This Week in Psychedelics - 7.16.21

Cannabis

• Schumer, Senate Democrats unveil new bill to decriminalize marijuana (The Hill)

• Can Marijuana Make You a Better Athlete? (The New York Times)

• Missouri Man Released From Prison After Serving 11 Years for Possessing One Pound of Weed (MERRY JANE)

• Cannabis vs. HIV: UNC researcher lands $4M grant to explore possibility (WRAL Tech Wire)

• DEA Approves Denver Marijuana Facility for Medical Research (Westword)

• Tennessee Republican Lawmaker’s New Bill Would Put Three Marijuana Questions Before Voters On 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Michigan governor moves to regulate delta-8 THC products (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Missouri Governor Vetoes Medical Marijuana Tax Deduction Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Analysis: Marijuana Legalization Correlates with Higher Home Values (NORML)

• Study Shows Cannabis Terpenes Provide Pain Relief, Contribute to ‘Entourage Effect’ (The University of Arizona Health Sciences)

• Cannabis may have originated in northwest China, study suggests (Henry Herald)

LSD

• Auckland University researchers to trial LSD microdoses on advanced-stage cancer patients (Newshub)

• LSD vs. Acid: A Brief History of Acid Slang (DoubleBlind)

• Calls to reclassify LSD out of class A as mental health research picks up steam (Newshub)

• Genetic Determinants of the LSD Response (Psychedelic Science Review)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin Mushrooms in Mexico in Danger of Extinction (Chacruna)

• Living In Peace: Cancer Patients Extralegally Seeking Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy Amid DEA Suit (Maps of the Mind)

MDMA

• Vancouver psychedelics company gets Health Canada greenlight for MDMA therapy study (CBC)

• The Re-Emergence of Ecstasy - But Not at the Club (JD Supra)

Ayahuasca

• DMT, active component in ayahuasca, aids in the growth of new neurons (PsyPost)

• First Study on Psychedelics and Epigenetics Explores Ayahuasca’s Effects on Gene Expression (Lucid News)

• Megan Fox Said She Went To “Hell For Eternity” During A Hallucinogenic Tea Trip With Machine Gun Kelly And It “Bonded” Them Even More (BuzzFeed News)

• The Ayahuasca Experience: A Pilgrimage to the Spirit (DoubleBlind)

• Lessons From Ayahuasca (Maps of the Mind)

5-MeO-DMT

• From Hunter Biden To HGTV Star Christina Haack, Psychedelic Toad Venom Hits The Mainstream (Forbes)

Peyote

• The Traditional & Medicinal Use of Peyote in North America with Oscar Matzuwa (EntheoNation)

Iboga

• MINDCURE Announces Filing of U.S. Provisional Patent Applications for Company’s First Fully Synthetic Routes to Create an Ibogaine Psychedelic Compound (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• The Rise in Synthetic Cannabinoids and Cathinones (Psychiatric Times)

Ketamine

• Microdoses of psilocybin and ketamine enhance motivation and attention in rodent models relevant to depression (PsyPost)

• Ketamine, esketamine do not differ in cognitive effects for treatment-resistant depression (Healio)

• Dissociation as Medicine? Exploring Dissociation & Dissociative Psychedelics like Ketamine (Psychedelics Today)

• Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Frontline Workers (Truffle Report)

• Awakn Life Sciences Initiates Research Program to Further Develop Ketamine-Assisted Therapies for Treating Addiction (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Ketamine Therapy and Addiction Risk Management: Part I (Truffle Report)

• Here’s How Ketamine Affects The Brain (Healing Maps)

Miscellaneous

• California Bill To Legalize Psychedelics Possession Advances Again, With New Amendments That Add Limits (Marijuana Moment)

• In the Light of Dying Stars (Here and Now Studios)

• Ethan Nadelmann Reexamines Adult Drug Use in New Podcast ‘Psychoactive’ (Rolling Stone)

• Biden Selects White House Drug Czar Who Helped Implement State Marijuana Program And Touted Medical Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

• World Reimagined: The Growth of the Psychedelic Industry (Nasdaq)

• Syncing Psychedelic Sessions with Moon Cycles (Maps of the Mind)

