This Week in Psychedelics - 9.28.18

Cannabis

• Canadians Involved In Marijuana Industry Not Welcome In US, Feds Confirm (Marijuana Moment)

• DEA Reclassifies Plant-Derived Marijuana Medicine To Schedule V (NORML)

• FBI: Marijuana Arrests Spike For Second Straight Year, Far Outpace Arrests For All Violent Crimes (NORML)

• Youth Marijuana Use Isn’t Increasing After States Legalize, Meta-Analysis Of 55 Studies Concludes (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Looks Like An Alien World Under An Electron Microscope (Marijuana Moment)

• Maine Officials Investigating Restaurant That Calmed Lobsters With Marijuana (TIME)

• Lawmaker Pushes For Marijuana Legalization In Kenya (Marijuana Moment)

• Coca-Cola Is Eyeing a Possible Entry Into the Cannabis Market (TIME)

• Brooklyn DA erases 56 marijuana convictions, vacates over 3,000 pot warrants (New York Daily News)

• Seattle judges throw out 15 years of marijuana convictions (BBC)

• Amsterdam’s Marijuana Strategy Means Cops Don’t Have Much To Do, Comedy Central Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Molson Coors Plans To Sell Marijuana-Infused Teas, Seltzers And Beer (Marijuana Moment)

• Wall Street’s Marijuana Madness: ‘It’s Like the Internet in 1997’ (The Wall Street Journal)

• Republicans in a US territory just legalized marijuana (Vox)

• Cannabis Stocks Had A Roller Coaster Of A Week (NPR)

• Are Police Breaking The Law To Campaign Against Marijuana Legalization? (Marijuana Moment)

• How EMTs and Doctors Treat Cannabis Overconsumption (Leafly)

• House GOP Blocks Marijuana Tax Fairness Vote (Marijuana Moment)

• TSA Will Report Weed at LAX to Cops, Who Can't Do Anything About It (Reason)

• Researchers Injected People With THC To Test Their Motor Skills (Marijuana Moment)

• It's Not Just Cannabis Stocks -- Salaries And Jobs In Legal Weed Are Climbing Too (Forbes)

• Why millennials prefer cannabis to booze: ‘Zero enjoyment out of drinking’ (and it’s cheaper) (MarketWatch)

• Willie Nelson Wants To Smoke Marijuana With Trump And Putin (Marijuana Moment)

• Kindergartner can take cannabis drug to school, judge says (Los Angeles Times)

• O’Rourke And Cruz Clash On Marijuana And Drugs At Senate Debate (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot Faux Pas: A Cannabis Club Owner Weighs In On Marijuana Etiquette (WBUR)

• Here’s Where Maine’s US Senate Candidates Stand On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Legal marijuana: Vote for it, even if you aren't going to smoke it (Detroit Free Press)

• Leading Congressional Marijuana Opponent In Danger Of Losing Seat, Polls Find (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Gubernatorial Candidates Disagree On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• What Happens When You Give L.S.D. to an Elephant? (The New York Times)

• Silicon Valley figures remember Steve Jobs's death — and debate the rumor that he was 'tripping' when he died (Business Insider)

• Could LSD Microdosing Be Beneficial? (Labmate Online)

• Sofia Boutella on Playing a Character Spiked with LSD in Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ (Collider)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Reclassification recommendations for drug in 'magic mushrooms' (ScienceDaily)

• Could "Magic Mushrooms" Help You Stop Smoking? (The Fix)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Pilot Study Finds MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Significantly Reduces Social Anxiety in Autistic Adults (Psychedelic Times)

• Scientists Dosed an Octopus With MDMA and It Engaged In Some Serious Heavy Petting (The Inertia)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• 'Psychedelic Indiana Jones' claims he can 'predict FUTURE' with shamanic drug (Daily Star)

Morning Glory Seeds

• Children eating flower seeds to get high (Click 2 Houston)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine gives hope to patients with severe depression. But some clinics stray from the science and hype its benefits (STAT)

• Party drug used for depression at UW Health amid research on psychedelics (Wisconsin State Journal)

Opiates/Opioids

• A major study questioned the evidence for safe injection sites. It’s now been retracted. (Vox)

• Fentanyl crisis: Is China a major source of illegal drugs? (BBC)

• The Health 202: Congress reaches deal on major opioids' package (The Washington Post)

• Solving America’s painkiller paradox (Vox)

• DEA launches '360 Strategy' to combat heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic in Baltimore (Baltimore Sun)

• Pulitzer Prize winner Terry DeMio on life as a heroin beat reporter (Psymposia)

Kratom

• FDA Death Data On Kratom Linked To Adulterated Products, Not The Kratom Plant Itself (Benzinga)

• Kratom Dosage In Powder And Capsules (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom In Missouri: Legality And Where To Find Locally (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Price of kava fluctuates (The Fiji Times)

Khat

• New drug ‘khat’ finds way into Bangladesh (The Independent)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Capitalism on Psychedelics: The Mainstreaming of an Underground (Chacruna)

• For $1000, These ‘Sitters’ Will Save You from a Bad Acid Trip (VICE)

• The Risks of Long-Term Microdosing (The Third Wave)

• Why I regret my war on drugs (UnHerd)

• When supplies of drugs run low, drug prices mysteriously rise, data shows (Ars Technica)

• Psychedelic Film and Music Festival to feature trippy entertainment ‘for healing’ (AM New York)

