first marijuana breathalyzer, and it could completely upend how we do drug testing (Business Insider)

• Maryland Sets Sights on Cannabis Bills—18 of Them (Leafly)

• Florida Senator Wants To Let Voters Decide On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Delaware: Attorney General Calls For Expanding Use Of Civil Penalties For Marijuana Violations (NORML)

• This Anti-Vaping Bill Bans Everything But Edibles Indoors and Outdoors (Civilized)

• GOP Congressman Files Bill To Protect Native American Tribes That Legalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Weston-super-Mare cannabis centre to show 'safe use' (BBC)

• Federal Reserve Head Calls For Clarity On Marijuana Banking Issues (Marijuana Moment)

• As Expected The UN Delays Voting On Cannabis (Forbes)

• USDA Gives Farmers A Status Update On Hemp Legalization Plans (Marijuana Moment)

• Rhode Island: Gov. Raimondo’s Proposed Marijuana Legalization Budget Plan (NORML)

• Elizabeth Warren Talks Marijuana In New Hampshire Presidential Campaign Stop (Marijuana Moment)

• Don't Expect A Big, National Cannabis Brand Anytime Soon (Forbes)

• Oregon Lawmakers Weigh Bill Allowing Marijuana Lounges And Cannabis Business Tours (Marijuana Moment)

• Legalized Cannabis Remains a Burning Topic for Employers (Workforce Management)

• FDA Head Reveals New Details About Agency’s CBD Regulation Plans (Marijuana Moment)

• Behind The Scenes With Cannabis Charities (Forbes)

• Marijuana Tax Revenue Should Fund Subway Improvement, New York’s Cuomo And De Blasio Say (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Bootsy Collins Explains How LSD Played A Role In His Split With James Brown’s Band (Live for Live Music)

• Life inside notorious cult The Family where children were starved, tortured and given LSD is revealed by former member (The Scottish Sun)

• A trip with the acid countess: Amanda Feilding and the medical case for drugs reform (New Statesmen)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Sub-Acute Effects of Psilocybin on Empathy, Creative Thinking, and Subjective Well-Being (Taylor and Francis Online)

• Denver Voters Could Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms in May (Psychedelic Times)

• Psychedelic revolution: Initiative to legalize psilocybin in 2020 sprouts in Oregon (Daily Emerald)

• Australia’s psychedelic drug trial (The Saturday Paper)

MDMA

• Capsule v zip lock bag: How the law views the way party drugs are carried (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• What It’s Like to Treat a Psychopath with MDMA Therapy: Interview with Luna (Psychedelic Times)

• Wedded Ecstasy: The Couples Using MDMA to Fix Their Marriages (Fatherly)

• Brit died plunging into Amsterdam canal after taking MDMA and 'behaving strangely' (Daily Star)

• Teen placed in juvenile facility for providing fatal dose of MDMA (The Intelligencer)

• Homicide rap filed against boyfriend of Cebu teen who died of ecstasy overdose (ABS-CBN News)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• What is 2-CP, what does it do and where does it come from? (Mixmag)

• Remembering the Great British Mephedrone Craze (VICE)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Milton bans synthetic marijuana, opiates after teen incidents (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

• Is Synthetic CBD the Future of Cannabis Pharma? (Cannabis Investing News)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine Seems to Ease Depression. We’ll Soon See What Else It Does. (Bloomberg)

• Psychedelic Afterlife? Researchers Determine Which Hallucinogenic 'Trip' is Most Similar to the Near-Death Experience (Daily Grail)

• Ketamine is becoming increasingly popular under clubbers in the Netherlands (Rave Jungle)

• Ontario clinic treating depression with ketamine (CTV News)

• Old drug with racy history is a new suicide prevention weapon (Standard-Examiner)

PCP

• PCP smoker gets prison time for assaulting ex-girlfriend and trying to set her apartment door on fire (Hartford Courant)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Opium-Addicted Parrots Keep Raiding Poppy Farms in India (VICE)

• Allegations Against the Maker of OxyContin Are Piling Up. Here’s What They Could Mean for the Billionaire Family Behind Purdue Pharma (TIME)

• US Quietly Ends Anti-Opium Airstrikes Amid Taliban Peace Talks (Breitbart)

• The Opioid Crisis Isn’t White (The New York Times)

• “Mom, When They Look at Me, They See Dollar Signs” (Mother Jones)

• Bus Driver Overdosing on Heroin Crashes Bus With 12 Students Aboard, Police Say (TIME)

• FDA May Recommend Naloxone Be Co-Prescribed With Opioids (The Fix)

