Weekly Psychedelic Links - December 2022

12.2.22

Cannabis

• Biden Signs Marijuana Research Bill, A Historic First For Federal Cannabis Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Plans for Medical Cannabis Legalization on the Ballot in 2024 (High Times)

• Ohio Senate Votes To Remove Marijuana Paraphernalia Convictions From Criminal Records And Allow Broader Expungement (Marijuana Moment)

• Police in India Say Rats Ate More Than 1,100 Pounds of Confiscated Weed (High Times)

• Young Americans Are Twice As Likely To Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes, New Gallup Data Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• New Federal Job Applications Won’t Ask About Most Marijuana Use Unless It Was Within The Past 90 Days (Marijuana Moment)

• Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help (Scientific American)

• University Researchers Exploring Cannabis As A Treatment For Covid-19 (Forbes)

• New York’s illicit weed products are weak and full of toxins, study finds (Leafly)

• Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Opioid Use By Cancer Patients, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania Starts Program Providing Financial Assistance to Low-Income Cannabis Patients (High Times)

• Wedding Guest Files Lawsuit Over Pot-Infused Reception Food (High Times)

• These States Almost Legalized Marijuana In 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Many Trips, Diminishing Returns: Cross-Tolerance Between LSD and DOI (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Former CEO Sues Company That Fired Him for Microdosing LSD in an Investor Meeting (Futurism)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA Proposes Even Higher 2023 Production Quotas For Psychedelics Like MDMA And Psilocyn (Marijuana Moment)

• Non-profit Organization Marches on Canadian Capital To Fight for Therapeutic Mushrooms (High Times)

MDMA

• The man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills (The Face)

• Climate Lessons from Cambodia’s Illegal MDMA Market (TalkingDrugs)

Ayahuasca

• Why Ayahuasca Is Miley Cyrus' 'Favorite' Drug (And How It Supported Her Veganism) (Benzinga)

• After closing its doors in Canterbury, a church serving hallucinogenic tea vows to reopen elsewhere (NHPR)

• Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats: Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study (Chacruna)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Prison “K2”: The Hidden Center of a Chaotic New Drug War (Filter)

Ketamine

• Laid-off workers can now get a free month of ketamine-assisted therapy services to help with their mental health (Fortune)

• Low-dose ketamine may reduce shivering following spinal anesthesia (Physicians Weekly)

• Ketamine for Depression Poses “Significant Risk to the Public” (Mad in America)

• Study shows how ketamine administration starkly changes neuronal activity patterns in the brain (News-Medical.net)

Miscellaneous

• Berkeley, California Officials Approve Psychedelics Decriminalization Resolution Amid Pushback From Reform Advocates (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian And Mexican Presidents Announce International Effort To Reshape Drug Policy, Condemning ‘Failure’ Of Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Governor To Appoint Psychedelics Advisory Panel After Voters Approve Legalization Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• Why the “Psychedelic Renaissance” is just Colonialism by Another Name (DoubleBlind)

• Could the Latest Science on Psychedelics Revolutionise the Way We Understand Our Minds? (Men's Health)

12.9.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner released from Russian detention in prisoner swap (Leafly)

• Legalization Amendment To Be Added to Missouri Constitution (High Times)

• New Jersey Marijuana Regulators Approve Rules For Public Cannabis Consumption Areas (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Bringing Country Closer To Ending Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Study: Cannabis Has ‘Uniquely Beneficial Effects’ on People With Bipolar Disorder (High Times)

• Pain relief from marijuana comes from a belief it helps, study finds (CNN)

• Delivery is in the works for New York’s new legal weed stores (Leafly)

• Children are ditching alcohol for marijuana, as 20-year national US study shows a 245% increase (EurekAlert!)

