Weekly Psychedelic Links - June 2022

6.3.22

Cannabis

• Virginia: Approved Budget Recriminalizes Public Marijuana Possession Over Four Ounces of Marijuana (NORML)

• Connecticut Gov. signs bill to crack down on weed gifting (Leafly)

• North Carolina Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Study Finds THC Detected in Blood or Breath Does Not Indicate Impairment (High Times)

• Medicinal cannabis reduces pain and the need for opiate painkillers among cancer patients (PsyPost)

• North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill To Make Hemp Permanently Legal (High Times)

• With veto, path to marijuana legalization in Delaware still open but fraught with unpredictability (WHYY)

• FBI Marijuana Arrest Data May Be Critically Flawed, And DOJ Is Being Asked To Investigate (Marijuana Moment)

• Louisiana Senate Approves Bill Allowing Public Employees to Use Medical Pot (High Times)

• New York Senate Passes Gray Market Cannabis Bill (High Times)

• Legal Cannabis Use Could Disqualify White House Intern Applicants (Forbes)

• Texas Activists Say They Collected Enough Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Another City Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Gen Z Prefers Weed Over Booze (High Times)

• Marijuana Research Has Exploded In Recent Years Despite Barriers Caused By Prohibition, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Peru Issues Draft Law to Allow and Regulate Patient-Grown Medical Cannabis (High Times)

• New York Senate Approves Bill To Mandate Medical Marijuana Health Insurance Coverage (Marijuana Moment)

• Austria Imports Record Amount of Medical Weed While Constitutional Challenges Loom (High Times)

• Weed Joke on Jeopardy! Triggers Viewers (High Times)

LSD

• Neuroscientists gain a deeper understanding of how LSD affects molecular brain activity (PsyPost)

• Ceruvia Lifesciences to Supply LSD to Qualified Researchers at No Cost (PR Newswire)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon Officials’ Rejection Of Rules For Spiritual And Religious Psilocybin Use Called Into Question (Marijuana Moment)

• In Algeria, Ancient Cave Art May Show Psychedelic Mushroom Use (Atlas Obscura)

• New studies shed light on the mysterious process by which psilocybin can rapidly improve depression symptoms (PsyPost)

• B.C. company opens Canada's largest licensed psychedelic mushroom growing facility (CBC)

• Policy and Legal Considerations for Religious and Community Use of Psilocybin Mushrooms under Oregon Measure 109 (Chacruna)

MDMA

• A Balm for Psyches Scarred by War (The New York Times)

• 'Highly unusual': Methamphetamine found in MDMA tablets for the first time in New Zealand (Stuff.co.nz)

Peyote

• The Navajo Nation to Protect the Sanctity of Azeé – Peyote Medicine from Legalization and Commercial Use (Chacruna)

Nitrous Oxide

• Warning over climate threat from laughing gas used during childbirth (Sydney Morning Herald)

• Linking nitrous oxide to climate risk is yet another example of the disdain shown to women’s pain (The Guardian)

Ketamine

• Ketamine can treat depression — but teletherapy could make it accessible (Inverse)

Miscellaneous

• Canada to decriminalize some drugs in British Columbia for three years (The Guardian)

• Maryland Bill To Fund Psychedelics Research And Access For Veterans Takes Effect Without Governor’s Signature (Marijuana Moment)

• DARE 2.0 is "Keepin' it Real" in US schools (Substance)

• Indigenous and drug policy groups seek to preserve traditional approaches as psychedelic markets open in Oregon (OPB)

• Michigan Activists Give Up 2022 Push For Psychedelics Legalization Ballot Initiative, Shifting Focus To 2024 (Marijuana Moment)

• The Intertwined Prohibitionist Histories of Psychedelics and Kratom (Psychedelics Today)

• Why this startup is encouraging employees to microdose psychedelics at work (Fast Company)

• From Psychedelic Pharma To Crop Gene Editing - The UK’s Big Opportunity (Forbes)

• Don’t Count on RFRA to Protect Psychedelic Churches (Lucid News)

• Tripping over the potential of psychedelics for autism (Spectrum)

• Understanding the Current Legal Status of Psychedelics in the United States (JD Supra)