• Carfentanil found in heroin siezed in Uxbridge (Worcester Telegram)

• Naloxone in Maryland schools (WMDT)

• Pain patients on opioids also are getting rescue drug naloxone to prevent overdose (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

COCAINE

• Woman calls police, complains drug dealer sold her sugar instead of cocaine (Newshub)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• KTLA Anchor Chris Burrous Dies After Putting Crystal Meth In Anus (Hip-Hop Wired)

• North Koreans reportedly use crystal meth as casually as cigarettes and are shipping the drug to China (INSIDER)

ALCOHOL

• The Alcohol Crisis In America Has Been Overshadowed By Opioids, But Can No Longer Be Ignored (Forbes)

• Mothers return to pre-pregnancy drinking within five years: study (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Arkansas county sells alcohol after 70-year ban (KLFY)

• New bill would lower blood alcohol content limit for some drivers (ABC 13)

• Smoking and alcohol: Double trouble for the brain? (Science Daily)

• Online poll finds Chinese university students favour alcohol ban on campus (The Drinks Business)

• India toxic alcohol: At least 130 tea workers dead from bootleg drink (BBC)

• Liver transplants tied to alcohol use in the US doubled since 2002 (Health24)

• Is alcohol consumption more helpful than harmful? It depends on your age (EurekAlert!)

• Increasing alcohol limits in Utah beer gets Senate support (AP News)

NOOTROPICS

• Nootropics Found to be Useful Memory Aid (The Avion)

KRATOM

• Can You Drive on Kratom? Is It Safe To Drive After Taking Kratom? (Kratom Guides)

• Poison reports related to herbal drug kratom soar, new study says (USA Today)

• Is kratom nature’s answer to opioids? (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

• Some patients use Kratom to fight opioid addiction (WESH)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Home Office gives green light to first drug testing clinic (The Guardian)

• Is Scanning Inmates' Mail To Stop the Spread Of Drugs Legal? (The Fix)

• Has the decade-old war on drugs in Asia succeeded? (Al Jazeera)

• Psychedelic therapy — the metamorphosis of mental health care (Medium)

• Legal Weed Did More to Stop Drug Smuggling Than Any Wall (Reason)

• To Fight Addiction, Neronha Calls For Reclassifying Simple Drug Possession From Felony To A Misdemeanor (The Public's Radio)

• Pharma execs offer Senate ideas to lower drug costs – except actually cutting prices (CNBC)

• Joe Biden’s Drug War Record Is So Much Worse Than You Think (Leafly)

• Peganum Harmala, the “Ayahuasca” of North Africa and Eurasia (Kahpi)

• Climax Is The Scariest Movie About Drugs You Will Ever See (Refinery29)

• Magic in the Margins: Interview with an Underground Psychedelic Therapist (Psychedelic Times)

• New study claims microdosing improves focus and fights depression (Mixmag)

• Psychedelics: A Historical Account of Use and Rejection (71 Republic)

---

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 - 2.22.19

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

• Tribal Law Exempts Peyote for Native American Church Members (Lakota Country Times)

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

• K2, a potent synthetic drug, is on the rise in Philly, challenging police and outreach workers (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

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

• Mexican Meth Fuels an American Crisis (The Wall Street Journal)

• Meth's quiet resurgence (Columbia Missourian)

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

• Spoiler: Absinthe isn't trippy (PGH City Paper)

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 - 2.8.19

CANNABIS

• World Health Organization Recommends Reclassifying Marijuana Under International Treaties (Forbes)

• The Most Efficient Way to Smoke Cannabis? Study Says Dabs (Leafly)

• Jury Convicts Church Of Cannabis Founder On Public Consumption Charges (Colorado Public Radio)

• Most Strains of Weed Are More Alike Than People Think (Men's Health)

• Hawaii Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill In Committee (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Legalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• A New Study Says Pot Smokers May Have Higher Sperm Counts. But There’s a Catch (TIME)

• Patients Frequently Substituting Cannabis For Anti-Anxiety Drugs (NORML)

• CBD-Infused Food Banned by Health Department at NYC Restaurant, Owner Says (Eater)

• After A Decade Of Testing, Israeli Medical Cannabis Comes To The US (Forbes)

• Republican Senator Pitches Weird Conspiracy Theory About Weed Legalization, Menthol Cigarettes, and the FDA (Reason)

• Science Backs Most Medical Cannabis Treatment, Study Finds (Leafly)

• Medicinal cannabis legalisation opens gateway for psychedelic research (Small Caps)