• Oregon recalls thousands of cannabis products over pesticide concerns (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Minnesota Files Lawsuit Against Several Companies for Illicit Edible Sales (High Times)

• As Congress Stalls On Marijuana Banking, New Report Details Public Safety Risk Of Cash-Intensive Dispensaries (Marijuana Moment)

• NORML Report Highlights Citywide Policies Depenalizing Marijuana Law Enforcement (NORML)

• Study: ‘Significant’ negative association between medical cannabis sales, alcohol (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Dispensaries’ Cashless ATM Transactions Get The Ax (High Times)

• Connecticut: Governor Announces Intent to Expunge 40,000+ Marijuana-Related Convictions (NORML)

• Biden’s Health Secretary Shares Marijuana Scheduling News At 4:20—Again (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana packaging rebrands can draw consumers, create cohesion, reflect values (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Trend Sees Brands Pairing Top-Shelf Weed, Fine Dining (High Times)

LSD

• Study on LSD microdosing uncovers neuropsychological mechanisms that could underlie anti-depressant effects (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Portlanders Explain Why They’re Waiting in Line for Psychedelic Mushrooms (Willamette Week)

• Study suggests psilocybin increases mindfulness, especially when accompanied by mystical experiences (PsyPost)

• Amsterdam’s Last Shroom Lounge (DoubleBlind)

• Diamond Therapeutics completes Phase I clinical study of low-dose psilocybin in healthy human subjects (PR Newswire)

• Oregon store allegedly selling psychedelic mushrooms raided (The Seattle Times)

MDMA

• MDMA may be available for medical treatment "as soon as 2024" in US hospitals (Mixmag)

• Wastewater data shows 286% increase in ecstasy use during pandemic (Healio)

• Abuse Potential: Considerations for Rescheduling MDMA and Psychedelics (Psychedelic Science Review)

DMT

• The Gestures of DMT Jesters (Sam Woolfe)

Ayahuasca

• A Canadian psychedelic drug company has created medical grade ayahuasca (Toronto Star)

• Modulatory Effects of Ayahuasca on Personality Structure in a Traditional Framework (Chacruna)

• Declaration of The 4th Brazilian Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Chacruna)

Ketamine

• Now Companies Can Buy Insurance To Cover Ketamine Therapy for Employees (Lucid News)

• Using Ketamine to Treat Anorexia (Psychology Today)

• Meta-Analysis of Intravenous vs Intranasal Ketamine (Psychiatric Times)

• Low-dose Ketamine Effective In Reducing The Incidence Of Shivering Following Spinal Anesthesia (Medical Dialogues)

Miscellaneous

• MAPS Found Liable in Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Lucid News)

• Most States Will Legalize Psychedelics By 2037, Analysis Published By American Medical Association Predicts (Marijuana Moment)

• When virtual reality meets psychedelic therapy (Mashable)

• How Will Our Value Systems Affect The Psychedelic Movement? (Maps of the Mind)

• We’re rushing the use of psychedelics as medicine, researchers say (New Scientist)

• Awakn Makes Its Case To Investors (Lucid News)

• Punk Ethos & Psychedelic Practice (Maps of the Mind)

12.16.22

Cannabis

• Recreational Weed Now Legal in Missouri (High Times)

• Connecticut: Adult-Use Cannabis Sales to Begin Next Month (NORML)

• New Hampshire GOP And Democratic House Leaders Team Up On Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s how New York’s legal weed delivery will work (Leafly)

• Teen Marijuana Use Remained Stable In 2022, Despite More States Legalizing And Lifting Of Pandemic Restrictions (Marijuana Moment)

• Kansas City: Officials Dismiss Hundreds of Marijuana Cases Following Statewide Legalization Vote (NORML)

• Kansas Lawmakers Plan To Introduce Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill (High Times)

• Prosecution collapses against execs caught up in CannTrust cannabis scandal (CBC)

• Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization Back In Voters’ Hands After City Council Repeal (Marijuana Moment)

• Massachusetts To Add Lessons on Weed Impairment to Driver’s Ed (High Times)

• Nearly 2 Million Marijuana Convictions Have Been Pardoned Or Expunged In The U.S. In The Past Five Years, New Report Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Australian Residents Could Save $850 Million Annually if Cannabis is Decriminalized (High Times)