• Can you take the trip out of psychedelics and still treat depression? (New Scientist)

6.10.22

Cannabis

• Thailand legalises cannabis trade but still bans recreational use (BBC)

• Prescription cannabis products with more THC may ease chronic pain, at least a little, study finds (CNN)

• North Carolina Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill To House, But Questions Loom About Further Action This Year (Marijuana Moment)

• Delaware: Lawmakers Decline to Overturn Cannabis Legalization Veto (NORML)

• Voters In Five Texas Cities Will Decide On Marijuana Decriminalization In November, Activists Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Louisiana Legislature Passes Bill to Protect State Workers from Termination for Medical Cannabis (Ganjapreneur)

• Portugal Group Demands Freedom to Vote for Personal Use of Cannabis (High Times)

• The Rapidly Expanding Cannabis Industry Needs To Get Its Marketing Act Together, A New Report Finds (Forbes)

• If you’re high your love life might not be as great as you think (New York Post)

• Ukraine to Legalize Medical Cannabis, Health Minister Says (High Times)

• Illinois Governor Signs Bill To Close Marijuana Expungement ‘Loophole’ (Marijuana Moment)

• Inflation’s so insane Snoop Dogg gave his blunt roller a raise (Leafly)

• Legal Cannabis Use Could Disqualify White House Intern Applicants (Forbes)

• West Virginia Activists Are Collecting Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization Measures On Local Ballots (Marijuana Moment)

• Medical Cannabis & Sleep Disorders: What Do We Really Know? (The Fresh Toast)

• Is the word ‘marijuana’ racist? (Leafly)

• Opening the Curtain on Cannabis in the Opera (High Times)

LSD

• LSD microdosing does not appear to improve mood or cognitive ability, according to new placebo-controlled study (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Clinical Trial in South Africa to Study Efficacy of Psilocybin on Women with HIV and Depression (High Times)

MDMA

• Colorado Governor Signs Bill To Legalize MDMA Prescriptions Pending Federal Approval (Marijuana Moment)

• Brexit helping cause harmful increase in fake ecstasy, study warns (The Guardian)

Ayahuasca

• I Tried Everything. Then I Tried Ayahuasca. (Esquire)

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelic Pharma’s Big Spin (Lucid News)

• The Nationwide Reach of Harmful Drug “Paraphernalia” Laws (Filter)

• Tracing The History of Hallucinogens in China (TalkingDrugs)

• How psychedelic drugs might treat depression (BBC)

• Bosses want to feed psychedelics to their staff (The Economist)

• The Great Cannabis Microdosing PR Conspiracy (High Times)

6.17.22

Cannabis

• Germany set to legalise sale of cannabis in licensed shops (Metro)

• Study Finds Weekly Cannabis Use Has Minimal Impairment on Physical Health (High Times)

• How cannabis-fed chickens may help cut Thai farmers’ antibiotic use (The Guardian)

• Analysis: Cannabis Retailers Drive Economic Growth, Are Not Magnets for Crime (NORML)

• Maine’s Legal Marijuana Stores Are Effectively Displacing Illicit Market, State Report Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• New Zealand Leaders Demand Cops Stop Spraying Chemicals on Cannabis (High Times)

• Study: Regular Cannabis Consumers Perform Better Than Occasional Users on Distracted Driving Tasks (NORML)

• Kentucky Governor Issues Medical Marijuana Executive Order Creating Advisory Committee To Study Patient Access Options (Marijuana Moment)

• Study Shows Medical Cannabis Enrollment Has Quadrupled (High Times)

• EPA Warns Workers They’re Banned From Using Marijuana Or Investing In The Industry In New Memo (Marijuana Moment)

• DEA Reports Significant Uptick in Marijuana-Related Seizures, Arrests (NORML)

• Athens, Georgia on Cusp of Major Decriminalization Ordinance (High Times)

• Teen Marijuana Use Dropped Dramatically In Colorado In 2021, State Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico Lawsuit Seeks Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis (High Times)

• GOP Senate Candidate Pushes ‘Pot For Potholes’ Marijuana-Funded Infrastructure Plan In Hilarious Campaign Ad (Marijuana Moment)

