This Month in Psychedelics - December 2021

Happy Holidaze and Happy New Year! Due to an extra busy holiday season on my end, this month’s recap is a bit less detailed than normal and there isn’t a video version up on YouTube. However, I wanted to share December’s biggest highlights so you can get an idea of what happened in the world of psychedelics during the last month of 2021.

Followup

There’s some followup on last month’s story about fentanyl-tainted cannabis. Following the report that the first real case of it was found in Connecticut, a high school in Tennessee was thought to have fentanyl-laced vape pens circulating amongst its teenage students. However, perhaps we should be skeptical. After all, this may be a case of fentanyl panic rather than an actuality. The latest reports have shown that there wasn’t any fentanyl detected in cannabis in Vermont and Massachusetts. And the case in Connecticut is still under development.

Policy

Wins

There were two major drug policy wins this month. Port Townsend, Washington became the 13th city to decriminalize psychedelics and Malta became the first European country to legalize cannabis.

Losses

Not everything was successful though. An attempt to allow therapeutic use of psychedelics in Australia was rejected. The reasoning behind the denial was a lack of sufficient evidence, according to the country’s medical regulator.

Industry

A non-profit known as Freedom to Operate submitted a new legal filing that argues against Compass Pathways’ patent on its form of synthetic psilocybin based on the idea that it is not a novel invention. The results from this case will set a precedent for not just Compass Pathways but other psychedelic companies as well.

Research

Published Studies

Two studies were published this month worth mentioning. The first found that SSRIs can be used safely with psilocybin to treat depression and the second showed that people who use psychedelics were under less stress during Covid-19.

Future Studies

The FDA authorized a Phase 2 clinical trial to treat frontline clinicians dealing with Covid-related distress with psilocybin. The study will aim to assuage depression, anxiety, burnout and post-traumatic stress among doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals.

Research Centers

A new Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy is launching at the University of Texas at Austin. The center will look at working with psychedelics in a clinical environment in the treatment of mental illness.

Miscellaneous

And last but not least, I’d like to encourage you one last time to take this year’s Global Drug Survey. Today’s the last day you can submit an entry and responses will help researchers better understand how and why people use drugs.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this month’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.

Go Take the 2022 Global Drug Survey

At the end of every year the Global Drug Survey opens up, inviting people from around the world to take part in the world’s biggest anonymous drug survey.

Since its inaugural run in 2014, the survey data has revealed information about new substance use trends, helping to guide the development of saner drug policies and distributing up-to-date harm reduction tips and techniques.

In addition to asking the usual questions, this year the Global Drug Survey is focusing on a few new topics: how drug laws impact drug users, mixing tobacco with cannabis, no- and low-alcohol drinks, sex and psychedelics, drink spiking, and illicit tobacco.

If you’ve taken drugs this year then you should fill out this survey. It can take a while to complete, especially if you’ve used a wide variety of substances, but the data will contribute to a better understanding of how the world uses drugs and educate people on how to use them in the safest possible way. On average, it takes roughly 20 minutes to finish the survey but it took me about 45 minutes this year.

Time is quickly running out so you better jump on it fast if you want to participate because the submission period ends on December 31st. And stay tuned—the survey results are expected to come out in May 2022.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.17.21

Cannabis

• Malta becomes first EU country to legalise cannabis for personal use (Euronews)

• St. Louis Mayor Signs Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation (Marijuana Moment)

• No Fentanyl Found in Cannabis After All, Vermont Police Say (High Times)

• Viral story shared across social media about two teens overdosing on fentanyl-laced marijuana in Springfield was untrue (MassLive)

• Ministry pushes full cannabis legalisation (Bangkok Post)

• Government-Funded Study Shows Unprecedented Decline in Marijuana Use By Young People (NORML)

• Pfizer to Acquire Pharmaceutical Company Testing Cannabinoid Treatment (High Times)

• Heavy metals in cannabis plants could affect human health, study finds (New Atlas)

• Rhode Island Legalization Bill Set for Early 2022 Introduction (High Times)

• Baltimore: City Officials Move to Abolish Pre-Employment Drug Screens for Many Public Employees (NORML)

• Smoking CBD-Rich Marijuana Has ‘No Significant Impact’ On Driving Ability, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis use could cause harmful drug interactions (ScienceDaily)

LSD

• Cary Grant Is High on LSD in ‘Flying Over Sunset.’ Everyone Else Has a Bad Trip. (The Daily Beast)

• PharmaTher Announces Positive Research Results for LSD Microneedle Patch (BioSpace)

• MindMed Initiates Phase 2a LSD Trial for the Treatment of Adult ADHD (Psilocybin Alpha)

Magic Mushrooms

• New Filing Challenges Compass Pathways’ Infamous Patent on Synthetic Psilocybin (VICE)

• Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy reduces loss of meaning and suicidal ideation among cancer patients (PsyPost)

• With health care workers hurting, a doctor wants to see if a psychedelic can help (NBC News)