• Marijuana Legalization Reduces Arrests Even In States That Already Decriminalized, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Up to 9% of LSD and psilocybin users report reoccurring effects after drug has worn off (PsyPost)

• Gut Feeling: Links Between LSD, Endocannabinoids, and the Microbiome (Psychedelic Science Review)

Magic Mushrooms

• Florida halts amanita muscaria sales at nation’s only brick-and-mortar retailer (Leafly)

• COMP360 psilocybin therapy shows potential in open-label study in type II bipolar disorder presented at ACNP (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Here’s why police are raiding psychedelic mushroom stores in major cities (Leafly)

• Rat Study Examines Psilocybin as Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (High Times)

MDMA

• The History and Benefits of MDMA, the New Tool in Mental Health Again (Daily Kos)

DMT

• Experiencing a Changa Ceremony at an Oakland Plant Medicine Church (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Aaron Rodgers says doing psychedelic drug ayahuasca helped him overcome his ‘fear of death’ (The Independent)

5-MeO-DMT

• UCL To Lead First-Ever Brain Imaging Study Among Psychedelic Retreat Participants (High Times)

• PsyBio Therapeutics Takes Initial Step to Help Protect the Sonoran Desert Toad as it Files Three New Provisional Patent Applications, Including Intellectual Property Protection for the Biosynthetic Production of 5-MeO-DMT (Psychedelic Alpha)

Peyote

• Inside the battle to save the sacred peyote ceremony: ‘We’re in dire straits’ (The Guardian)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Israeli Based Biotech Company Clearmind Completes IND-Enabling Studies for CMND-100 (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• Ketamine plus therapy could help treat alcoholism, say researchers (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• Verdict in Lawsuit Assigns MAPS 25% Liability and $1M in Damages (Lucid News)

• New center takes multidisciplinary approach to the study of psychedelics (University of Michigan)

• It’s Not Just About Pot. Our Entire Drug Policy Needs an Overhaul. (The New York Times)

• The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on a Psychedelic Experience (Sam Woolfe)

• Would You Be Friends With Your Friends if You Didn’t Do Drugs Together? (VICE)

• Why is Gender-Affirming Care Needed in the Psychedelic Space? (Chacruna)

• How Many Likes Does it Take to be a Psychedelic Thought Leader? (Lucid News)

12.23.22

Cannabis

• First words from Brittney Griner: Thanks Biden, vows to help free others (Leafly)

• Federally Funded Study Finds Teen Use Rates Largely Unchanged by Legalization (NORML)

• Canada Destroys a Record Amount of Cannabis (High Times)

• District of Columbia: Council Members Advance Legislation to Expunge Tens of Thousands of Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Afroman Announces 2024 Run for President (High Times)

• Twitter Stops Suggesting People Who Search For ‘Marijuana’ May Need Drug Treatment (Marijuana Moment)

• Canada’s Cannabis Legalization Is Working Effectively, Annual Survey Suggests (Forbes)

• New Washington Bill Would Allow Interstate Marijuana Commerce (Marijuana Moment)

• New Report Analyzes Medical Pot Patients’ Consumption Habits (High Times)

• Majority Of Texas Voters Back Marijuana Legalization, And Three In Four Support Decriminalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• How LSD evolved from CIA mind-control drug to counterculture emblem (Leafly)

Magic Mushrooms

• Quebec covers psilocybin therapy under medical insurance in historic first (Leafly)

• Oregon Psilocybin Entrepreneurs Navigate Business Requirements (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Canadian Company Announces Ayahuasca Pills (Chacruna)

• Music and ayahuasca’s role in treating substance use disorders in men (UC Riverside)

Datura

• Weed responsible for hallucinogenic spinach recall identified as thornapple (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• New Bill Tries to Decriminalize Psychedelics in California—Again (DoubleBlind)