• Get Ready for Your Psychedelic Voyage by Reading Experience Reports (Psychedelic Times)

• ‘Without drug traffickers, we’d have peace’: Colombian villagers flee new killings (The Guardian)

• Some 129 countries sign up to Trump's pledge at U.N. to fight drugs (Reuters)

• Making amyl nitrite an illegal drug would be ineffective, warns former AFP chief (The Guardian)

• The Invisible Majority: People Whose Drug Use Is Not Problematic (Filter)

• It's time we walked the talk on treating drugs as a health issue (Stuff.co.nz)

• $18 Million Worth of Cocaine Found in Bananas Donated to Texas Prison, Authorities Say (TIME)

• Does Donald Trump Want To Ban Chocolate, Or Is He Just Confused? (Marijuana Moment)

• Integrating Huichol and Mazatec Wisdom Without Doing Harm: Interview with Mario Gómez Mayorga (Psychedelic Times)

• Sheffield University criticised over 'never inject alone' drug advice (The Telegraph)

• Why doctors should support regulated markets in illicit drugs (The BMJ)

• Drug Tolerance Explained (Psychedelic Heaven)

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

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.14.18

Cannabis

• Canadian Military Reveals New Rules Regarding Cannabis Use (High Times)

• Marijuana Use Is on the Rise Among Baby Boomers According to a New Study (TIME)

• Legal Canadian Marijuana Workers, Investors Will Be Treated Like Illegal Traffickers, Official Confirms (Newsweek)

• Did Barack Obama Smoke Marijuana At Disneyland? (Marijuana Moment)

• NYC Prosecutors Drop 3,000 Weed Cases (Reason)

• New York: Brooklyn DA Intends To Vacate Thousands Of Past Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Tesla Shares Fall After CEO Elon Musk Smokes Cannabis on Joe Rogan's Live Web Show (News18)

• The Response To Elon Musk's Cannabis Use Shows That We Have A Giant Double Standard To Overcome (Forbes)

• Scientists Explore How Cannabis May Fight Psychosis (VOA)

• Congressional Leadership Strips Provisions Facilitating Medical Marijuana Access For Veterans (NORML)

• Marijuana Bill Approved By Congressional Committee, Despite Drug Conviction Restriction Dispute (Forbes)

• Legal Marijuana Access Disrupts The Illicit Market, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• European Parliament Working to Make Medical Marijuana Available on the Continent (Marijuana.com)

• Miami-Dade Police Give Most Pot Citations to White People, While Black People Are Jailed (Miami New Times)

• Federal Court Rules In Favor Of Worker Rejected For Medical Marijuana Use (Marijuana Moment)

• Republican Members of Congress Just Sent Jeff Sessions Yet Another Letter Asking Him To Stop Holding Up Marijuana Research (Reason)

• Cannabis for Chronic Nerve Pain: Mechanism Revealed? (Medscape)

• Neil deGrasse Tyson Warns People Not To Smoke Marijuana In Space (Marijuana Moment)

• Scottish ministers to hear arguments for medicinal use of cannabis (The National)

• Most Doctors, Nurses And Pharmacists Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Treat teenage cannabis dealers as potential victims, says thinktank (The Guardian)

• Marijuana In Texas: Where Ted Cruz And Beto O’Rourke Stand On Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Concerns raised over lack of guidelines for medics regarding use of substances like cannabis oil (Irish Examiner)

• Top Trump Health Official Signals Support For Marijuana Decriminalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Censorship: A Byproduct of Prohibition (NORML)

• Colorado Ballot Measure Would Change Industrial Hemp Definition (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis and Crypto: Equal Beneficiaries in the Fight to Hit the Mainstream (Cointelegraph)

• New Book: Obama Considered Decriminalizing Marijuana, But Then Trump Won (Marijuana Moment)

• 5 Ways Creatives Are Fixing Cannabis’s Image Problem (Artsy)

• Here’s Where Indiana’s US Senate Candidates Stand On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Mat Zo Discusses Marijuana Dependence on Twitter (EDMTunes)

• Brett Kavanaugh Accepts Cory Booker’s Recommendation To Read Drug War Book (Marijuana Moment)

• Why The Adult Cannabis Market Could Kill Its Medical Counterpart (Forbes)

• Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Talks Marijuana And Psychedelics With Joe Rogan (Marijuana Moment)

• Workers In These Industries Are Most Likely To Consume Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot Prohibition Makes Self-Defense Illegal (Reason)

• Google Execs Told Marijuana Jokes To Lighten The Mood After Trump’s Election, Leaked Video Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein Signs Onto Marijuana Bill After Decades Of Drug War Advocacy (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis stocks are on fire after a $220 million M&A deal (Quartz)

• Criminal Justice Reformers Slam Marijuana Bill’s Drug Conviction Ban (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• After 26 years in prison for LSD, and clemency from Obama, Timothy Tyler is a free man (Psymposia)

• "I've seen my own DNA": Paul McCartney on his LSD experience with the Beatles in the 1960s (Meaww)

• ‘Acid’: A hallucinatory novel that overturns traditional ideas of family and motherhood (Scroll.in)

• When Aldous Huxley, Dying of Cancer, Left This World Tripping on LSD, Experiencing “the Most Serene, the Most Beautiful Death” (1963) (Open Culture)

• Salina woman pleads in LSD-fueled knife attack on a stranger (WIBW)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Psychedelic Mushroom Advocates Push Initiatives for May 2019 Citywide Ballot (Westword)