• Superior Court in Brazil Affirms Right to Cannabis Home Grow (High Times)

• Federal Court Sides With Nebraska Medical Marijuana Activists In Lawsuit Over Ballot Requirements (Marijuana Moment)

• West Virginia Advocates Collecting Signatures for Decriminalization Ballot Measures (High Times)

LSD

• The Elephant in the Room is LSD (Lucid News)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin-induced mystical experiences linked to lasting positive psychological effects (PsyPost)

• Anticipating Legalization: Making Psilocybin Accessible (Cannabis Science and Technology)

• Could magic mushrooms in care homes help curb fear of death? Psychedelic drugs could 'revolutionise' end-of-life treatment, expert says (Daily Mail)

MDMA

• Paraguay May Be Shifting from Producing LSD and MDMA to Consuming Them (InSight Crime)

5-MeO-DMT

• What’s the Best Way To Take 5-MeO-DMT in a Clinical Trial? (Technology Networks)

Iboga

• Ibogaine Isn’t a “Cure” for Addiction—But It Can Be a Useful Detox Tool (Filter)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Oregon ban on synthetic cannabis products will be nation’s first (Oregon Live)

Ketamine

• Exploring Ketamine’s Antimicrobial Effects & Fungal Sources: Part 1 (Psychedelic Science Review)

• The 'normalised' drug that the UK takes more of than any other country (Liverpool Echo)

Miscellaneous

• Mind-Altering Drug Docuseries Lined Up At Netflix From Alex Gibney & Michael Pollan (Deadline)

• Malaysia Ends Mandatory Death Penalty for Nonviolent Drug Crimes (High Times)

• Is drug testing going to become a regular part of UK festivals? (iTV)

• Missoula City Council measure would decriminalize hallucinogenic plants (Missoula Current)

• Local Psychedelics Decriminalization Measure Stalls In Amherst, Massachusetts (Marijuana Moment)

• The abuse of power in psychedelic retreats (leafie)

• Psychedelics Can Help Boost Scientific Creativity, Review Finds (Analytical Cannabis)

• NFTs Are Getting Psychedelic. Is It Worth the Trip? (Lucid News)

• Michigan moves to outlaw fake urine as marijuana popularity soars (MLive)

6.24.22

Cannabis

• Psychosis, Addiction, Chronic Vomiting: As Weed Becomes More Potent, Teens Are Getting Sick (The New York Times)

• California may require labels on cannabis products to warn of mental health risks (OPB)

• Vets And Medical Cannabis: It’s The Least We Can Do (Forbes)

• Louisiana: Multiple Marijuana Reform Bills Signed Into Law; Measures Take Effect August 1 (NORML)

• Spain Approves Medical Cannabis Reform: Pharmacy Dispensation Planned for End of 2022 (High Times)

• Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Drunk Driving And Safer Roads, Study On Auto Insurance Data Suggests (Marijuana Moment)

• Switzerland to Lift Ban on Medical Cannabis (High Times)

• DEA Marijuana Busts Increased In 2021, Seizing Over 5.5 Million Plants (Marijuana Moment)

• U.S. English Teacher Sentenced to 14 Years in Russia for Pot ‘Smuggling’ (High Times)

• North Carolina House Republicans Block Senate-Passed Medical Marijuana Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis ‘Very Promising’ as Opioid Replacement, Early Study Results Show (High Times)

• U.S. Supreme Court Denies Medical Marijuana Workers’ Compensation Cases (Marijuana Moment)

• Study Shows Cannabis Use Could Lead to Increased Kindness and Empathy (High Times)

• Senate Committee Votes To Let People Who’ve Used Marijuana Work For CIA, NSA And Other Intelligence Agencies (Marijuana Moment)

• Analyses: Drug Interdiction Efforts at US Borders Typically Yield Only Small Quantities of Marijuana (NORML)

• MLB Teams Can Now Be Sponsored By CBD Companies, Baseball League Official Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Mississippi Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence for Weed Possession (High Times)

• Scientists find little evidence to show cannabis oils help end pain, according to major study (Daily Mail)

• District of Columbia: Council Advances Legislation Prohibiting Most Employers from Discriminating Against Cannabis Consumers (NORML)