• The Myth of the Psychedelic Santa (Lucid News)

• U.K. Police Chiefs Call for Decriminalization of First-Time Drug Offenses (High Times)

• Israel-Based Clearmind Medicine Granted U.S. Patent for Psychedelic-Based Alcohol Substitute (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Placebo Problems: Boundary Works in the Psychedelic Science Renaissance (Chacruna)

12.30.22

Cannabis

• Record Number of Scientific Papers Published About Cannabis in 2022 (NORML)

• Washington, D.C. Passes Bill To Expand Medical Weed Sales (High Times)

• Google Ends Ban On Advertising Certain Hemp And CBD Products In Parts Of U.S. (Marijuana Moment)

• Clinical Trial Finds Cannabis Oil is Well-Tolerated, Effective Insomnia Treatment (High Times)

• Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records To Launch Its Own Cannabis Brand (Forbes)

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Pardons 10, Some Cannabis Convictions (High Times)

• A dying US cancer patient used cannabis to ease pain. His hospital called the police (The Guardian)

• South Dakota Activists File Measure That Could Put Marijuana Legalization On Ballot For Third Election In A Row (Marijuana Moment)

• Is legal weed doomed to be run by big business? (Vox)

• Texas Marijuana Activists Submit Enough Signatures To Challenge Local Decriminalization Repeal, While Another City’s Reform Faces Lawsuit (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• A single dose of psilocybin improves depression in treatment-resistant patients, but with adverse effects (PsyPost)

• Psilocybin Therapy For Autism-Like Disorder Receives Approval For Phase 2a Clinical Trial (The Dales Report)

• Do Shrooms Go Bad? (DoubleBlind)

MDMA

• MDMA Is Getting Super Popular Among Rich, Young Indians (VICE)

• VA Report Says Psilocybin And MDMA Show Therapeutic ‘Promise’ For Veterans’ Mental Health Conditions (Marijuana Moment)

DMT

• Phase 2a study initiated to examine synthetic DMT for treatment-resistant depression (Healio)

Ayahuasca

• “Nobody Wants A Synthetic-Only Future”: Filament Health Is Formulating Natural Psilocybin And Standardizing Ayahuasca (Healing Maps)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Tripping Without The Trip: Non-Hallucinogenic Psychedelics (Benzinga)

Ketamine

• Much remains unknown about using ketamine to treat depression—and Colorado doesn't regulate it (The Denver Post)

Miscellaneous

• New York Lawmakers File Psychedelics Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelics Like Psilocybin Are Now Legal In Colorado With Governor’s Proclamation On Voter-Approved Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• The Multidimensional Worlds of Mariela de la Paz (DoubleBlind)

• Minnesota Medical Association Endorses Decriminalizing Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic therapies are on the horizon, but who will administer the drugs? (NBC News)

• Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say (NPR)

• Psychedelics Are Surging—at the Expense of Indigenous Communities (The Daily Beast)

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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.

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)

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.

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 Week in Psychoactives - 2.15.19

CANNABIS

• Senator Files '420' Marijuana Bill To Legalize It Federally (Forbes)

• Mexican Senate Report Lays Out Marijuana Legalization Considerations (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill At Committee Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

• Oregon has more legal cannabis than the state can consume in six years (Quartz)

• States With Legal Medical Marijuana Have Lower Teen Use Rates, Large-Scale Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Why CBD Works Better With a Little THC (Even If You Don’t Want to Get High) (Leafly)

• Study Shows How Marijuana Component CBD Can Help People With Substance Use Disorders (Marijuana Moment)

• Veterans Medical Marijuana Access Legislation Introduced In House and Senate (NORML)

• European Parliament Approves Medical Marijuana Resolution (Marijuana Moment)

• Bill to Provide Greater Access for Virginia Medical Cannabis Patients Succeeds (NORML)

• Missouri Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Expungement Bill For Medical Cannabis Patients (Marijuana Moment)

• Kamala Harris Got So High Smoking Weed in College She Thought She Was Listening To Snoop Dogg and Tupac (Reason)