• Traffic fatalities on a high after cannabis legalisation (Medical Xpress)

• Nebraska Could Vote On This Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure In 2020 (Forbes)

• Congressional Democrats Plan Hearing And Vote On Marijuana Business Banking (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot for pets: Cannabis products for our furry friends increasing in popularity (The GrowthOp)

• A Hemp Company Sues After Police Mistake Their Product for Weed (Reason)

• Trump Allies Consider Using Hemp Concrete To Build Border Wall With Private Funds (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s Where Ontario’s First Private Cannabis Stores Could Open (Leafly)

• More Seniors Are Using Marijuana and It May Decrease Their Opioid Use (Green Entrepreneur)

• New Hampshire Considers Legalization, but Gov. Sununu Vows to Veto It (Leafly)

• Maryland Lawmakers Introduce Marijuana Legalization Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• Latest Medical Marijuana Bill Proposes Full Use Of Cannabis Plant In Tennessee (WPLN)

• Reports Claim Bisexuals Smoke the Most Cannabis. Is There Any Truth to It? (Leafly)

• Why do so many Americans now support legalizing marijuana? (The Conversation)

• Study Reveals Little-Known Trick To Make Marijuana Plants Grow More Bud For Less (Marijuana Moment)

• Toronto Maple Leafs Suing Snoop’s Cannabis Brand Over Logo (Leafly)

• Smoke without fire: Cannabis for the observant Jew (ynetnews)

• Where Presidential Candidate Cory Booker Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• A Patient’s Guide to Using Cannabis for Cancer (Leafly)

• Cannabis in Small Commonwealth States: Turning a New Leaf? (Talking Drugs)

• How To Invest In Cannabis IPOs (Forbes)

• Why We Should Treat Cannabis like Organic Food or Fine Wine (Civilized)

LSD

• LSD allows more information to flood into the brain by altering activity in the thalamus (PsyPost)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Denver Will Vote on Psilocybin Decriminalization in May (Westword)

• The Push to Legalize Magic Mushrooms for Depression and PTSD (WIRED)

• Shrooms Are the Safest Drug You Can Take (VICE)

• Oregon "Psilocybin Services" Ballot Measure Has Significant Support, Poll Shows (PR Newswire)

• 'Magic Mushrooms' May Soon Be Decriminalised in Parts of The US (Science Alert)

• Magic Truffles in Amsterdam and the Monastic Path: Interview with Chi of Truffles Therapy (Psychedelic Times)

MDMA

• MDMA users more empathetic than people who take other drugs, study finds (The Independent)

• Parents whose son died after taking ecstasy want to educate others on dangers of drug (WGN-TV)

• Antisocial Species Of Octopus Becomes Friendlier On MDMA, Study Finds (Study Finds)

DMT

• Why Do Jesters and Tricksters Appear in the DMT Experience? (Sam Woolfe)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• Man filmed dying girlfriend at festival after taking 2C-P instead of helping her (Rave Jungle)

• First National Study on Flakka Finds Disturbing Trend Among Teens (Psychedelics Daily)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Synthetic cannabis may stop colorectal cancer from growing, study suggests (Daily Mail)

• K2 Overdose Calls Reach Lowest Numbers since 2014 (Spectrum News)

• Natural and synthetic cannabinoids for agitation and aggression in Alzheimer’s disease: A meta-analysis (MDLinx)

• 'Spice turns you into a zombie': Battling an addiction with synthetic cannabis (Shropshire Star)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Longmont United Hospital Offers New Pain Management Option for Laboring Mothers (Longmont Observer)

• Laughing gas now available for women in labor (WGME)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine Could Be the Key to Reversing America’s Rising Suicide Rate (Bloomberg)

• New variation of ketamine to be approved by FDA for treatment of depression (Mixmag)

• Ketamine Noninferior to Fentanyl for Traumatic Injury Pain in Children (Clinical Pain Advisor)

• Kansas City woman credits controversial depression treatment with saving her life (Fox 4 Kansas City)

• Can ketamine help depression? (WTSP)

• Fears grow that Ketamine use by young is on the rise in England (The Guardian)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• U.S. Prosecutors Sue To Stop Nation's First Supervised Injection Site For Opioids (NPR)

• Family Behind OxyContin Made Billions By Pushing to Keep Patients on Drug Longer, Filing Shows (TIME)

• Study: Illicit opioid deaths to rise by 147 percent by 2025 (UPI.com)

• Fentanyl Overdoses Spike on Mexico’s Northern Border But Remain Invisible (Filter)

