This Week in Psychoactives - 12.6.19

Cannabis

• Michigan celebrates first legal cannabis purchases (Leafly)

• DEA Finalizes Plan To Grow 3.2 Million Grams Of Marijuana In 2020 (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Stocks Are Scrambling to Conserve Cash (Nasdaq)

• Illinois City Will Use Weed Taxes to Pay Reparations for Black Residents (MERRY JANE)

• Field test kits will help police distinguish between marijuana and hemp (Richmond-Times Dispatch)

• CBD could help doctors use lower doses of chemotherapy (Israel21c)

• Brazil approves medical marijuana rules, blocks cannabis cultivation (Reuters)

• Shoppers Drug Mart expands online medical cannabis retail into Saskatchewan (Saskatoon Star Phoenix)

• Minnesota OKs medical cannabis for chronic pain, eye disease (Minnesota Public Radio News)

• New Zealand Government Unveils Marijuana Legalization Bill Ahead Of 2020 Referendum (Marijuana Moment)

• Harborside got around a regulatory ban to open SoCal’s first drive-thru cannabis shop in Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs Desert Sun)

• Clinical Trial: Transdermal Application of CBD Effective in Patients with Myofascial Pain (NORML)

• Willie Nelson Quit Smoking Weed, But He’s Still Eating It (MERRY JANE)

• Cannabis on the Tickets in the Coming UK Elections (New Frontier Data)

• North Dakota Activists Submit Measure To Legalize Marijuana In 2020 (Marijuana Moment)

• L.A.’s Cannabis Cafe Is Rebranding and Parting Ways with Lowell Herb Co. (LA Magazine)

• Men who regularly smoke cannabis have increased risk of developing testicular cancer, study claims (Yahoo! News)

• Michael Bloomberg Backs Decriminalization As Marijuana Views Evolve Amid Presidential Run (Marijuana Moment)

• Lil Wayne Just Launched His Own Cannabis Brand (Forbes)

LSD

• NASA prepped for alien communication with 'LSD dolphin sex' experiment (Daily Star)

Magic Mushrooms

• World’s first magic mushroom nasal spray for PTSD and depression (Health Europa)

• Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Magic Mushrooms Turn Blue (MERRY JANE)

• A Glimpse of Life After Magic Mushroom Legalization (Forbes)

• The Keys To Understanding Psilocybin's Medical Value, Market Potential (Benzinga)

MDMA

• How to Legalize MDMA, With the Help of Pharmacies and Nightlife Spaces (Filter)

Ketamine

• 'Bad' ketamine and ecstasy warning after Liverpool clubbers hospitalised (BBC)

Opioids

• Drugs Used to Replace Opioids Linked With Increase in Suicide Attempts Across U.S. (Newsweek)

• 7 Heroin Users Die From Flesh-Eating Bacteria in San Diego (The New York Times)

• MLB Wants Rehab Rather Than Suspension for Players Who Use Opioids (MERRY JANE)

• Congressman calls on airlines to carry naloxone, NARCAN to help fight opioid epidemic (NBC Montana)

• Iowa Organization Offers Free Access to Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug (WHO TV)

Cocaine

• Cocaine deaths in Wales 'quadruple in five years' (BBC)

• Europe becomes cocaine exporter as countries overflow with drug (The Telegraph)

Methamphetamine

• Meth is killing more Utahns than ever before (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Caffeine

• You're Using Caffeine the Wrong Way (Psychology Today)

• What Are Caffeine Pills—And Are They Safe? (Health.com)

Nicotine

• E-cigarettes do NOT increase pneumonia risks: Study suggests vapor does not weaken the immune system in the same way as cigarette smoke (Daily Mail)

• More than 6 million US middle and high schoolers used tobacco products in 2019, report says (CNN)

• Minnesota Is the Latest State to Sue E-Cigarette Maker Juul Over Youth Vaping (TIME)

• Marijuana and Nicotine Are Trading Places as Prohibitionists’ Target (Filter)

• Tobacco Companies Win Temporary Reprieve on Low-Nicotine Cigarettes (The Motley Fool)

Alcohol

• Prescription Alcohol Can Help Problem Drinkers (Elemental)

• A nimbler way to track alcohol use—by mining Twitter and Google searches (Medical Xpress)

• Alcohol death rates dropping in Scotland (BBC)

• Alcohol tolerance may have saved our ancestors from extinction (Phys.org)

Kratom

• Flying With Kratom – Can You Take Mitragyna Speciosa On A Plane? (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom vs. Nutmeg: Which Is More Dangerous? (Pain News Network)

Miscellaneous

• Scientist Talks Benefits Of Psychedelics At Federal Health Agency Event (Marijuana Moment)

• Renewed push for pill-testing in more Australian states following latest festival death (The Music Network)

• Study outlines concerns around natural psychoactive substances (Medical News Today)

• Orthogonal Thinker Launches First Psychedelics Lifestyle Brand PsillyLife to Promote Psychedelic Culture and Proprietary Research (Yahoo! Finance)