• Where Presidential Candidate Amy Klobuchar Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Michigan’s First Cannabis Lounge Is the Chill Alternative to Bars (Leafly)

• Marijuana possession bill reintroduced in state Senate (Winston-Salem Journal)

• Maury Povich Smoked A Marijuana Strain Named After His Wife, Journalist Connie Chung (Marijuana Moment)

• Dan Bilzerian's Weed Company Is Keeping Sexist Cannabis Ads Alive (VICE)

• If you support marijuana legalization, you should support safe injection sites (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Here's How New Mothers are Using CBD to Combat Baby Brain (Civilized)

• Aurora Cannabis earnings show big growth in pot sales, but worrisome profit trend (MarketWatch)

LSD

• The Man who Mapped LSD (OUPblog)

• Microdoses of LSD change how you perceive time (Big Think)

• Amanda Feilding: ‘LSD can get deep down and reset the brain – like shaking up a snow globe’ (The Guardian)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• $1m kicked into campaign for magic mushroom therapy (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Push to legalize psychedelic mushrooms gains traction in Eugene (KEZI)

• Hallucinogenic Mushrooms Are Having a Moment. Here's What It's All About. (Cheddar)

• Magic Mushrooms Show Promising Results for Treating PTSD and Depression (San Diego Entertainer Magazine)

MDMA

• MDMA Users May Have a Social Advantage Over People Who Use Other Drugs (Inverse)

• Israel's Health Ministry Approves Compassionate Use of MDMA to Treat PTSD (Haaretz)

• MDMA Expanded Access is almost here. What’s it all about? (Psymposia)

• Use of Ecstasy spreading in Cebu: PDEA 7 (Sun.Star)

• Police issue a warning for yellow octopus ecstasy pills (Mixmag)

• Daniel Eades, 19, took MDMA at Halo and Wetherspoon (Bournemouth Echo)

• Young dad dies after taking ecstasy on New Year's Eve (Derbyshire Live)

AYAHUASCA

• The First Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Yubaka Hayrá) in Acre Demonstrates Political, Cultural and Spiritual Resistance (Chacruna)

• Ayahuasca Shows Huge Potential As a Treatment For Severe Depression (Reset.me)

• What Ayahuasca is Trying to Teach Us: An Interview with Dennis McKenna (Reality Sandwich)

• Mindful Eating as a support for Ayahuasca Dieta (Tam Integration)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Severe bleeding associated with use of tainted synthetic cannabinoids (AAP News)

• Colorectal cancer: Scientists halt growth with cannabinoid compounds (Medical News Today)

• Children as young as THREE are treated in hospital after taking Spice as Britain's synthetic drug crisis deepens (Daily Mail)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Laughing gas now an option for women giving birth (Everything Lubbock)

• Residents 'disgusted' after piles of 'hippy crack' canisters dumped outside Cambridge home (Cambridgeshire Live)

• Everything you need to know about nangs, the worrying craze growing amongst Aussie teens. (Mamamia)

KETAMINE

• Taking Ketamine Can Feel a Lot Like a Near-Death Experience (Tonic)

• F.D.A. Panel Recommends New Depression Treatment (The New York Times)

• Ketamine Clinics of Los Angeles Commemorates Five Years of Patient Success Stories (New Kerala)

PCP

• Man who killed USA Today reporter in PCP-fueled crash sentenced to six years in prison (The Washington Post)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• When the Cure Is Worse Than the Disease (The New York Times)

• Mapping the Opioid Epidemic (New America)

• Overdose remedy naloxone now carried by all Ventura police officers (Ventura County Star)

• Mass. Issues Guidelines After Boston Nurse Was Denied Life Insurance For Carrying Naloxone (WBUR)

• Even in best-case scenario, opioid overdose deaths will keep rising until 2022 (Los Angeles Times)

• Opioid-Related Deaths Decreasing in Iowa, Report Shows (WHO-TV)

