Cannabis
Tests show bootleg marijuana vapes tainted with hydrogen cyanide (NBC News)
Vaping-Related Illness Could be Caused by Toxic Fumes, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)
Vaping-Related Death Toll Rises to 18 as Health Officials Sound the Alarm on E-Cigarette Use (TIME)
The first cannabis cafe in the U.S. opens in Los Angeles (CBS News)
Welfare Recipients in Missouri Now Have Access to Medical Marijuana (MERRY JANE)
CDC Says for First Time That THC Could Be Behind Vaping Deaths and Illnesses (TIME)
FBI: Marijuana Arrests Rise For Third Straight Year, Outpace Arrests For All Violent Crimes (NORML)
Cannabis Terpenes Could Be Adding to Ozone Pollution, Colorado Researchers Say (MERRY JANE)
Bill To Legalize Marijuana Through State-Run Model Introduced In Pennsylvania (Marijuana Moment)
Thailand Becomes First Asian Nation to Develop Its Own Weed Strain (MERRY JANE)
Congressional Bill Would Protect Students From Losing Financial Aid Over Drug Convictions (Marijuana Moment)
A Majority of Virginia Residents Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)
Most Californians want marijuana stores in their communities, new poll shows (Los Angeles Times)
Magic Mushrooms
Scientists Engineered a Bacterium That Poops Out Huge Amounts of Psilocybin (ScienceAlert)
Activists Take First Step To Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms In California (Marijuana Moment)
Usona Institute Beginning Phase 2 Clinical Trials Using Psilocybin to Treat Major Depressive Disorder (Psychedelic Science Review)
MDMA
How to use recreational MDMA safely, straight from a psychotherapist (Your EDM)
Australia could be the first country to legalise ecstasy – are we going too far? (The Guardian)
Highlights in MDMA’s History: An Infographic Timeline (Psychedelic Times)
Drug dealer weeps as he's jailed for selling ecstasy that killed schoolgirl, 14 (Mirror)
Toddler suffers seizures after swallowing some of her father's ecstasy supply (The Irish Times)
DMT
Rick Strassman on DMT and the Mystical State (DoubleBlind)
DMT Studies Shine Light on Near Death Experiences and the Illusory Nature of Reality (Psychedelic Times)
Ayahuasca
Hallucinogenic tea ayahuasca is illegal, Dutch supreme court rules (DutchNews.nl)
Why Veterans Need Ayahuasca Integration and Access to Plant Medicines: Interview with Wyly Gray (Psychedelic Times)
5-MeO-DMT
The hottest new psychedelic drug among trendy New Yorkers is illegal toad venom (New York Post)
Peyote
So, What Is Peyote and What Are the Effects of This Drug? (MERRY JANE)
Nitrous Oxide
Shocking scene as Nitrous Oxide cannisters litter car park after teens suspected of binging on 'laughing gas' (Grimsby Telegraph)
DXM
Fort Bend County deputies warn of teen drug trend called 'Robo Tripping' (Chron)
Opioids
Colleges got millions from opioid maker owners (AP News)
Virginia Doctor Faces Life in Prison for Prescribing Thousands of Opioid Doses (TIME)
Opioid Settlement Encourages Sale of More Opioids, Critics Say (Bloomberg)
Breaking the Stigma: FDA wants naloxone available over-the-counter (The Evening Sun)
All You Need To Know About Heroin Track Marks (The World Beast)
Cocaine
Taking cocaine and alcohol together produces ‘deadly combination’, doctors warn (The Independent)
Methamphetamine
Plant-Based Meth Is the Next Frontier of Afghanistan's Drug Trade (VICE)
TOBACCO
Washington joins other states in flavored vaping ban (AP News)
Altria launches Iqos tobacco device in US, and the timing couldn't be better (CNBC)
Minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Ohio increases to 21 this month (Cleveland 19 News)
'As difficult as possible’: You now must be 21 to buy cigarettes, vapes and other tobacco products in Maryland (The Baltimore Sun)
Denver bans tobacco sales to those under 21, requires sales license (The Denver Post)
Los Angeles County bans flavored tobacco products (The State)
Alcohol
Russian alcohol consumption down 40% since 2003 – WHO (The Guardian)
Exploring the links between alcohol consumption and dementia risk (Earth.com)
Fathers-to-be should avoid alcohol six months before conception (Medical Xpress)
Alcohol Must Be Part of the Harm Reduction Conversation (Filter)
Kratom
Recent deaths reignite debate over regulating kratom (Fox News)
Point Pleasant Beach Council Pulls 'Kratom' Ban (Patch.com)
Kratom Legality In Rhode Island And The Whole Story (Kratom Guides)
WTF Is Kratom and What Are the Effects of This Drug? (MERRY JANE)
Kava
Kava: Everything you need to know (New Idea)
Miscellaneous
Judge: Philly supervised injection site proposal does not violate federal law (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
North Korea says it's developed patented selenium injection for 'drug addiction' (UPI)
Applications Are Now Open To Join A Historic Government Psychedelics Board In Denver (Marijuana Moment)
Majority Of Americans Support Decriminalizing All Drugs, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)
On Longing and the Psychedelic Comedown (Tam Integration)
Longing To Grow Into One: Using Psychedelics To Treat PTSD In Couples (Psychedelic Support)
Exploring the changing relationship between sex and drugs (Dazed Magazine)
The Tradition and Science of Music during a Trip (Reality Sandwich)
Momentum Grows for Psychedelics as Part of Mainstream Therapy (Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network)
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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.