This Month in Psychedelics - September 2021

September was another busy month in the world of psychedelics. Some of the highlights include Hamilton Morris ending his show and joining a notorious psychedelic company, the FDA and CDC issuing scary warnings about delta-8 THC products, Scotland decriminalizing all drugs, the looming threat that nitrous oxide might become illegal in the UK soon, and a study finding that young adults are using a lot of psychedelics during the pandemic.

Here’s a video version of this month’s recap if you’d prefer to watch the update instead:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Every month activists and politicians work feverishly toward reforming drug policies all over the world, and this month was no exception. Among some of the victories, the possession of Class A drugs is now set to be effectively decriminalized in Scotland, which means people who are caught with substances like MDMA and LSD will be given a warning instead of facing prosecution.

A recreational cannabis trial in Zurich is slated to begin in 2022. The Swiss pilot program will run for three-and-a-half years and may influence other European countries to follow suit.

Future

There are several drug policy bills and initiatives coming down the pike. Michigan has multiple efforts to decriminalize psychedelics, including Senate Bill 631, which would decriminalize the possession and use of many psychedelics across the state, and there are also local efforts to decriminalize psychedelics in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Hazel Park.

Meanwhile, authorities in the UK are so concerned about the trash that is generated from public nitrous oxide use that they’re pushing to ban the drug outright.

Just a couple months after the suspension of runner Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the Olympics due to a positive THC test, the World Anti-Doping Agency is going to conduct a scientific review of cannabis next year to figure out whether to continue the international ban of marijuana use by athletes.

Industry

If you haven’t already heard of him, Hamilton Morris is a very well-known figure in the world of psychedelics. He’s a research scientist, journalist, and filmmaker who gave the world the brilliant TV show Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, which explores the chemistry, history, and cultural impact of various psychoactive drugs.

However, his show is coming to an end after three seasons, as he has been hired as a full-time consultant for COMPASS Pathways, the mental healthcare company notoriously attempting to profit off of medicalizing psilocybin.

Research

Published Studies

The annual Monitoring the Future survey looked at the recreational use of psychedelics by young people and found that it is on the rise in the United States. This increase in psychedelic exploration by U.S. college students and other young adults has risen in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because psychedelics are more accepted today than they used to be.

Yale researchers found that a single dose of psilocybin can promote structural changes in the brains of mice that fight against symptoms of depression. The scientists discovered that psilocybin triggered a 10% increase in neuron size and density in the animals’ frontal cortex, which occurred within 24 hours and lasted for one month, indicating that psilocybin engendered long-lasting changes in the brain.

A first-of-its-kind study published in Psychopharmacology found that synthetic cannabinoid users experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than traditional cannabis users. During a period of abstinence, adverse side effects like insomnia, irritation, moodiness, heart palpitations, and appetite were significantly worse in the synthetic cannabis-using group.

Future Studies

Looking ahead, a study looking to treat tobacco addiction with psilocybin will receive federal funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, making this the first time an investigation into the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics has received funds from the federal government since the War on Drugs began in the 1970s.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco will determine how effective Fireside Project’s psychedelic hotline and app actually are at helping people navigate their psychedelic experiences.

A study has been given the fitting name of “Desire Project” because it will look at treating female hypoactive sexual desire disorder with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

The first participant in a psilocybin trial for a rare headache disorder named short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks (SUNHA) received an initial low dose of the drug to kick off the study. The disorder involves short, incredibly painful headaches that can occur many times a day, and there are not currently any approved treatments for it. This proof-of-concept Phase 1B trial will enroll 12 patients and is expected to generate results in early 2022.

The Heroic Hearts Project UK announced a study with Imperial College London that will investigate the physiological and psychological effects of psilocybin on veterans with traumatic brain injury. The researchers hope to add additional weight to the mostly anecdotal body of evidence suggesting that the drug may help people heal from this sort of ailment.

Harm Reduction

The FDA and CDC issued warnings to consumers about potential risks involving delta-8 THC, a relatively new psychoactive cannabinoid that has grown in popularity due to its widespread legality but remains essentially unregulated at this time. Apparently there has been a significant increase in reported adverse health effects from people using this drug.

However, before you go ahead and toss any of these products you may already own out of the window, it may be helpful to know that it’s not like people are getting poisoned. In fact, it’s far more likely that they are unintentionally getting high after using delta-8 THC because of misunderstandings, bad labeling, and a lack of experience.