• “FDA approve ‘magic mushroom’ treatment” (Talon Marks)

• Police say York man took psychedelic mushrooms before killing cat (Press Herald)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• “Reduction in social anxiety after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy with autistic adults: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study” (ResearchGate)

• UW to test using MDMA to treat PTSD (School of Medicine and Public Health at University of Wisconsin-Madison)

• 'MDMA' Is The Drug-Fueled Thriller Showing You Another Side Of Asian America (NYLON)

• Pregnant teen ‘took ecstasy to try and kill her unborn son’ (Metro)

• Reminisce Festival: Overdoses lead to MDMA warning (BBC)

• Student Patrick Coakley died after taking MDMA 'bombs' at Canterbury’s Club Chemistry (Kent Online)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Should Ayahuasca Tourism in Peru Be Regulated? (Chacruna)

• Romancing the Toad (Reality Sandwich)

• Inside the Ayahuasca Experience (Psychotherapy Networker)

• Ayahuasca and the Global Marketplace (Reality Sandwich)

• A DMT trip 'feels like dying' - and scientists now agree (BBC)

• Ayahuasca: Tribal tradition or dangerous hallucinogenic brew? (The City Paper Bogota)

• Police discover DMT drug lab after neighbors report a burglary in Cottonwood Heights (KUTV)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine Therapy Can Offer Addiction Relief During Opioid Withdrawal (Ladybud)

• Ibogaine: One Man's Journey To Mexico For Psychedelic Addiction Treatment (WBUR)

Salvia Divinorum

• Nightmare drug Salvia could help end the hellish opioid crisis (Rooster Magazine)

Dissociatives

• Rapid Depression Remission and the “Therapeutic Bends” with Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (Psychedelics Today)

• Ketamine Works as a Fast-Acting Antidepressant, But the Full Effects Are Still Unknown (Smithsonian)

• Ketamine: Mechanisms of Action, Uses in Pain Medicine, and Side Effects (Clinical Pain Advisor)

• Local ketamine clinic sees high success rate in ketamine treatment (KTRE)

• Grade-A student, 22, gave birth in prison after ‘going off the rails’ and attacking two women while experimenting with Ketamine (The Sun)

Opiates/Opioids

• Opioid billionaire granted patent for addiction treatment (Financial Times)

• Naloxone nasal spray works best to stop opioid OD: Study (UPI)

• Overdose is a policy issue, not an individual one. (Sheila Vakharia)

• FDA Approves New Dosage Strength of Buprenorphine and Naloxone Sublingual Film for Opioid Dependence Treatment (Pharmacy Times)

• Experts Call Bullshit On Backstreet Boy AJ McLean’s Opioid Detox Kits (VICE)

• I’m So Sick of Opioid Disaster Porn (Slate)

• Minnesota health officials offer free Naloxone training to public (Chron)

• Naloxone can reverse opioid overdoses, but does the drug belong in elementary schools? (USA Today)

• Opium production breaks records again (Daily Times)

• Police save little girl from hot car after mother overdoses on heroin (Fox 8)

Kratom

• Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on new warning letters FDA is issuing to companies marketing kratom with unproven medical claims; and the agency’s ongoing concerns about kratom (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

• Could the Opioid Crisis Be Solved With Kratom? “A Leaf of Faith” Says Yes (MERRY JANE)

• Shoplifters snagging liquid kratom from Martin County stores (TCPalm)

Khat

• New 'legal high' creeping into Bangladesh (Dhaka Tribune)

• Over 4,800 packs of khat seized in Oman (Times of Oman)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Study Explores Religious and Spiritual Roots of Psychedelically-Induced Mystical Experience (Psychedelic Times)

• Treating Addiction With Psychedelics – Part 1: Overview (The Third Wave)

• Treating Addiction With Psychedelics – Part 2: Preparation (The Third Wave)

• Treating Addiction With Psychedelics – Part 3: The Experience (The Third Wave)

• Treating Addiction With Psychedelics – Part 4: Integration (The Third Wave)

• Psychedelic Justice: Disrupting the Cultural Default Mode Network (Chacruna)

• Renaissance or Dead End? The New Debate on Psychedelic Drug Use by North American Buddhists (Buddhistdoor Global)

• The Psychological Violence of Mexico’s War on Drugs (The Crime Report)

• Accurately Weigh Your Dose: A Guide on How To Properly and Safely Measure Substances (Psychedelic Times)

• A Psychedelic Film and Music Festival is set to mellow out NYC (Metro US)

• Gender and Critical Drug Studies: Reproducing Female Vulnerability in Gendered Drug Discourse (Points: The Blog of the Alcohol and Drugs History Society)

• Camden council OKs return of needle exchange; mayor hopes it's only short-term solution (Courier-Post)

• Children say cannabis easier to get than alcohol: 'The war on drugs has failed' (The Independent)

• Gendered violence & overdose prevention sites: A rapid ethnographic study during an overdose epidemic in Vancouver, Canada (Wiley Online Library)

• Drugs and Creativity: Fact or Fiction? (Neurology Times)

• Why Did Dallas Police Search a Man's Home for 'Narcotics' After One of Their Own Killed Him? (Reason)

• New Study Challenges Hallucinogenic Stereotypes (Washington Square News)

• 'Microdosing' growing in popularity among tech workers, but is it safe? (WRAL)

• Drug danger chart shows which drugs you should never mix, and which you totally should (Rooster Magazine)