• Veterinarian sentenced to 6 years for stitching heroin into puppies and turning them into drug mules (INSIDER)

• Why the Rural Opioid Crisis Is Different From the Urban One (CityLab)

• Opium cultivation business squeezed by market shift towards meth (Myanmar Times)

• Vet saves Victoria puppy with naloxone injection (Maple Ridge News)

• Offer: help solve the opioid crisis, have your student loans forgiven (Rooster Magazine)

• Indy coffee shop is the newest place to offer life-saving drug naloxone (Fox 59)

• Coroner: No carfentanil spike locally, but OD deaths are up (Dayton Daily News)

• 'Church Of Safe Injection' Offers Needles, Naloxone To Prevent Opioid Overdoses (NPR)

• It's too late to save my son's life, but this drug can save others (The Sacramento Bee)

• Houston Cop Involved in Deadly Drug Raid Relieved of Duty Due to 'Ongoing Questions' (Reason)

• Naloxone training could help save numerous lives (KVAL)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Crystal Meth Is North Korea's Trendiest Lunar New Year's Gift (The New York Times)

• Officials: Iowa sees higher-quality meth, increased drug use (The Daily Nonpareil)

BENZODIAZEPINES

• The Deadly Worst Case Scenario for America's Xanax Obsession (VICE)

ALCOHOL

• Beer before wine, you'll feel fine? Not according to a new study (CTV News)

• More than 100 dead after drinking bootleg alcohol in India (Reuters)

• Man 'under influence of alcohol' allegedly beats stepdaughter to death (Jakarta Post)

• How heavy drinking might boost your appetite for alcohol (Health24)

• Alcohol Problems Grow as Booze Gets a Bigger Kick (WebMD)

• Alcohol’s effects on the brain (The Ithacan)

• Plan to raise alcohol limits in beer at Utah stores approved (Cache Valley Daily)

• Report says Utah has lowest alcohol consumption per capita in country (KUTV 2News)

• Thousands sign petition to stop ban of alcohol on some Michigan rivers (WXYZ)

• I Stopped Drinking For 30 Days — & My Skin Got So Much Better (Refinery29)

• Giving up alcohol made our lives better — and turned us into terrible guests (The Washington Post)

ABSINTHE

• Does absinthe really make drinkers hallucinate? (Fox News)

NOOTROPICS

• Brain‑Enhancing 'Smart Drugs' Promise a Boost in Creativity, Memory (The Swaddle)

• Seven Mental and Athletic Performance Benefits of Nootropics (Youth Health Magazine)

• Noopept: one of the most potent brain boosters on the market (London Post)

KRATOM

• Kratom Is A Drug, But Indonesia Really Wants It To Remain An Unlicensed Supplement (Science 2.0)

• The FDA is wrong about kratom (The Washington Post)

• Regulations Are On Hold as Kratom Debate Rages (WebMD)

• Kratom No Longer Allowed In Columbus (WCBI)

• What Is Kratom & Why Is It Being Used For Opiate Self-Detox? (Psychology Today)

• Miracle treatment or dangerous drug? (The Star Online)

MISCELLANEOUS

• El Chapo, the Notorious Drug Kingpin, Has Been Found Guilty in His U.S. Trial (TIME)

• 'Kitty Flipping' and the Psychonaut Obsession with Mixing Drugs (VICE)

• FDA explores using blockchain to track drug supplies (Engadget)

• How Brexit Will Shape Britain's Drug Supply (VICE)

• GOP Iowa lawmaker proposes decriminalizing psychedelic drugs for medical use (The Hill)

• Sri Lanka hiring hangmen, inspired by Philippines' war on drugs (Reuters)

• Will El Chapo's conviction change anything in the drug trade? (The Guardian)

• Victoria city councillors call on B.C. to provide safe-inhalation sites for drugs (Times Colonist)

• Tennessee bill would charge pregnant women using drugs if baby born addicted (KMPH)