Miscellaneous

Following up on the case involving the death of unarmed 23 year-old Elijah McClain after being administered a fatal dose of ketamine by first responders in Aurora, Colorado back in 2019, the police officers and paramedics involved have all been charged with criminally-negligent homicide and manslaughter.

New forensic science techniques have been developed that will enable law enforcement agencies to recover human DNA from the surfaces of pills and capsules, which authorities hope will help them identify who has handled illicit substances that are seized by police. This means that anyone touching an MDMA capsule or ecstasy pill for as little as 15 seconds during their production, assembly,  or distribution could be identified using this new technology.

A new Hulu show called Nine Perfect Strangers is the latest mainstream production to feature psychedelic use, and apparently it’s fairly problematic. I haven’t watched it yet myself but from what I’ve read, the plot involves a wellness guru who runs a retreat where she gives attendees microdoses of psilocybin without their knowledge or consent. It should go without saying that this is not cool and dosing others without them knowing it is unethical and potentially extremely dangerous. I’m going to reserve any judgment on this show until I make time to check it out myself, but now you’ll have at least a little bit of an idea about it in case anyone you know mentions it to you.

There is an update on the story involving Jake Angeli, AKA the “QAnon Shaman” who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th of this year. Earlier this month Angeli plead guilty to one of the most serious of his six charges and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison, although his lack of a criminal record will likely mean he will serve much less time.

The ongoing global labor shortage means that employers around the world are finding it difficult to hire employees, and screening them for drug use is making things even harder. As a result, many companies are getting rid of drug tests in an effort to attract more applicants, fill vacancies, and keep their existing workers.

Hiring wasn’t the only thing that was impacted during the pandemic—it turns out that cannabis arrests in the U.S. declined significantly during 2020, according to data released by the FBI. Still, more than 350k marijuana-related arrests were made last year, mostly in states that have not yet decriminalized or legalized possession and use of the plant.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is a story out of Canada where a group of drug users and drug policy reformers are so fed up with the drug war that they are suing the government. The non-profit organization is known as the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and they are claiming that the Canadian government is responsible for fatal overdoses because it requires users to go to the illegal market and purchase unsafe drugs from a toxic drug supply.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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.

This Month in Psychedelics - August 2021

Welcome back to Think Wilder. A lot happened in the world of psychedelics this month, including the launch of a new psychedelic peer support app, innovations in wearable psychedelics, trials looking into using psychedelics to treat gambling addiction and eye disease, new psychedelic research centers, innovative drug checking technologies, and much more.

Here’s a video version of this month’s recap if you’d prefer to watch the update instead:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Louisiana’s cannabis decriminalization law went into effect on August 1st, putting an end to the possibility of jail time for possessing 14 grams or less of the plant. Anyone who exceeds the limit will face a fine of $100, regardless of whether they have any prior cannabis convictions.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina legalized its own medical marijuana market, although many details remain to be determined. This is the latest in a growing trend of Native Americans entering the cannabis industry, particularly in states that already have their own medical or recreational cannabis markets.

Future

A California bill to legalize the possession of psychedelics has been delayed until next year to hopefully strengthen its case and increase the chances that it will be approved. Several other states will have cannabis and psychedelic drug policy reforms on the ballot in 2022 as well.

Industry

Wearable psychedelics are being developed that are capable of dispensing small doses of drugs like ketamine and DMT to treat a variety of mental health and physical conditions. Some will give patients the ability to fine-tune their dose to control their experience, while other methods will automatically administer doses to the wearer, such as a transdermal psilocybin patch intended to cut down on potential negative side effects.

Beckley Psytech raised $80 million during its Series B financing round, proving once again that venture capital investors with deep pockets see potential in the nascent psychedelic industry.

When you think of treating mental health conditions, salvia divinorum might not come first to mind. But atai Life Sciences thinks the divine sage might have some potential, and the company launched a subsidiary called Revixia Life Sciences that will investigate the potential uses for salvinorin a, the primary active ingredient in the plant.

Research

Several enlightening psychedelic research studies were published this month. Among the biggest was a review that found people with psychedelic experiences under their belt have healthier habits on average. And another study found that mixing psychedelics and SSRIs is safe for the most part, although there are a few exceptions.

Psychedelic research studies often focus on common mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD, but new applications are being investigated all the time. Earlier this month month Awakn Life Sciences initiated a ketamine treatment study for gambling addiction and PharmaDrug formed a collaboration with the Terasaki Institute to study the use of DMT and other tryptamines to treat eye disease.