• New Gene Technology Allows Growers To Boost THC Levels In Cannabis (Forbes)

LSD

• ‘I’m happier now and nowhere near as intense’: GoDaddy.com’s founder pivots to LSD (The Daily Dot)

Magic Mushrooms

• Judges Deny Challenge to Psilocybin Patent (VICE)

• COMPASS Pathways presents largest ever study of psilocybin therapy, at American Psychiatric Association annual meeting (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Pa. bill to study of psilocybin – the drug in magic mushrooms – as mental health treatment languishes in Harrisburg (PhillyVoice)

• Oregon County Considers Banning Legalized Psilocybin Therapy (Filter)

• How an NHL Enforcer Broke His Body — and Turned to Psychedelics to Heal His Brain (Rolling Stone)

MDMA

• MDMA trials under review in Canada over alleged abuse of study participants (The Guardian)

• Canadian Firm Seeks Approval to Manufacture MDMA and Other Psychedelics (High Times)

DMT

• DMT is Effective at Treating Depression, New Study Finds (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• What do we see when dying? How a psychedelic trip can trigger at life’s end, and why we need to be better prepared for it (South China Morning Post)

Ayahuasca

• An Ayahuasca Retreat Claims to Sell 'Miracles.' Former Workers and Guests Say It's Unsafe and Abusive. (VICE)

• Another Phoenix Church Sues DEA Over Religious Use of Ayahuasca (Phoenix New Times)

• The Ayahuasca King's Last Tour (The Texas Observer)

Ketamine

• Tripping Through Motherhood: How Some Women Are Using Ketamine to Treat Postpartum Depression (Glamour)

• Exploring Ketamine’s Antimicrobial Effects & Fungal Sources: Part 2 (Psychedelic Science Review)

Miscellaneous

• After Six-Decade Hiatus, Experimental Psychedelic Therapy Returns to the V.A. (The New York Times)

• Two psychedelic-related initiatives may be on the 2022 Colorado ballot (The Denver Channel)

• Alliance launches to advance psychedelic healthcare in Europe (Psychedelic Health)

• After Six-Decade Hiatus, Experimental Psychedelic Therapy Returns to the V.A. (The New York Times)

• States are embracing psychedelics, paving the way for FDA approval (DoubleBlind)

• Rabbi Ben Gorelick Plans to Use Religious Freedom Against an 8-Year Minimum Psychedelic Charge (High Times)

• Numinus Applies for International Patent Filing of Psychedelics Production Process (Psychedelic Alpha)

• The New Psychedelic Plot (The Wall Street Journal)

• Efforts to Decriminalize Psychedelics Can Extend to Rural Places, Too (The Daily Yonder)

• Recreational psychedelics remain far behind on legalization path (Pique Newsmagazine)

• Psychedelic Therapy Will Not Save Us (Mad in America)

• Mummies who mushroom: The mums using psychedelics to take the edge off modern parenthood (Harpers Bazaar)

• Extending the Reach of Psychedelic Therapy With Psychoplastogens (Technology Networks)

• The Great Microdosing Debate (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Celebrating the Psychedelic Dawn (Lucid News)

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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.

Weekend Thoughts - 10.29.16

Image by neonow, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Although this is several days late due to my being out of town, Happy Belated Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up a couple links for you to think about:

1. It turns out that AT&T created a product for spying on all of its customers and made millions selling it to warrantless cops. The secret "Hempisphere" product is a database of calls and call-records on all of AT&T's customers that is able to track their location, movements, and interactions. The data was sold to American police forces on the condition that the program's existence was never revealed. Regular readers of Think Wilder may remember a post from August 2015 that shed light on the fact that AT&T helped the NSA spy on Internet traffic and was the most enthusiastic and top surveillance provider for the agency. It looks like not much has changed on AT&T's side...

2. Scientists have made progress in the development of male birth control that is capable of rendering sperm temporarily incapable of swimming. At this point, scientists have tested bovine and human sperm, and live animal tests are expected to begin within three years. However, there has been a backlash in the online male community, with worries about side effects from the medication being cited by many dudes on social media. As this article asserts, women have been dealing with birth control side effects for decades, without much controversy from men. Still, it seems that a form of male birth control may be closer than we think, for better or for worse.