• Students Turn To Study Drugs And Alcohol To Cope With Campus Life (Forbes)

• Is there something divine about gender and psychedelics? (The Psychedelic Scientist)

• Microdosing Hallucinogens Has Positive Effects—but Not What You Might Suspect (Pacific Standard)

• Riverstyx: A Small Family Foundation That Funds Psychedelic Research and Other Fringe Causes (Inside Philanthropy)

• Sex On Drugs (PSU Vanguard)

• The case for drug decriminalization in Baltimore (The Baltimore Sun)

• Japan managed to win its war on drugs, why can’t we? (The Spectator)

• Trip Sitters and Conscious Bachelorette: Interview with Chi of Truffles Therapy (Psychedelic Times)

• Psychedelics Live Up to Early Promise (Discover Magazine)

• How 'Russian Doll' flirts with psychedelic therapy (The Outline)

• Becoming an Entheogen (Medium)

• Psychedelic Meditation (The Third Wave)

---

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.

This Week in Psychedelics - 10.6.17

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Marijuana Prohibition Turns 80 (NORML)
• Pot, Paranoia, and Buddhist Wisdom: A Conversation with Stephen Gray (Psychedelic Times)
• Atlanta Decriminalizes Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana (Reason)
• Tom Petty, Musician, Cannabis Advocate and Humanitarian, Dies at 66 (High Times)
• Holy Smokes: Cannabis as a Catalyst for Spiritual Growth (High Times)
• 'Dabbing' cannabis may release cancerous toxins (Medical News Today)
• How a Blue Butterfly Stamp Brought Down One of the Dark Web's Biggest Marijuana Vendors (Reason)
• Study Finds Top 5 Causes of Cannabis-Related Emergency Visits (Leafly)
• Cannabis Industry Struggles With Hiring People With Past Pot Convictions (Forbes)
• Watch This: The 'Sinister' Reason Cannabis Is Illegal (Leafly)
• Canadian Cannabis Confabs in Countdown to Legalization (High Times)
• Investing in Cannabis? Consider Going Global With Canadian Companies (Leafly)
• Voters decisively reject cannabis industry bans in local Alaska elections (Alaska Dispatch News)
• Will 'Microbusiness' Licenses Let Craft Cannabis Flourish in California? (Leafly)
• Celebrity Cannabis (SF Weekly)
• A Pro Chef Envisions the Future of Brick and Mortar Cannabis Restaurants (Leafly)
• BREAKING: Malta's First Official Cannabis Legalisation Movement Takes Root (Lovin Malta)
• Cannabis oil relieves chronic seizures suffered by six-year-old niece of Aston Villa star Gabby Agbonlahor (The Independent)
• Iowa Man Faces Deportation for a Single Gram of Cannabis (Leafly)
• NORML Weighs In For Personal Cultivation Rights In Washington State (NORML)
• What Is a Feed Chart and How Can It Improve Your Cannabis Garden? (Leafly)
• California's Cannabis Priestess Arrested on Felony Charge (Leafly)
• Cannabis Crunch – Toxins In Dabs, FBI Pot Arrest Stats And Snoop Dogg's Marijuana Tech Company (Psychedelic Times)
• 8 Common Household Ingredients That Contain Cannabinoids (The Fresh Toast)