Just a few years ago there weren’t any research centers dedicated to psychedelic science, but new ones are making their way into the world all the time and two more were announced just this month. The Usona Institute broke ground on its Wisconsin-based Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances, which is slated to open in 2024. Down under in Melbourne, Australia, a first-of-its-kind psychedelic therapy research center is expected to begin work on developing psychedelic medicines later this year, and clinical studies will start in 2022.

Harm Reduction

The Fireside Project has been helping people process psychedelic experiences via its free peer support phone line since it launched in April, but this month the organization took things to the next level by releasing a psychedelic peer support app. Now psychonauts in need of support can find help on either the phone or via chat, which may be helpful for people who prefer one form of communication over another.

Drug checking is an essential practice for any responsible psychonaut, and new technologies are coming out that will ensure more innovative and accurate results than ever before. The popular harm reduction organization known as DanceSafe released a new ketamine test kit (called the Morris reagent) that was engineered to identify the difference between ketamine and common analogues like DCK and 2FDCK. And a startup called Miraculix took things one step further by creating rapid at-home test kits that can assess the potency of various psychoactive drugs, including MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin.

Denver led the way once again by launching America’s first psychedelic harm reduction training program for first responders. This is a big step because not only does this mean that the Mile High City’s police, firefighters, paramedics, hospital dispatchers, and mental health workers will be equipped with the knowledge needed to handle a psychedelic trip gone wrong, but it also sets the stage for future similar programs to spread to the rest of the country.

Miscellaneous

Almost a year after Ann Arbor’s city council voted to decriminalize psychedelics, lawmakers designated September as Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month. What an encouraging sign to see psychedelics being understood and celebrated at a city-wide level!

Some companies are beginning to push the concept of at-home genetic testing to tell you whether you’re likely to have a bad trip, but an investigative report found that the results are unreliable. And on top of that, this type of testing can also put misleading and distressing ideas in your head too.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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.

This Month in Psychedelics - July 2021

This month’s recap is shorter than normal because I am under the weather and have had too much going on to put as much energy into it as I normally have in the past. Also, I’m getting pretty burnt out on creating these roundups and recaps and I’m not sure if I’m going to continue creating them in the future. But for now I hope you enjoy this somewhat-abbreviated monthly recap of what happened in the world of psychedelics during July 2021.

Here’s a video version of this month’s recap if you’d prefer to watch the update instead:

Without further ado, let’s jump into the news.

Drug Policy

Wins

A new law in Colorado restricting the ability of paramedics to administer ketamine outside of the hospital and prohibiting police officers from influencing whether the drug is given to suspects was signed into law this month. Now paramedics will need to try to get a verbal order from a medical supervisor, obtain an accurate estimation of the person’s weight to determine the proper dosage, and have equipment on hand to monitor vital signs and transport patients to the hospital if needed. These changes come after a two-year investigation into the misuse of ketamine by officials in Colorado that turned up a handful of questionable cases, including the death of Elijah McClain in 2019.

Research

Historians have long thought that cannabis was first domesticated in Central Asia, but a study published last month found evidence that China is the more likely source. The plant was grown 12,000 years ago during the Neolithic period, and it was likely used for a variety of reasons including fibers, medicine, and food.

Miscellaneous

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics got off to a rough start when U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from competing in the 100-meter race because she failed a drug test. Sha’Carri used marijuana (in a state where it is legal, no less) to cope with the recent death of her mother. This prompted a conversation about whether athletes should be allowed to use cannabis prior to competing, and while Sha’Carri had to sit this one out, hopefully future olympians and athletes will be able to use non-performance-enhancing drugs without any issues.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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.

This Month in Psychedelics - June 2021

June was another busy month for the world of psychedelics. In this post we’re going to cover a bunch of interesting stuff, including an LSD shop operating legally in Berlin, an update on an ayahuasca church’s attempt to get a religious exemption to use the psychedelic drug in America, an app that lets users scan their pills to see what they contain, and much more.

Here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Drug Policy

Wins

There were a few more drug policy reform wins this month. Perhaps most impressively, after several years, Mexico’s Supreme Court finally struck down marijuana prohibition in the country after its lawmakers failed to do so. This means that possessing and using cannabis in Mexico will be legal, but establishing a regulated market will take some time.

In the United States, New Mexico’s cannabis legalization law went into effect, making limited possession and cultivation of marijuana legal for adults 21 and over.

Connecticut’s governor signed two bills: one that will prompt the state to study the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms and another that will enable Connecticut to become the 18th state to legalize cannabis for adults.

Texas’ governor let a bill go through (without signing it) that will require the state to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for military veterans.