• Andrew Yang Calls For Investments In Safe Injection Sites For Illegal Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Julián Castro Open To Decriminalizing Drugs And Endorses Safe Consumption Sites (Marijuana Moment)

• The Ethical Quagmire of Conducting Drug Trials With Incarcerated People (Filter)

• Successful Alcohol And Drug Recovery Still Hindered By Stigma (Forbes)

• At Penn, people in recovery are helping more patients with addiction enter treatment (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• The nautical beginnings of America’s war on drugs (NavyTimes)

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 Psychedelics - 11.23.18

Cannabis

• Massachusetts mayor first in line as recreational marijuana sales begin (CBS News)

• Federal Marijuana Action Is An ‘Inevitability,’ Trump FDA Chief Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Joe Kennedy III calls for legalizing marijuana at the federal level (The Hill)

• Here’s When Michigan’s Marijuana Legalization Law Goes Into Effect (Marijuana Moment)

• US Senate: Leading Marijuana Prohibitionist Out As Senate Judiciary Chair (NORML)

• Two New Studies Reveal How Marijuana Can Treat Different Kinds Of Pain (Marijuana Moment)

• Weed and Pregnancy: How Cannabis Laws Are Hurting Mothers (Rolling Stone)

• Hemp Will Be A Top 10 Product In 2019, Whole Foods Predicts (Marijuana Moment)

• The 'Hypocritical' Loophole in New York's Pledge to Stop Prosecuting Marijuana (The Appeal)

• Canada’s Grand Cannabis Experiment Has Set Scientists Free (The New York Times)

• Missouri’s Largest County Stops Prosecuting Marijuana Possession (NORML)

• Here's how N.J. is likely to legalize marijuana under new bill just unveiled by top Democrats (NJ.com)

• Feds To Discuss Drug Testing Programs In Era Of Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Antigua and Barbuda Set to Pass Inclusive Cannabis Regulation Law (Talking Drugs)

• Artisanal Edible Cannabis Honey Causes A Buzz (Forbes)

• Go Ahead and Pack Your Weed This Thanksgiving—the TSA Probably Won't Find It (Reason)

• FGCU to offer cannabis studies program 2019 (Wink News)

• 'Blow themselves up:' Police worried about butane hash oil extractions at home (The Daily Courier)

• Ontario Cannabis Store aware of mouldy products shipped to customers (Daily Hive)

• How Canada marijuana legalization impacts on Latin American drug policy? (openDemocracy)

• New Poll Says Cannabis Prohibition Doesn't Work And Americans Don't Want It To (Civilized)

• Three Incoming House Committee Chairs Call For Marijuana Reform In Next Congress (Marijuana Moment)

• Teens are trying marijuana before alcohol and tobacco (The Verge)

• South Africa Cannabis Ruling Leads to Pot-Themed Products (Voice of America)

• Totally Unchill NASA Orders SpaceX Safety Probe Because Elon Musk Legally Smoked Weed (Reason)

• What's the deal with cannabis capsules? (The GrowthOp)

• Do We Need Roadside Marijuana Tests? (The Crime Report)

• Hope for cannabis as treatment for opioid addiction (The Conversation)

• Greece eyes pot of gold as medicinal cannabis licensed (Reuters)

• 6 Ways American Colonists Used Cannabis (Civilized)

• How medical marijuana made me a better mom (The Washington Post)

• ‘Outliers’ Author Malcolm Gladwell Is Himself An Outlier On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• How Much Weed Should Someone Try If It's Their First Time? (WIRED)

• Legalizing Marijuana Is One Of New Connecticut Governor’s ‘Priorities’ (Marijuana Moment)

• What You Need To Know About Microdosing Cannabis, The New Wellness Trend (Psychedelics Daily)

LSD

• 'Open-minded, immersive and fun': a review of 'All You need is LSD' (The Boar)

• News Focus - Dangers of LSD consumption among children (ANTARA News)

• Yale, Zurich scientists find why LSD makes people trip (Psychedelics Daily)

• REVEALED: The eerie conspiracy that connects JFK, Charles Manson and Britney Spears (Daily Star)

• To avoid a bad trip, be prepared before trying LSD (Psychedelics Daily)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• High Dose of Psilocybin in a HIV+ Homeless Shelter (Chacruna)

• Denver, Colorado Might Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms As Soon As May 2019 (IVN.us)

• The FDA Has Acknowledged Psilocybin As A Potential Treatment For Depression (Psychedelics Daily)

• Psychedelic healing: could magic mushrooms help reboot the brain? (Science Focus)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• People on love drug MDMA still know who to trust (ResearchGate)

• MDMA is now proven to help those with trauma – so let’s decriminalise it and put it back in the medicine cabinet (The Independent)

• ‘It can rewire people’s brains’: how traumatised veterans turned to underground MDMA therapy (The Guardian)

• Horrfying moment mother ‘high on ecstasy’ drops her baby and cracks his skull (Metro)

• Boy, 16, died after taking ecstasy when pal’s mum didn’t call his parents in case they got into trouble (The Sun)

• What is MDMA and why have there been so many deaths in the West Country? (ITV News)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Controversial hallucinogenic drug use explored in 'Kentucky Ayahuasca,' TV series (Lexington Herald Leader)