• The forgotten history of psychedelics and their use in addiction therapy (NOTED)

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

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 2.19.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Could Cannabis Help Stem the Heroin Overdose Crisis? (TakePart)
• The Science Is Clear: Marijuana Is Not A Gateway Drug (Reset.me)
• Bill Maher Smokes a Joint to Prove a Point About Marijuana Legalization (ATTN:)
• Legal Marijuana Sales Totaled $1 Billion in Colorado Last Year (Reason)
• California Nuns Illegally Grow Medical Cannabis, Sell It Online (Inquisitr)
• Meet the Marijuana Industry's Newest Customers: Dogs (Reason)
• Cannabis does not cause anxiety and depression, study finds (The Telegraph)
• Why Is Facebook Taking Down Marijuana Dispensary Pages? (TIME)
• Terminal brain cancer patient says cannabis oil saved his life (Sun Times National)
• Using Cannabis to Treat Depression (Leafly)
• Study: No Increase In Prevalence Of Cannabis Use Disorders (NORML)
• Where do Ireland's political parties stand on decriminalising cannabis? (The Journal)
• Albuquerque baby makes history with cannabis oil at Colorado hospital (KRQE)
• Using Cannabis For Sexual Health (Reset.me)
• Government's Cannabis ATM (SF Weekly)
• Will there be a 2016 Colorado Cannabis Cup? Permit denied (The Cannabist)
• Happy Presidents Day! The Founding Fathers and Cannabis (Leafly)
• Leafly Evolves Beyond Cannabis Strain Reviews (New Cannabis Ventures)
• 'Cannabis clubs' may be opening in four Swiss cities (The Independent)
• Step by Step, Pot-Legalizing States Free Their Marijuana Markets (Reason)
• Leafly Science Roundup: Can Cannabis Improve Your Workout? (Leafly)
• Ex-coach Ron McBride voices support for medical cannabis (KSL)
• Barcelona's Pot Boom and Bust (Reason)
• Adams County denies permit to 2016 Cannabis Cup at Denver Mart (The Denver Post)
• Beginner's Guide to Cannabis Breeding, Genetics, and Strain Variability (Leafly)
• Complex California Pot Act Created Unseen Problem (Reason)
• Snoop Dogg Invests In Canadian Cannabis With Smiths Falls Marijuana Deal (Inquisitr)
• The gene that puts cannabis users at risk of psychosis: Scientists discover why some smokers are more prone to mental illness (Daily Mail)

LSD

• Inside the LSD Museum That the DEA Somehow Hasn't Torn to the Ground (WIRED)
• The Strange Way LSD Both Mimics Psychosis And Improves Mental Health (The Huffington Post)
• LSD research making a comeback says U of S historian (CBC News)
• Study: LSD could lead to long-term psychological well-being (Palm Beach Post)
• Always Wanted to Do LSD With Philip K. Dick? You'll Love Playing Californium (WIRED)
• LSD research rebounding during 'psychedelic renaissance' (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)
• Society may have changed enough to warrant a retrial of LSD: expert (Global News)
• 2 students charged after 3 LSD overdoses at Villanova University (6abc)
• Williams Sentenced to Probation for LSD Possession (KOWB)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic Mushrooms in North America: Before the Wassons (Reality Sandwich)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Could MDMA Save Your Relationship? (Complex)
• Want to Legalize Medical MDMA? Attend a 'Psychedelic Dinner' (US News)
• Government urged to consider pill testing as number of ecstasy users appearing at NSW hospitals doubles (ABC)
• MDMA: Using Safely (The Bottom Line)
• 'Deplorable' Kids Company psychologist is banned from practising for 12 months after taking MDMA with a vulnerable client in a nightclub toilet (Daily Mail)
• MDMA, Purest Form Of Ecstasy, Often Contaminated With 'Bath Salts' (Medical Daily)
• Death At HARD Summer Ruled Ecstasy "Intoxication" By Coroner (Your EDM)
• Florida man says he was jailed after police mistook aspiring for Ecstasy (WFTV)
• Teen Raver Died From Ecstasy Intoxication, Coroner Says (L.A. Weekly)
• Delivery results in felony charges for Oglesby man (LaSalle News Tribune)
• Teen accused of distributing ecstasy in Canberra faces court (ABC)
• A man and woman arrested for possession of Ecstasy: Parma Heights Police Blotter (Cleveland.com)
• Valdosta man arrested on MDMA, cocaine charges (Valdosta Today)
• Eugene man, allegedly high on ecstasy, arrested on felony assault charge (The Register-Guard)
• Teen rushed to hospital after taking ecstasy tablet at Coatbridge fast-food restaurant (Scottish Daily Record)
• Couple celebrated birth of child by taking Ecstasy and pot: West York police (PennLive)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• DMT Cook Burned & Busted (Crime Voice)
• Services Are Now in Session for Church Offering Hallucinogens (The Chronicle)
• Aidan Reid: How a Peru drug experience made me quit a life of partying (Belfast Telegraph)
• Police stumble upon suspected drug lab (The Davis Enterprise)
• De La Vina Resident Burned in Drug Lab Fire (Santa Barbara Independent)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• National Council Does Not Condone Faux Native American Churches or Marijuana Use (Indian Country Today Media Network)
• First Amendment: Justice Scalia's disastrous decision on religious freedom (Janesville Gazette)
• Scalia And Lewin: From Harvard To The High Court (The Jewish Week)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• What's the Difference between Iboga and Ibogaine? Identifying the Right Treatment for You (Psychedelic Times)
• Psychedelic Research with Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT: An Interview with Dr. Joseph Barsuglia (Psychedelic Times)
• Sunshine Coast alternative therapist calls on Government to research iboga plant to treat drug addiction (ABC)
• My First Iboga Experience: An Interview with Dr. Joseph Barsuglia (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• NYU Research: Hair Sampling Shows Unintended "Bath Salt" Use (New York University)
• Soldier dismissed from army for supplying N-bomb (Stuff.co.nz)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine treatments working wonders on local girl (WOAI)
• Drug holds promise to fight acute depression (Palm Beach Daily News)
• Parklife Festival drug dealer told he could have killed someone with ketamine horse tranquiliser (Liverpool Echo)
• Man dies after falling from fifth-floor flat window while trying to perform a PULL-UP (Mirror)
• Inquest heard in ketamine addiction case (Barnsley Chronicle)
• Woman groped, suspect later found on PCP | POLICE BLOTTER (Renton Reporter)
• Police: PCP arrest made during traffic stop in Md. (WJLA)
• NJ man arrested for possession of PCP (Mid-Hudson News)
• Youth faces court over ketamine haul (The Standard)