California’s Senate approved a bill that would decriminalize psychedelics by removing criminal penalties for possessing or sharing this class of drugs, although it still has a few more steps to go before it can be enacted into law.

Rounding out this month’s drug policy wins, Nevada’s governor signed a bill into law that regulates cannabis consumption lounges and Louisiana’s governor signed a marijuana decriminalization bill into law.

Losses

Not everything went smoothly, however. After a four-year wait, the DEA has finally denied a request for religious exemption that was submitted back in 2017 by an ayahuasca church known as Soul Quest. The church has been offering ayahuasca ceremonies in the United States for many years even though it had not previously been given a religious exemption to do so. The DEA’s investigation uncovered concerns about Soul Quest’s safety and security protocols and procedures and the church’s sincerity of religious belief was also questioned.

But the fight isn’t over yet, as there is still a chance that the matter could still be resolved in court. This particular case will be important for the future because it will set a precedent for other churches and religions to use other psychedelics as well, so it’s worth keeping your eyes on this one.

Meanwhile, Delaware’s attempt to legalize cannabis in the state has died for this session, following disagreements regarding social equity initiatives involving the bill.

Future

Looking to the future, a federal drug decriminalization measure was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Although it’s unlikely to pass at this time, it’s a sign that our society has come quite a long way when it comes to loosening up its approach to drug policy.

Industry

This next one is quite a doozy. It turns out that Berlin now has an above-ground LSD shop run by one of Donald Trump’s relatives, thanks to a loophole in the law.

Well, kind of… technically the store is selling an LSD analogue known as 1CP-LSD, and owner Carl Trump claims to share a distant relative with former U.S. President Donald Trump, but that relationship has not been officially verified. At any rate, Berliners have had access to legally purchase the psychedelic drug but they better act quickly because Germany has announced plans to make it illegal soon.

In other industry news, the company known as Atai Life Sciences went public on the Nasdaq, raising more than $200 million during its initial public offering. Now Atai is the largest publicly-traded psychedelic company in the world.

After three big IPOs from the top juggernauts in the psychedelic industry (COMPASS Pathways, Field Trip, and now Atai) over the last year, it looks like psychedelics have officially secured their position in mainstream by joining the second-largest stock exchange in the world.

Research

There were a handful of interesting psychedelic research studies that caught my eye this month. First up is a small phase II clinical trial of using nitrous oxide to treat depression where 85 percent of patients saw improvements.

Next up, a study found that psilocybin may be capable of reducing suicidal thoughts in terminally ill patients. It may not come a surprise to the readers of this blog that magic mushrooms have the potential to provide a real sense of hope to a group of people who are in dire need of it. Hopefully psychedelic medicine will be available to them soon.

And some new research on drugged driving was published, this time specifically about operating a motor vehicle after ingesting cannabis. One study found that driving stoned is actually far safer than getting behind the wheel after taking prescription drugs, which really makes me think about how scary it is to be on the road with people who are on medications recommended to them by their doctor that negatively impact their ability to drive. Meanwhile, a separate (federally-funded) study found that testing people for impairment based on their levels of THC is not reliable.

Miscellaneous

Harm reductionists have yet another tool that can be used to help psychonauts use drugs as safely as possible; a new app called Pill-iD lets users scan pills to see what they contain.

However, it’s not a perfect option because rather than find out what’s actually inside a pill, the app instead uses machine learning to cross-check the user’s image against a large database of scanned pills to provide details about what drug is actually contained within, the risk level from taking it, and any potential side effects.

So while it’s not advisable to rely solely on this new app to find out what’s inside your pill, it could help inform naïve users that there is a possibility they might have bought an adulterated drug. As I’ve tried to hammer home over and over again, it’s always advisable to use a reagent test kit to further rule out the possibility that your pills contain unwanted drugs and to properly weigh your substances before you take them.

June brought two new psychedelic holidays that you might consider celebrating next year. The first, on June 12th, could possibly be named “Tram Day” (it doesn’t appear to have an official name yet), celebrates the day when Albert Hofmann’s assistant, Susi Ramstein, became the first woman ever to take LSD.

And the second holiday, on June 20th, was the first annual World Psychedelics Day, which was intended to “recognize a new age of informed perspectives on the beneficial properties of both modern psychedelic compounds and ancient plant medicines and practices.”

Although this year’s celebrations have already passed, you can put both of these new psychedelic holidays on your 2022 calendar so you can celebrate them next year.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is a story about a revolution in drug checking: at-home psilocybin test kits that can test the potency of magic mushrooms. Until now it’s been difficult to determine with any level of accuracy the amount of psilocybin in a batch of shrooms but this new technology will give anyone the ability to find that out for themselves.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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.