LSD

• A Fateful Hunt for a Buried Stash of the Greatest LSD Ever Made (VICE)
• American Adults See Occasional LSD Use As Riskier Than Regular Binge Drinking (Reason)
• Silicon Valley's LSD habit is exploding, and now a 27-year old is offering how-to tutorials over Skype (Business Insider)
• A$AP Rocky Details His Love for LSD and Confirms Skepta Will Feature on Latest Studio Album (Highsnobiety)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Medical Psilocybin for Depression (ECU Daily)
• Are We Ready For Legal Psychedelic Mushrooms? (Fox and Hounds Daily)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• MDMA-assisted psychotherapy a "breakthrough" treatment for PTSD (The Rambler)
• More than Ecstacy, MDMA is Medicine (Los Angeles Free Press)
• FDA Moves One Step Closer to Approving MDMA for PTSD Treatment (Law Firm Newswire)
• Ecstasy For PTSD And Alcoholism? Here's What The Science Says (The Alternative Daily)
• Risky behaviour and adverse events are increasing among ecstasy users (UNSW Sydney Newsroom)
• Police are warning people about pink 'Mastercard' ecstasy pills (Mixmag)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Ayahuasca: Hallucinogenic drug used by indigenous Amazon tribes could help treat eating disorders, study finds (The Independent)
• This Guy Makes Bootleg Ayahuasca from Traditional Japanese Herbs (VICE)
• Memories Of Ayahuasca (Adventures Through The Mind)
• Veterans Are Turning to Ayahuasca for PTSD Relief (Motherboard)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine: A Call to Action and a Demand for Integrity (The Fix)
• Ibogaine ideal substance to combat addiction (Kankakee Daily Journal)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• City caught in deadly grip of Black Mamba (The New Indian Express)

Dissociatives

• A new study shows how the powerful drug ketamine could help fight severe depression (Mic)
• Ketamine clinic opens in Aspen with aim to fight severe depression (The Aspen Times)

Opiates/Opioids

• How FIU hopes to pinpoint where heroin comes from and help stop the opioid crisis (Miami Herald)
• Heroin crisis: New drug addiction treatment could be 'game changer' that saves lives (The Courier-Journal)
• Nova Scotia pharmacies now offering free naloxone kits for opioid overdoses (The Chronicle Herald)
• Toronto bars begin carrying naloxone to help combat opioid crisis (CBC)
• 'The greatest drug fiends in the world': An American opioid crisis – in 1908 (The Washington Post)
• MetroHealth received $1.9M grant to increase naloxone distribution by law enforcement (Cleveland.com)
• Mattis: Trump Afghan Strategy to Combat Opium Trade (Breitbart)
• The harrowing rise of heroin, in one chart (Vox)
• Protecting Heroin Clinics From Prosecution (The Atlantic)
• The Tale of North Indian Opium Cultivators (BW Business World)

Kratom

• Kratom Overdose -– Risk Factors And How To Avoid It? (Kratom Guides)
• Which Are The Most Strongest Kratom Alkaloids? (Kratom Guides)
• Ketum, There's More To This Controversial Plant Than Meets The Eye (Malaysian Direct)
• Herbal supplement Kratom linked to death in Florida (KSGF)
• Upstate NY officer's death intensifies scrutiny of herbal supplement kratom (NewYorkUpstate.com)

Khat

• Somalia Bakool region bans khat for negative effect on al-Shabaab combat (AfricaNews)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Entheogens And The Mind Of Society (Adventures Through The Mind)
• Psychedelic Renaissance (HuffPost)
• Sitting, Not Guiding: The Power of Non-Directive Support (Psychedelic Frontier)
• Study Proves Psychedelics Are Super-Drugs That Can Treat Mental Illness (Outlook India)
• The Political Correction of Psychedelics. Part 4. Manageable Doses (Rick Strassman MD)
• DEA Agents Sold Opioids, Stole Cash, and Falsely Identified Drug Suspects, Say Feds (Reason)
• Healing With Tobacco: Rapé Tribal Snuff (Psychedelic Times)
• What's so controversial about microdosing? (Psymposia)
• Bruce Parry on returning to the jungle, hallucinogenic drugs, and why he wants to start a tribe of his own (The Telegraph)
• I was in the MAPS MDMA for PTSD study. It freed me from a childhood of abuse. (Psymposia)
• Magic mushrooms and ketamine: The controversial ways we might treat depression in future (Netdoctor)
• Italy recalls frozen spinach feared to contain hallucinogenic mandrake (The Local Italy)
• George Mason University student dies after taking hallucinogenic drug, falling from window (The Washington Post)

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.