• #MSLeg: 'Parker's Law' would punish drug dealers for death or injuries (Clarion Ledger)

• Struggling to Compete with Fentanyl, Mexico’s Poppy Farmers Ask for Legalization (Filter)

• Naloxone boxes to be placed in Downtown Cincinnati in new bid to stem overdose deaths (Cincinnati.com)

• Ohio doctors must now offer overdose antidote naloxone to some pain patients (The Columbus Dispatch)

• Cops Claimed She Set Up A Drug Deal. Now She's Being Prosecuted for Manslaughter. (The Appeal)

• Alphabet's Verily is opening an opioid addiction center in Ohio (Engadget)

• Trump Decries Unjust Crack Sentences but Wants to Repeat the Mistake With Fentanyl (Reason)

• The Third Opium War (Manitoba Post)

• New bill clarifies who can dispense, administer Naloxone (KIVI-TV)

• Program trains high school officials to give naloxone (Tuscaloosa News)

• Myanmar's opium farmers cling on to lucrative crop (Mail and Guardian)

• IN PICTURES: Myanmar, the second biggest source of opium in the world (The Courier)

• Why we need to talk about take-home naloxone (Australian Journal of Pharmacy)

• How to Get and Use Fentanyl Testing Strips (Lifehacker)

• Let's define terms to understand the opioid crisis (Murfreesboro Post)

COCAINE

• This Is Why Cocaine Dealers Should Fear Venezuelan Unrest (OZY)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• DEA testing shows meth is running rampant in New Jersey (New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio)

• Iowa sees increase in methamphetamine use (Sioux City Journal)

ALCOHOL

• Richer, older men more likely to drink to excess, figures show (The Guardian)

• Heavy Drinking in Teens Causes Lasting Changes in Emotional Center of Brain (Neuroscience News)

• Utah lawmaker wants to scrap low-alcohol beer rule (KUTV)

• Some Super Bowl ads seem to suggest that some kinds of alcohol are better for you. Health officials say it's better to punt on the drinking altogether (Deseret News)

• Alcohol related deaths in England and Wales rocket in past decade (Yahoo! Sports)

• Know how alcohol is harming your teeth! (Times of India)

• 10 things that can happen to your body when you give up alcohol (INSIDER)

ABSINTHE

• This Maine-made absinthe won’t make you hallucinate (Bangor Daily News)

NOOTROPICS

• Nootropic spearmint extract may improve reactive agility, according to new study (Nutritional Outlook)

• The future's getting smarter (Mashable)

• Nootropics: A Necessary Mental Aid in Modern World? (The Frisky)

• Are ‘smart drugs’ all they claim to be? (ZME Science)

KRATOM

• Kratom Now Banned in Columbus (WCBI)

• Advocate: Kratom 'should be regulated,' not illegal (The Dispatch)

• Residents seek Kratom ban in Lowndes (The Dispatch)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Does microdosing improve your mood and performance? Here’s what the research say (The Conversation)

• GOP Lawmaker’s Bill Would Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms And MDMA For Medical Use (Marijuana Moment)

• How the Drug War Eats the Poor (VICE)

• El Chapo Jury Begins Deliberation in Bombshell Drug Trafficking Trial (TIME)

• This is what psychedelic mainstreaming looks like…in Arizona (Psymposia)

• Houston Narcs Were 'Clearly Labeled' During Deadly Drug Raid, Police Spokesman Says (Reason)

• Why More and More People Are Leaning Toward Microdosing for Depression (Civilized)

• Are Electronic Cigarettes Facilitating Illicit Drug Use? (News-Medical.net)

• Is Permatripping Real? (Gizmodo)

• Should I Drug Test My Kids? Why the Experts Say No (Filter)

• Sri Lanka to begin hangings within months, ending 43-year stay on executions (The Guardian)

• Cory Booker Invites Former Drug War Prisoner To Trump’s State Of The Union (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic Privilege: Report from the Women and Psychedelics Forum (Chacruna)

• The GOP Needs A Better Drug Policy to End HIV (Medium)

• Drug Reform Campaigner Calls For Legal MDMA, Cannabis & Pill Testing in Australia (Your EDM)

• Meet the Artists Designing Clothes For Businesswomen Who Micro-Dose LSD (Interview)

• Nine pill testing myths (Australia's Science Channel)

• This is why you should vote to make drugs safer (The Bristol Cable)

• I took daily doses of magic mushrooms to improve my performance and mental health. Here’s what happened (news.com.au)

• Psychedelics could treat mental disorders (4BC)

---

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.