This Month in Psychedelics - May 2021

May was yet another busy one for psychedelic news, with plenty of drug policy reform progress, industry developments, groundbreaking research, and a couple controversial events taking place. In this month’s update we’ll dive into these topics and much more.

Here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Drug Policy

Wins

Two states made huge progress on cannabis reform. First, Montana’s governor signed a bill to implement the recreational marijuana program that voters approved last November. Retail sales for adults 21 and older will begin in January of next year. And continuing an emerging pattern of Southern states revamping cannabis laws, Alabama’s governor signed legislation to legalize medical marijuana in the state. The country is turning more and more green every month!

A few other bills made huge progress as well but have not crossed the finish line yet: an attempt to decriminalize psychedelics in California, legislation that would enable Texas to conduct psychedelic research, a cannabis legalization effort in Minnesota, and Switzerland is getting closer to legalizing marijuana as well.

Losses

Some bills hit a wall though. In Mexico lawmakers failed to legalize cannabis ahead of a Supreme Court deadline, Aspen’s city council chose not to decriminalize psychedelics, drug possession is now a misdemeanor in Washington State, Mississippi’s Supreme Court overturned a medical marijuana legalization ballot that voters approved last November, Colorado and New York banned delta-8 THC, China banned synthetic cannabinoids, and Amsterdam and a London borough banned nitrous oxide.

Future

Looking ahead, Republicans in the U.S. are pushing for the federal legalization of cannabis to ensure individual liberty, so legal weed in America is looking more and more like becoming a possibility sometime soon.

Industry

An NHL star’s brain trauma led him to found a psychedelic startup company, legal cannabis states have generated nearly $8 billion in tax revenue since recreational sales launched, Champignon Brands changed its name to Braxia Scientific, and MindMed announced Project Angie, the company’s attempt to treat pain with psychedelics.

Research

The results from MAPS’ Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD are in, and things are looking promising for this novel form of treatment. Out of 90 participants who enrolled in the study, the group which received MDMA during therapy experienced a more significant reduction in the severity of their PTSD symptoms compared to the placebo-controlled group. In fact, two months after treatment 67% of people in the MDMA group no longer qualified for a PTSD diagnosis whereas only 32% of the placebo group did. These results are promising and lend credence to the idea that MDMA will be legally available for medical use within the next couple years.

Other research studies found that psilocybin may be able to treat migraine headaches, how LSD opens the doors of perception, that frequent cannabis consumers are more physically active than non-users, and that actual drug education is far better than the government’s typical approach of “just say no.” In addition, the U.S. federal government announced a new standard THC dose to be used in cannabis research.

Miscellaneous

Causing a bit of a stir in the global psychedelic community, a publication known as Psychedelic Invest published a list of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics ranking candidates based on the following factors: social reach, scientific accomplishments, legislative initiatives, and value creation/contribution. The list was criticized for its lack of diversity, which prompted a public response acknowledging the fact the publication failed to prioritize the inclusion of a diverse group of people when creating it. In today’s political climate it’s no wonder that the publication of a list like this was heavily criticized, but the constructive reaction from Psychedelic Invest indicates that the publication is willing to learn from its mistake.

A new cannabis product generated an uproar on social media. Dubbed Canna Bumps, this unique cannabis concentrate looked kind of like cocaine and was intended to be snorted by consumers. Needless to say, it caught a lot of flack from industry insiders and judgmental marijuana smokers alike. Claiming that it would hurt the movement to legalize cannabis on a federal level, enough people complained that the product was quickly pulled from the market.

Now me personally, I can see how a product like this could be used by drug warriors to hurt the effort to reform drug laws, but I’m also in full support of people consuming their preferred drugs by whatever route of administration they see fit. Hopefully one of these days a snortable marijuana product will be available for consumers, but until then things are just going to keep moving a bit more slowly.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is an update on where Decriminalize Nature stands when it comes to peyote. You may recall that some Native American groups around the country have spoken out against the drug decriminalization movement including peyote in its recommendations for drugs to be decriminalized, and now Decrim Nature has officially announced a peyote conservation plan that is intended to work in tandem with the conservation strategy that is already underway.

Under this resolution, peyote found in its natural habit would be available only for indigenous communities and poaching would continue to be penalized, but the personal cultivation of peyote by non-indigenous people would be decriminalized, which would hopefully address the existing demand for the cacti and help assist with the ongoing conservation effort.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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.