Opiates/Opioids

• Kroger to make naloxone available over the counter (Sandusky Register)
• How snail venom may help end the heroin crisis (KING5)
• Penetrating Every Stage of Afghan Opium Chain, Taliban Become a Cartel (The New York Times)
• Cruz, Trump want to secure the border to keep out heroin. But will it work? (The Washington Post)
• China busts 35 restaurants using opium poppies as seasoning (WFXT)
• Walgreens to sell Naloxone without a Prescription (MyTechBits)
• Heroin-Addicted Identical Twins Reveal Shocking Ways They Say The Get Money For Drugs (The Huffington Post)
• Tasked With Combating Opium, Afghan Officials Profit From It (The New York Times)
• Overdose prevention pills don't cure opioid problem (Business Insurance)
• Poppy farmer thought it was a herb (Bangalore Mirror)
• 'Tea lady' inspires people to give up opium cultivation in Arunachal (The Statesman)
• Myanmar, a country rich in jade and gems, and OPIUM (The Northeast Today)
• Opium smugglers evade capture in Jordan (Al Bawaba)
• Myanmar Activists Say Destruction of Opium Fields Blocked (ABC)
• Broadway man charged with trafficking opium (The Sanford Herald)
• Opium Prohibition in Afghanistan (Cato Institute)

Absinthe

• Man wakes up after a night of drinking of absinthe in Magaluf and discovers a tattoo of a huge penis inked on his leg (Daily Mail)

Kratom

• Oxford police say selling Kratom is now illegal in city (Alabama's News Leader)
• Grateful Toad fined $12000 (Plattsburgh Press Republican)
• Herb Linked to Multiple Ark. Deaths (ArkansasMatters)
• Investigators seize illegal drug from 3 local businesses (4029tv)
• Oxford police warn against sale of new synthetic drug Kratom (The Anniston Star)

Kava

• New kava legal challenge in Germany over drugs institute ruling (Asia Pacific Report)
• New Kava Challenge (Vanuatu Daily Post)
• Two New Kava Bars Chill out the Bay Area With a Calming, Natural Concoction (7x7)
• One year mellow at Berkeley's MeloMelo Kava Bar (Berkeleyside)
• Divisadero's Long-Awaited Kava Lounge Softly Opens This Thursday (Hoodline)

Khat

• Madagascar flirts with food crisis as Khat fields replace staple crops (AfricaNews)
• Of Juja's JKUAT students and miraa chewing (Hivisasa)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• New Report Finds Drugs Bought On the Dark Net Have Higher Levels of Purity (Thump)
• Is Meth as Safe to Consume as Adderall? (ATTN:)
• Here are 10 fascinating drugs that our ancient ancestors used to get high (Raw Story)
• WATCH: Lana Del Rey Gets High on Psychedelics in New 11-Minute Video for 'Freak' (First to Know)
• Combat PTSD with psychedelic drugs? The VA or nonprofit organizations must fund more research now (New York Daily News)
• Why deaths won't stop the party: Drug test kits gain popularity as festival overdoses soar (Geelong Advertiser)
• Scalia's Mixed Drug War Record (Forbes)
• North Carolina's Welfare Drug Testing Program Is a Complete Failure (ATTN:)
• COLUMN: Psychedelic drug safety (Indiana Daily Student)
• Don't Punish All Drug Offenders for the Crimes of One (Reason)
• Pope Francis: Mexico Must Confront Drug Trade, Corruption (TIME)
• Effort made at CU-Boulder to ensure safe recreational drug use (Boulder Daily Camera)