• COMPASS Pathways announces positive outcome of 25mg COMP360 psilocybin therapy as adjunct to SSRI antidepressants in open-label treatment-resistant depression study (Psilocybin Alpha)

• More patients granted psilocybin exemption by federal government (CBC)

• Warning: Oregon Legalized Supported Adult Use of Psilocybin, Not Psychedelic Therapy (Chacruna)

• New York Lawmaker Files Bill To Legalize Medical Psilocybin Treatments, With Focus On First Responders And Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

• This Trippy New Book Takes You Through Modern Mushroom History—With Cartoons (DoubleBlind)

• Psyched Wellness Announces Path to Market for AME-1-derived Products in the USA (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Silo Wellness announces series of psilocybin retreats in Jamaica (Globetrender)

• HAVN Life Successfully Exports Psilocybin from Jamaica Facility into the U.S. for Research Purposes (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

• The Big Return – and Decline in Quality – of MDMA (VICE)

• Latest trials confirm the benefits of MDMA – the drug in ecstasy – for treating PTSD (The Conversation)

• MDMA could soon be used to treat PTSD according to physicians (Mixmag)

Ayahuasca

• Study links the ceremonial use of ayahuasca to robust reductions in neuroticism (PsyPost)

• Educating Gringos in Shipibo Ways (Chacruna)

• Esther Jean Langdon: Half a Century of Research About Shamanism and Ayahuasca (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Cybin Awarded Notice of Allowance from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for CYB004 (Deuterated Psychedelic Tryptamine) for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

• atai Life Sciences Announces Successful Outcome of Phase 2a Biomarker Trial of RL-007 in Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Tainted synthetic marijuana linked to severe bleeding cases in Florida (Live Science)

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelics Rejected for Therapeutic Use in Australia (VICE)

• Can a Values-Centered Psychedelic Ecosystem Effectively Compete? (Lucid News)

• Mind Medicine Australia’s Response to the Announcement of the TGA NOT to Reschedule the Medical Use of MDMA for Treatment Resistant PTSD and the Medical Use of Psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression as Part of Therapy. (Mind Medicine Australia)

• How Do Psychedelics Change Your Personality? These Researchers Tried To Find Out (IFLScience)

• ‘This isn’t the 60s again’: psychedelics business takes off amid culture clash (The Guardian)

• 2022 Global Drug Survey: Help make it bigger than ever for its 10 year anniversary (TalkingDrugs)

• Most Addiction Specialists Support Legalized Therapeutic Psychedelics (Medscape)

• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy on the Rise in VA Hospitals (Lucid News)

• Psychedelics and Substance Use Disorder: 4000 BCE to Present Day (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Many Indians Are Experimenting With Psychedelics, Other Drugs to Deal With Mental Health Issues (The Swaddle)

• Editor’s Choice Award 2021-Best Study on Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity (Psychedelic Science Review)

• atai Impact Establishes the atai Fellowship Fund in Psychedelic Neuroscience with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics (Psilocybin Alpha)

• How to Start Microdosing Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

• Understanding HPPD to Prioritize Harm Reduction of a Very Real Psychedelic Risk (Psychedelic Spotlight)

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 Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalog how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Month in Psychedelics - November 2021

A lot happened this month, including another U.S. city that decriminalized psychedelics, mixed results from the largest psilocybin therapy trial to date, the first real case of fentanyl-tainted cannabis in the U.S., and much more.

Here’s a video version of this month’s recap if you’d prefer to watch the update instead:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Voters in Detroit passed a proposal to decriminalize the personal possession and therapeutic use of psychedelic plants and fungi, making them the lowest law enforcement priority in the city. Meanwhile, voters in seven Ohio cities approved ballot measures to decriminalize cannabis.

Losses

South Dakota’s Supreme Court killed a cannabis legalization bill and Mississippi’s governor stopped an attempt to legalize medical marijuana in the state.

Future

Germany’s new government has signaled that it plans to legalize cannabis in the country and U.S. Republicans are making moves to decriminalize the plant at the federal level.

At the state level, a Florida lawmaker filed a bill that would decriminalize all drugs and a new proposal to study magic mushrooms would make Pennsylvania a leader in psychedelic research.

Industry

COMPASS Pathways was granted its fifth U.S. patent for its methods of treating treatment-resistant depression with crystalline psilocybin. This is the company’s 10th patent overall, with five in the United States, two in the United Kingdom, and two in Hong Kong.

Research

Published Studies

The results from the largest psilocybin therapy trial to date are in, and they are mixed. While the study found that the treatment may be effective at treating depression, concerns over adverse effects that some participants experienced have called psilocybin therapy for the treatment of depression into question.

Harm Reduction

New Zealand became the first country to permanently legalize drug checking by passing a bill to allow a pilot program offering the harm reduction service at festivals to continue and expand its operations. The new law will go into effect on December 6th.

Miscellaneous

After years of baseless scare stories involving fentanyl-tainted cannabis in the U.S., the first actual case was discovered in Connecticut this month. Although this does appear to be a real confirmation of contaminated cannabis, experts do not believe it reflects a wider trend.