• Advocacy Group Asks to Delay California Psychedelics Bill Until 2022 (Truffle Report)

• Mass. Communities Move Toward Decriminalizing Psychedelics, With Some Pushback (WGBH)

• Shamanic Ceremony Leaders Join Forces to Shape Legal Strategy through the Sacred Plant Alliance (Lucid News)

• Can Coca Leaf Avoid the Wrongs of The Psychedelic Revolution? (Chacruna)

• Religious Access to Psychedelics is No Substitute for Decriminalization (DoubleBlind)

• Is public discourse on drug overdoses improving? (Drug WarRant)

• Active vs. Passive Coping Distinguishes Antidepressants and Psychedelics (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Food Suggestions for Before, During, and After Psychedelic Sessions (Maps of the Mind)

• Ultimate Guide on the Legalization and Decriminalization of Drugs (Reality Sandwich)

• Psychedelics and Death: Transitioning from this World with Consciousness (Chacruna)

• The interesting origins of psychedelic therapy (Freethink)

• New Frontiers in the Law of Psychedelics (JD Supra)

• Psychedelic Decriminalization Creating Market Opportunities (PR Newswire)

• Going Offline for Psychedelic Journeys (Maps of the Mind)

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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.

The Benefits of the 30-Day Challenge

Image by Philip Chapman-Bell, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

A 30-Day Challenge is a highly-effective method for personal growth that involves trying something new or developing a new habit. The concept is fairly simple: choose something that you would like to do every day (or another specified frequency) for 30 days, commit to that action, and stick to it!

The first time I heard about the concept of a 30-Day Challenge was from Steve Pavlina, one of my favorite personal development bloggers who has been a huge inspiration for my continued personal development. I have attempted several types of 30-Day Challenges which have resulted in newly-formed positive habits, the stoppage of detrimental habits, and a range of new worldviews and perspectives.

Some of my favorite 30-Day Challenges that I have experimented with include trying vegetarianism (which eventually led to a 30-Day Vegan Challenge as well), committing to a daily meditation practice, writing every day, giving up coffee, flossing my teeth every day, waking up at 5AM every morning, and studying a foreign language, Not all of my 30-Day Challenges have been completely successful, but they have all taught me about myself and allowed me to experience something new for a short period of time. This can be a helpful tool that allows the participant to gauge whether or not he or she benefits from the new behavior.

We all know the challenges of starting a healthy habit or breaking a bad routine. Most of us have had this experience with New Years Resolutions, for better or for worse. Before the resolution starts, we are excited and motivated, but that positive energy can wear off before the habit itself is established.

One benefit of the 30-Day Challenge is that it is a (relatively short) medium-term commitment. It isn't difficult to try something for 30 days, because there is no need to commit to a lifelong change (which can be overwhelming and stop you before you even get started!). It's possible that the new habit will stick for longer than 30 days, but that will not happen in every case.

30 days is enough time to get past the beginning stage when the habit feels unusual and is not fully ingrained. There is less of a chance that you will prematurely stop the habit when you commit upfront to the new behavior for a minimum of 30 days. Getting past those few initial weeks when the habit feels strange can be difficult, but after about three weeks many habits begin to feel routine.

If you are interested in attempting a 30-Day Challenge of your own, here are some ideas:

1. Go vegetarian for 30 days. If you don't feel comfortable with that, how about trying to participate in Meatless Mondays for a full month?

2. Start a daily yoga or meditation practice.

3. Read or write an hour per day.

4. Unplug the TV or shut off Internet access for 30 days.

5. Give up caffeine or alcohol for 30 days.

6. Wake up early every morning.

7. Write in a journal every day.

8. Do a 30-day fitness challenge.

9. Turn off your cell phone for 30 days.

10. Go out every night to a new place. This is a great way to explore a new city or reconnect with a familiar one, and will definitely make for a lot of fresh memories!

These are just some ideas to help you get started. I have found 30-Day Challenges to be extremely beneficial for me and will continue using them to better myself and experience things that I wouldn't normally have the courage to try. I hope that this post encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. The new you could be right around the corner, just waiting for your current self to come around the bend!