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 (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Week in Psychedelics - 2.12.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Which Presidential Candidates Would Tolerate Legal Pot? (Reason)
• Facebook Is Waging a War on Weed (ATTN:)
• Australia Is Pushing to Legalize Marijuana Growth for Medical Research (TIME)
• Beyond THC And CBD: The Health Benefits Of Terpenes (Reset.me)
• 'Largest ever' Coventry cannabis factory found (BBC)
• Review: Cannabinoids Reasonable Option For Chronic Pain Treatment (NORML)
• Cannabis Science 101: The Complex Chemistry of the Bong (Leafly)
• Judge Who Sentenced Small-Time Pot Dealer to 55 Years Again Urges Clemency (Reason)
• Viral Hit: Gwenevere Tries Cannabis Oil (Leafly)
• Cannabis clubs provide a valuable service (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)
• Why And How I Gave Up Everyday Painkillers In Favor Of Medical Marijuana (Reset.me)
• Iowa House Republican introduces medical cannabis bill (Quad-City Times)
• Cannabis Business Expo coming to Tacoma Dome (The Olympian)
• Tim Farron calls for legalisation of cannabis for recreational use (The Guardian)
• Your Cannabis-Friendly Valentine's Day Gift Guide (Leafly)
• Legalizing Marijuana and Your 4th Amendment Protections (NORML)
• Parliament should allow doctors to prescribe cannabis (The Independent)
• Cannabis Company Med-X to Sell Shares Under Reg A+ on StartEngine (Crowdfund Insider)
• Marijuana, Cannabis, Ganja, Weed, Grass, Pot, Reefer, or Maryjane: What's In a Name? (NORML)
• Marley Natural: Inside Reggae Dynasty's Cannabis Launch (Rolling Stone)
• Innovative Cannabis Compliance Solution Gains Traction (New Cannabis Ventures)
• Australia to legalise medical cannabis cultivation if law gets greenlight (Mashable)
• Marley Natural Debuts New Line of Cannabis Products (Leafly)
• Australia set to legalize cultivation of medical cannabis (FOX News)
• How can you tell if a cannabis farm is being grown on your street (Liverpool Echo)

LSD

• When 12 Step Programs Don't Work: AA Founder Bill W. on How LSD Can Help (Psychedelic Times)
• Taking LSD leads to 'improved psychological wellbeing' - study (The Telegraph)
• Feed your head: Lockheed's unintentionally hilarious anti-drug "case study" films from the late 60s (Nightflight)
• Dave Stewart: LSD, Annie Lennox, and Me (The Daily Beast)
• Taking LSD is actually good for your 'mental wellbeing', scientists say (Metro)
• Should Lana Del Rey Worry About Acid Flashbacks? Scientists Aren't Sure (Inverse)
• The paradox of LSD: makes you psychotic in short-term, happier and more creative long term (ZME Science)
• LSD 'stamps' a big market among city party-goers: Police (The Indian Express)
• Police: Teen using LSD tried to break into Granger Township home (The Medina-Gazette)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushrooms and LSD may prevent domestic violence by providing 'spiritual experiences' (International Business Times)
• How I Learned To Embrace Infinite Love With Psilocybin Mushrooms (Reset.me)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• A History Lesson on MDMA & Ecstasy with a Short Video (Magnetic Magazine)
• DanceSafe Founder Educates Students on MDMA (Daily Nexus)
• Former ecstasy king-pin explains how the war on drugs, and the American Justice System is failing (Disinfo)
• Police: $100K in MDMA seized in Paterson drug raid (NorthJersey.com)
• Tyga Wants to Make Blac Chyna Suffer After Ecstasy Arrest (BET)
• No permanent ban for Kids Company worker who gave MDMA to client (The Guardian)
• Grandma Caught With 1,500 Ecstasy Tablets, Crystal Meth at Kualanamu Airport (Jakarta Globe)
• Over €8,000 worth of MDMA seized ahead of college students' Rag Week (Irish Independent)
• Teenage cadet's drug arrest as nine youngsters taken to hospital from camp after taking 'ecstasy' (Mirror)
• Businessman gets weekends in jail for trafficking in ecstasy (The Hamilton Spectator)
• Canberra man Rory Coghlan denied bail after allegedly selling MDMA to undercover police officer (ABC)
• Teenager left brain damaged after taking ecstasy celebrates 17th birthday as she continues to recover (Mirror)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• What Does DMT Feel Like? Putting Words to a DMT Experience (Psychedelic Times)
• Church Seeks to Offer 'Vision Quests' Near Elbe (The Chronicle)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Native American church, known for using peyote and marijuana, to open branches in former O.C. pot shops (The Orange County Register)
• Native American church fight for right to use cannabis & peyote (RT)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• The Evidence for Ibogaine: What New Studies Tell Us About Ibogaine for Addiction Treatment (Psychedelic Times)
• Ibogaine Treatment Expanded in Brazil: Will the U.S. Take Note? (Drug Policy Alliance)

Dissociatives

• Manic depressives could be treated with KETAMINE say medical experts (Mirror)
• Ketamine To Treat Depression in Patients Resistant To Other Drugs, Biggest Mental Health Breakthrough In 50 Years (Inquisitr)
• The Science Of Treating Depression With Ketamine (Psychedelic Press UK)
• Northern California Clinics Now Serving Ketamine (Special K) to Treat Severe Depression (7x7)
• Restricting Ketamine Would Have 'Dire Consequences' for Surgery in Low-Resource Countries, Anesthesiologists Warn (Newswise)
• British vets relieved as ketamine ruled 'not a global health threat' (Horse & Hound)
• Ketamine found after traffic stop, Bennington police say (WPTZ)
• Northampton moter jailed for slamming kids heads into floor while high on PCP (MassLive)
• Man says he stabbed two men, almost killing them, because of PCP (WJLA)
• Man arrested for causing fatal New Haven crash while driving on PCP (FOX)