And wrapping up this month’s top stories is my annual recommendation to fill out the 2022 Global Drug Survey. This is the world’s largest drug survey and responses will help researchers better understand how and why people use drugs.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this month’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.

This Week in Psychedelics - 11.26.21

Cannabis

• The new German government plans to legalize cannabis. (The New York Times)

• Mexico Senate on Track to Endorse Recreational Cannabis by December (High Times)

• Uber Eats users in Ontario can now buy cannabis through the app (Engadget)

• New GOP weed approach: Feds must ‘get out of the way’ (Politico)

• South Dakota Supreme Court kills adult-use legalization (Leafly)

• Is Fentanyl-Tainted Marijuana 'Something Real' or 'Just an Urban Legend'? (Reason)

• A New Center at CSU Aims to Unlock the Secrets of CBD (5280)

• Indica and sativa labels are largely meaningless when it comes to cannabis complexities (The Conversation)

• St. Louis Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation (Marijuana Moment)

• Analysis: Marijuana Legalization Associated with Improved Clearance Rates for Violent Crimes (NORML)

• Illinois Judge Rules Weed Odor is Not Probable Cause For Searches (High Times)

• Ohio Marijuana Activists Almost Have Enough Signatures To Force Lawmakers To Consider Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico Issues First Adult-Use Cannabis Cultivation License (High Times)

• Taliban Contracts Australian Company To Grow Cannabis In Afghanistan (Marijuana Moment)

• Mississippi lawmakers unlikely to reach medical marijuana deal this year (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Dogs Are Being Exposed To Marijuana Through Human Poop And Pet Owners Should Beware, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Majority Of Texas Republicans Back Marijuana Legalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Arizona Cannabis Social Equity Program Faces Legal Challenge (High Times)

• Canada’s first regulated cannabis suppositories target female consumers (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Montana: Officials Create New Drug Court to Focus Solely on Expunging Past Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Few Medical Cannabis Licenses in Portugal Have Been Awarded (High Times)

• Pennsylvania order targeting vaporized products upends cannabis market (Marijuana Business Daily)

• CNN’s Sixth WEED Documentary Features the Benefits of Medical Cannabis for Autism (High Times)

LSD

• New graphic novel depicts famed history of LSD research in Sask. (CBC)

Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushroom study hints psilocybin repairs alcohol-induced brain damage (Inverse)

• COMPASS Pathways granted fifth US patent for crystalline psilocybin (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Metaphysics and mushrooms: Psychedelics can change how you think about the universe (Big Think)

• What Happens When Zen Monks Take Mushrooms? (Lucid News)

• HAVN Life Successfully Exports Psilocybin from its Jamaica Facility into Canada (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

• Police Presence at Music Festivals Linked to "Panic Overdoses": Study (EDM)

DMT

• Entheon Biomedical Provides Update on Clinical and Preclinical DMT Programs (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Ayahuasca users report psychological benefits after taking placebo at a ritualistic ceremony (PsyPost)

• Are All Ayahuasca Retreats The Same? You Might Be Surprised (Healing Maps)

Peyote

• Mining and Poaching Threatens 15,000-Year-Old Peyote Tradition in Mexico (DoubleBlind)

San Pedro

• San Pedro: What is it Like to Experience Mescaline from San Pedro? (The Third Wave)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Mescaline-Like Psychedelic Alters Synaptic Plasticity (Technology Networks)

Ketamine

• Ketamine benefits neurocognition in depression with suicidal ideation (Healio)

• Wesana Health Clinics Surpass 4,000 Administered Ketamine Treatments (Psilocybin Alpha)

• PharmaTher Applies for FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Ketamine to Treat Rare Neurological Disorder Status Epilepticus (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Navigating the Patchwork of New York City Ketamine Clinics (Lucid News)

Miscellaneous

• New Zealand Permanently Legalizes Drug Checking, a Global First (Filter)

• U.S. Reports More Than 100,000 Overdose Deaths In One Year (High Times)

• New study finds 'microdosing' psychedelics can be effective in treating anxiety, depression (The Hill)

• Responding to the 2022 Global Drug Survey Will Help Other Drug Users (Filter)

• Colorado Springs Pushing to Decriminalize Psychedelics (Truffle Report)

• The Rise of Psychedelic Retreats (The New York Times)

• How to Cultivate a More Ethical, Inclusive Psychedelic Future (Lucid News)

• Why Are Some People More Sensitive to Psychedelics Than Others? (Sam Woolfe)

• Cybin Awards Grant for Psychedelic Treatment Clinic at Lenox Hill Hospital to Benefit Underserved Communities (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Academic Centers Start to Take Psychedelics Seriously (Medpage Today)

• Psychedelics and Mysticism: The Debate Continues (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psychedelics, Cognition, and Sleep Disorders (Truffle Report)

• Is Psychedelic Research Funding Starting to Shift? (Medpage Today)

• Revive Therapeutics Files for ODD Designation for Bucillamine Treatment Targeting Rare Liver Disorders, COVID-19 (Truffle Report)

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 Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalog how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.