• Everything You Need to Know about Choosing an Ayahuasca Retreat (Kahpi)

• Welcome to the jungle: experiencing the Amazon in psychedelic virtual reality (The Guardian)

• A Punch In The Soul: HighExistence Founder Jordan Lejuwaan’s First Ayahuasca Journey (HighExistence)

• What ayahuasca — Silicon Valleys latest drug of choice — does to your brain and body (Psychedelics Daily)

• DMT: Learning Science from our Ancestors (in-Training)

• Ayahuasca Research Boosts Brazilian Psychedelic Science (Psychedelics Daily)

• What Ayahuasca Is, and What You Should Know About It (Psychedelics Daily)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine: One Mans Journey To Mexico For Psychedelic Addiction Treatment (Psychedelics Daily)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• 'Legal highs': Street dealers now main source of supply after ban (BBC)

Opiates/Opioids

• The Radical New Fentanyl Trend That Could Save Lives and Screw Dealers (VICE)

• Sackler family members face mass litigation and criminal investigations over opioids crisis (The Guardian)

• UN: Afghan Opium Cultivation Down 20 Percent (Voice of America)

• AMA Decries the Impact of the CDC's Opioid Guidelines on Pain Treatment (Reason)

• Multiple vials of naloxone now required to resuscitate Metro Vancouver opioid users (Standard-Freeholder)

• Understanding Naloxone Standing Orders Is Vital (Pharmacy Times)

• Saving your child from an opioid overdose (CBS News)

• Opioid Series: 'Naloxone saved my life' (ABC 4)

• Naloxone: The life-saving drug more Americans Need (CBS News)

Cocaine

• Mental health hospital admissions linked to cocaine use treble in 10 years (The Guardian)

• Mother at large after 2-year-old daughter ingests cocaine (KPRC)

Kratom

• Scientists Identify the Lethal Dose of Kratom's Active Ingredients (Inverse)

• Converting Animal Doses to Human Doses (Kratom) (Medium)

• Federal Authorities Tight-Lipped on When Kratom’s Future Will Be Revealed (Inverse)

• Is FDA ‘Shadow Ban’ Causing Kratom Shortages? (Pain News Network)

• American Kratom Association Announces Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Standards for Vendors (PR Newswire)

• Kratom Erowid – Which Types of Kratom Information You Will See On This Website? (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom: The leafy green plant that could help with opiate withdrawals (KFMB)

• Green Bali Kratom: Effects, Dosage, And User Reviews (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Grant awarded to further study effects of kava (Radio New Zealand)

• Pacific countries to promote kava as food product (Radio New Zealand)

Khat

• Little-known banned drug is becoming worryingly popular in Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Take Part in the World's Biggest Anonymous Drugs Survey (VICE)

• A Brief History of Swedish Psychedelia (The Oak Tree Review)

• I Survived Sexual Abuse In The Amazon And Victim Blame At Home (Psymposia)

• Let’s Talk About Compass And Psychedelic Capitalism: Interview with Rick Doblin (Psychedelic Times)

• A Brief History of Psychedelics in the Western World (Psychedelics Today)

• A Vermont needle exchange isn’t just giving out syringes. It’s offering treatment on the spot. (Vox)

• El Chapo Witness Details Brutal Drug War Murders (The New York Times)

• Denver City Council will OK supervised drug use to save people from overdosing (Denverite)

• Drugs and alcohol complicate sexual consent, but context can make things clearer (The Conversation)

• Radical Risk Reduction For Event And Community Organizers (Chacruna)

• Opioids Are In the Spotlight. But Meth Hospitalizations Are Surging (TIME)

• Time’s Up For “Silencing” Tactics (Psymposia)

• Joe Biden’s Ideal Drug War (Drug WarRant)

• Harm reduction is the right way to treat drug abuse (The Economist)

• How 'fixing rooms' are saving the lives of drug addicts (The Guardian)

• We need harm reduction drug education, not drug prevention education (AOD MEDIA WATCH)

• Exploring Consciousness with Psychedelics (Psychedelics Daily)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" 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 Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Weekend Thoughts - 1.20.18

Image by ntrief, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. According to NASA, 2017 was the second-hottest year on record since 1880—with 2016 being the hottest. In fact, the six warmest years on record for the planet have occurred since 2010. Hopefully humanity will figure out a way to reverse this trend, by doing things like converting to renewable energy sources and consuming less animal products (which contribute a TON to climate change). However, we as individuals do not have to wait for the rest of the world to make changes. You can make lifestyle changes on your own, and if enough people do the same then it will make a noticeable impact.

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.

Weekend Thoughts - 11.11.17

Image by Silentpilot, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. A seemingly unlikely partnership between Uber and NASA was announced this week along with the news that Uber plans to add flying taxis to its line of service offerings by 2020. There are also some concept videos that show how these taxis may work that are worth taking a look at. The vehicles actually look just like helicopters, but imagine being able to call a helicopter to come pick you—and up to three of your friends—up and fly to your destination. All from your phone.

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.