Opiates/Opioids

• Super Bowl Ad Exemplifies How Bad The U.S. Opioid Epidemic Has Become (ATTN:)
• Big Pharma Is Partly to Blame for America's Opioid Epidemic (TIME)
• FBI, DEA release graphic video about horrors of heroin use (WTOP)
• Addicted to Heroin? Trump Says Blame the Mexicans (The Daily Beast)
• Cruz, Like Trump, Plans to Stop Heroin With a Wall (Reason)
• Walgreens to sell heroin OD antidote naloxone without prescription (Daily Herald)
• Rapper DMX revived by Narcan – the opioid antidote that stops an overdose in its tracks (Yahoo! News)
• Lawmakers try to outdo each other on heroin epidemic (USA Today)
• Drug overdose deaths could be curbed by naloxone kits, says advocate (CBC News)
• Villagers sow the Mexican opium poppies that feed the US heroin boom (The Tico Times)
• Opium growers find salvation in coffee (Bangkok Post)
• Heroin 'apocalypse' shadows New Hampshire primary (USA Today)
• Is naloxone safe to use? (WKBN)
• Saudi executes Egyptian for drug trafficking (The Express Tribune)
• Villagers sow Mexico's booming opium poppies (Digital Journal)
• The Most Striking Super Bowl Commercial Goes To Heroin (Cinema Blend)
• Police destroy opium crop in Jharkhand (Business Standard)

Absinthe

• Absinthe 101: separating fact from fiction (Stuff.co.nz)
• Queenstown stag party and a bottle of absinthe prove bad combination for Christchurch man (Stuff.co.nz)

Kratom

• SacredKratom Launches New Botanical Store - SacredKratom.com (Press Release Rocket)
• Recovering addicts, local officials warn that kratom is dangerous and addictive (News Net 5)
• Oxford police warn about synthetic drug kratom (WBRC)
• South Florida lawmaker wants to ban herbal supplement kratom (Local 10)
• 9 investigates Kratom: Natural herb or deadly drug? (WSOC)

Kava

• Kava treated as an economic commodity (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation)
• Kava Bill to support industry (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation)

Khat

• Kenya: Doctors Link Throat Cancer Cases to Miraa Chewing in Meru (AllAfrica)
• Worcester 'khat' cops found guilty (IOL)
• Police on UK national dealing in Khat (South African Government)
• Briton caught with khat due in court (IOL)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Hallucinogen Use Could Protect Against Intimate Partner Violence (Newswise)
• Do Psychedelics Offer a Path To The "God Within"? (Religion Dispatches)
• Watch How underground therapists are using psychedelics to heal trauma (XFINITY TV)
• President's drug control budget is a first, but still a whole lot of wasted money (Drug WarRant)
• Vice Secretly Did Pill Testing At An Aussie Music Festival (Tone Deaf)
• Tennessee's Welfare Drug Testing Program Was a Complete Failure (ATTN:)
• Trump: 'Every Single' Person Obama Released Will Sell Drugs Again (TIME)
• Pre-Orders Are Now Available for a New Book on Yoga, Psychedelics & Enlightenment (EIN News)
• Pope Francis's Visit to Mexico Highlights the Church's Drug War Woes (TIME)
• Why some therapists are risking arrest to heal trauma using psychedelics (Al Jazeera)
• Could LSD, magic mushrooms curb domestic violence? Research finds 'calming' effect (Global News)
• Can A Drug Help Reduce Domestic Violence? (NDTV)
• Hallucinogens may protect against domestic violence: study (Daily News & Analysis)

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 (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Week in Psychedelics - 2.5.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Americans spent more on legal pot last year than on Cheetos, Doritos (The Denver Post)
• British Company Developing Field Sobriety Test for Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Legal Marijuana Sales Projected to Reach $6.7 Billion in 2016 (TIME)
• Hillary Clinton Just Gave an Underwhelming Response to a Question About Medical Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Facebook is deleting medical marijuana pages (Engadget)
• Annual Arrests for Marijuana in NYC Drop From Nearly 51,000 in 2011 to Under 17,000 in 2015 (The Huffington Post)
• See Inside the Himalayan Villages That Grow Cannabis (National Geographic)
• Organic Cannabis? One Colorado Hemp Farm Has Earned The USDA's Blessing (KUNC)
• Man tries to buy 12-year-old's fish with fake pot, police say (CBC)
• Cannabis-based vagina suppositories the latest invention to help ease period pain (International Business Times)
• Ricky Williams explains his belief that cannabis can help NFL players (CBS Sports)
• Utah Mom Risks It All To Treat Daughter With Cannabis (Reset.me)
• Obama Punts on Cannabis Reform (Leafly)
• Marijuana Federalists Lead the Republican Field (Reason)
• How Much Money Marijuana Will Make This Year (ATTN:)
• Phoenix Open Billboard Says Buds Are Safer Than Bud (or Coors) (Reason)
• Dad Uses Cannabis Oil To Treat Three Year Old Epileptic Daughter (Collective Evolution)
• Wiz Khalifa Announces Partnership With RiverRock Cannabis for New Product Line (Billboard)
• 5 Tips for Hosting a Fabulous (and Safe) Cannabis Wedding (Leafly)
• Vermont Marijuana Legalization: Recreational Cannabis Bill Moves Forward In Senate Committee (International Business Times)
• Marley Natural's Elegant Pot Gear Is For Smokers Who Say 'Whoa Sir', Not 'Whoa Dude' (WIRED)
• Study reveals smoking cannabis ruins your vocabulary in later life (Mirror)
• Cannabis use dulls the brain, but are effects long-term? (OregonLive)
• Revealed... the impact of cannabis laws so far: Use of marijuana is increasing among adults - but DECREASING in teens (Daily Mail)