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

Weekend Thoughts - 1.16.16

Image by Dennis Jarvis, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. Did you know that some states still allow corporal punishment in their public schools? That's right—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas still allow teachers to spank and paddle their students. In six of those seven states, black students account for 90 percent of in-school corporal punishment cases. To be sure, there has been a significant decline in the use of corporal punishment in public schools over the past 30 years. And for good reason too—psychologists agree that beating students does more than just harm students physically. It leaves psychological scars that can affect children for the rest of their lives. "Students who are witnesses or victims of such abuse can develop low self-esteem, magnified guilt feelings, and various anxiety symptoms; such results can have baneful results in the psychological and educational development of these students," a 2010 study from Michigan State University found. "[These students] very likely will learn techniques that actually lead to reduced self-control, with negative behavior characterized by more acting out, school absence, malingering, recidivism, and overt academic revocation." In fact, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and United Nations have opposed the practice, stating unequivocally that corporal punishment does more harm than good. However, even in our supposedly civilized age, some (primarily black) students in America continue to be beaten by school staff legally.

2. What should we do to address the issue of corrupt police? Create crime-fighting robots, of course!  In fact, as of last week, the residents of Silicon Valley have been the first to experience new police robots actively on patrol. Benefits include lower pay compared to human police officers (a mere $6.25 per hour, a rate which can continue to decrease, rather than needing to increase due to inflation and cost of living raises), less living beings placed in harm's way due to the fallibility of human judgment and emotional outbreaks, and less disgruntled, unintelligent idiots with power! Sounds like an excellent solution to me—impartiality with respect to crime definitely would appear to be an improvement over our current situation.

3. Speaking of police, new software has been adopted by police in San Fresno, California that automatically scans social media posts and calculates a "threat score", which is supposedly helpful for police arriving on a scene to identify potentially-dangerous individuals. However, the software is essentially looking for flagged keywords and phrases, which doesn't take into account the context of the original post. For example, someone might post the lyrics to a violent song, quote another individual ironically, or post the title of a violent book or movie. Other opponents assert that the software is unfairly targeting political activists, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, by actively flagging terms like "Mike Brown", "We organize", "Don't shoot", and "It's time for a change". How ironic (albeit simultaneously disheartening, frightening, and disgusting) is it that in the future, someone could be at increased risk for being shot by police because they have tweeted "Don't shoot!" in the past?!

4. Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder "Dread Pirate Roberts" of the underground marketplace Silk Road, has filed an appeal after being sentenced to more than two life sentences. His defense asserts that during his original trial, he was denied his fifth and sixth amendment rights to due process, the right to present a defense, and a fair trial by:

1. Precluding the defense from using at trial the evidence relating to DEA Special Agent Carl Force's corruption.
2. Refusing to order the government to provide additional discovery and Brady Material regarding corruption.
3. Denying Ulbricht's motion for a new trial based on additional post-trial disclosures regarding Force and another corrupt law enforcement agent involved in the Silk Road investigation.

I wish Ulbricht the best in his fight against the government. If you would like to learn more about him, Silk Road, and how his trial was rigged by the authorities, I encourage you to check out Free Ross Ulbricht.

5. It turns out that members of Congress are not completely in favor of being spied on by the NSA, either. However, it took them finding out that they are also under surveillance to start giving a shit. Now it looks like some reforms will be made, specifically to limit the power of the NSA to spy on Congress—not to address the spying issue as a whole.

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

Weekend Thoughts - 1.2.16

Image by Wayne S. Grazio, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. The Washington Post published an article about how used bookstores are making a comeback across the country, despite fierce competition from websites like Amazon. There are several factors that come into play here. Many book lovers enjoy browsing a physical store and serendipitously finding the perfect match for them, rather than shopping for books online. The profit margins on used books are better than new ones. And even the latest generation of kids born directly into the digital age has found reading books printed on paper to be preferable to reading them on a screen. All around, this is great news for print books, which are one of my favorite physical media (and pretty much the only one I collect any longer). Go visit a used bookstore today and be sure to support your local shops!