LSD

• LSD: My Life-Saving Drug (GQ)
• The Turing-Acid Test (Reality Sandwich)
• LSD to increase focus and creativity (The Spectator)
• Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Augustus Sol Invictus admits LSD use, describes experiences in journals (Florida Politics)
• Fireside Chatter: LSD isn't all that bad (The Daily Beacon)
• Homeowner: Teen who entered home, high on LSD, ate glass from a window he shattered (newsnet5)
• Longmont man arrested in July LSD incident nabbed again after disturbance. (Longmont Times-Call)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Could Aggressive Coyotes In California Be Tripping On 'Shrooms? (Inquisitr)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• One in five 'legal highs' contain illegal substances - but nearly half of ecstasy tablets don't have any MDMA, report reveals (WalesOnline)
• Blac Chyna found with ecstasy during airport arrest (Page Six)
• Effects of MDMA Injections on the Behavior of Socially-Housed Long-Tailed Macaques (PLOS ONE)
• Blac Chyna Swears The Ecstasy Wasn't Hers, Doesn't Pack Own Bags (Hip-Hop Wired)
• Does Past Ecstasy Use Make Noah Spence Too Risky to Pick in 1st Round? (Breitbart)
• Drug dealer who supplied MDMA to tragic Whitstable teenager jailed for three years (Kent News)
• Two arrested for ecstasy, molly after raid on Buffalo barber shop, home (WIVB)
• Man rammed cars while high on ecstasy, police say (Albany Times Union)
• DRUGS DOG FINDS MDMA (The Leader)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• A Closer Look At That "First Legal Ayahuasca Church In America" Story You've Seen Hyped In The Media (Reset.me)
• Why Addiction Expert Dr. Gabor Maté Treats His Patients with Ayahuasca (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Police issue synthetic cannabis warning as teen dies, two more critically ill (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• The shocking truth about 'synthetic' cannabis: Hallucinations that convince users they're dead and 100 times more potent than real marijuana (Daily Mail)

Dissociatives

• Could Ketamine be the Ultimate Cure for Depression? (Newsweek)
• Ketamine Might Be The Cure For Severe Depression (Your EDM)
• Party drug ketamine may soon show it can do what others can't (Stuff.co.nz)
• Police Raid Results in One of Edmonton's Largest Ketamine Busts (THUMP)
• Novel Route for Ketamine in the Treatment of MDD (Psychiatric Times)
• Ketamine could be most effective cure for severe depression (Mixmag)
• Police: Liquid PCP found on man after arrest (Asbury Park Press)
• Ketamine: from party drug to medication (New Zealand Herald)
• Police say man led officers on chase, possessed PCP (Bryan-College Station Eagle)

Opiates/Opioids

• At Some Restaurants in China, a Shortcut to Addictive Food: Poppies (The New York Times)
• Obama Seeks $1 Billion to Fight Heroin Epidemic (TIME)
• Why the 'heroin antidote' naloxone is now available in pharmacies (ABC)
• Improvised naloxone nasal sprays lack evidence of absorption and effect (EurekAlert!)
• Ted Cruz Links New Hampshire's Heroin Epidemic to "Undocumented Democrats" (Mother Jones)
• Recovered heroin addict goes full circle to serve huge community (SFGate)
• Fentanyl killing more people in NH than heroin (The Union Leader)
• CVS to sell heroin overdose antidote in 20 more states (CNN)
• White And Black Americans Agree That Heroin Abuse Is A Serious Problem (The Huffington Post)
• Opium seized (The Sangai Express)

Kratom

• Still Mostly Legal: Kratom May be a Better Choice for Heroin and Pain Pill Users? (AlterNet)
• Arizona heroin users claim a controversial herbal supplement helps kick addiction (Cronkite News)
• Asian tree with psychoactive effects on verge of being illegal (The Moultrie Observer)
• Panel Bans Kratom On Tearful Testimony (WFSU)

Kava

• High Demand of Kava from overseas market (Fiji Broadcasting Corporation)
• The Kava Konnection Brings New Trend To Greenville (WSPA)
• Awa Kava Lounge in Miami: Stress Relief in a Bowl (Miami New Times)

Khat

• Read the signs: The khat menace could be spiralling [sic] out of control (IPPmedia)
• A place where life is nasty, brutish and short (The Standard Digital News)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• What is Harm Reduction Psychotherapy? Alternative Treatment for Psychedelic Users (Psychedelic Times)
• Drug Warriors Are Losing Online (Reason)
• Yale Launches Group To Examine Use Of Psychedelics In Therapy (Reset.me)
• Scientist David Nutt on the medical benefits of psychedelic drugs (Financial Times)
• Here's What Mixing Drugs Does to Your Body and Brain (ATTN:)
• What the 1981 Rat Park Experiment Means for Addiction and Our Need For Human Connection (Psychedelic Times)
• Psychedelic drugs should be used to treat mental illness (The Rocket)
• 5 Major Companies That Don't Drug Test (ATTN:)
• Drugs from the dark web (Brunswickian)
• How Ted Cruz Turned His Back on Drug War Prisoners (Reason)
• Gift of the Gods: Why Visionary Plant Medicines Deserve Reverence and Caution (High Existence)
• West Virginia Lawmaker Counters Drug Testing Welfare Recipients With Legislator Testing (ATTN:)

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 (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.