2. One of my favorite food documentaries, Food Inc., was recommended in an article on High Existence. The film covers various aspects of the overall food industry, including the inhumane treatment of animals, the economic and environmental repercussions of our current industrial production model that is used to grow vegetables and grains, and how the industry's economic and legal forces actually encourage an unhealthy diet. I would definitely give the film a strong recommendation—check it out if you are able!

3. It turns out that the NSA is not only surveilling American citizens, it has also been spying on members of Congress and Jewish American groups, according to an article published by The Wall Street Journal. To make matters worse, the security administration blatantly lied to Congress when directly asked about this accusation in 2014 by current presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

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

Weekend Thoughts - 10.24.15

Image by Benjamin Balázs, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. In a harrowing tale about the NSA and surveillance, Waltern Kirn at The Atlantic suggests that if you're not paranoid, you're crazy. The story is fairly lengthy, but definitely worth a read—it explores the surveillance techniques and technology that are currently used to sell us products as well as policies. A bit bone-chilling, to say the least, and a perfect fit for the Halloween month of October.

2. In another heartbreaking example of United State law enforcement's zero tolerance demand to receive 100% compliance from its citizens, an unarmed 17 year-old named Deven Guilford was fatally shot by a Michigan police officer for flashing his high-beams at the patrol SUV to let the driver know that the vehicle's high-beams were activated. In a dash of irony, Sergeant Jonathan Frost pulled him over for violating a state law that requires drivers to "use a distribution of light or composite beam so aimed that the glaring rays are not projected into the eyes of the oncoming driver." In surveillance footage from Frost's body camera, Deven is shown to have been laying face-down on the ground shortly before being tased by a stun gun. Seconds later, the video goes black and gunshots and screams are heard from the teenager. Frost will not be reprimanded by the police department for his actions and was deemed to have acted within the limits of Michigan's self-defense law. However, Deven's family has initiated a lawsuit to sue him. In a statement from the boy's mother, she asks, "Whatever happened to protect and serve?" Whatever happened, indeed—this situation was utterly unconscionable and entirely avoidable.

3. There is an assumption being promoted by Fox News and others in the lamestream media that there is a "War on Cops" occurring simultaneously to the "War(s) on People" that the cops are waging against us. However, that point of view is entirely incorrect. In fact, violence against police officers has been steadily trending downward rather than upward, with 2013 being the lowest level of violence against United States police in recorded history. Although the number of police officer deaths caused by civilians is up since the all-time low in 2013, that doesn't take away the fact that being a police officer is safer than it ever has been before. Don't let the mainstream media distort the facts and mislead you into believing their fictive stories.

4. Caffeine and technology are often blamed for poor sleeping experiences, but is it possible that our judgment of sleep is tainted by the fact that we just don't know what an average night of sleep looked like for pre-technology humans? Some new scientific research has showed that pre-industrial peoples sleep an average 6.5 hours per night, and their bedtimes are regulated by temperature, rather than daylight.

5. A rigorous landmark government-funded study found that people who are diagnosed with schizophrenia are better off with less drugs and more therapy. Specifically, the article states that "patients who received increased drug counseling along with individual talk therapy, family training, and support for employment and education experienced a greater reduction in symptoms, were more likely to resume work and school, and reported a higher quality of life than those receiving current standard treatments". Current treatments require lifelong use of antipsychotic drugs, which have side effects so severe that three out of four patients stop taking their prescriptions after a year and a half. In the new treatment program (called NAVIGATE), doses are reduced by 20%-50%, the families are given "psychoeducation", and the patient participates in resilience-focused individual therapy before progressing to an employment and education program. This is excellent news because it means that our society now has the evidence that supports changing the approach to helping people diagnosed with schizophrenia, although it makes me wonder if psychedelic medicines could also play a role, as in the case of a schizophrenic drug addict who was able to reclaim his life with help from the root bark iboga. In fact, many other cultures treat the people who are now diagnosed with schizophrenia differently, by encouraging them to pursue practices like shamanism, rather than forcing them to think and behave more like the normal population.

6. The Nintendo Entertainment System (the first console I owned) turned 30 this week! I spent countless hours playing and learning with video games, which certainly helped shape the person I have become today. Happy Birthday NES!

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