Psychedelics

Psychedelics And Male-Perpetrated Violence

The Third Wave:

Male-perpetrated violence is, unsurprisingly, soaked throughout culture and history. It’s not just a phenomenon confined to the bloody sands of ancient battlefields or the slave trade of America and Europe’s shameful legacies. It’s reflected in modern domestic violence statistics, showing that male-perpetrated domestic violence accounts for 91% of all domestic abuse prosecutions, and that 87% of all domestic homicides are perpetrated by men. 

There is clearly a very current, prevalent, systemic issue with male-perpetrated violence in society. The incel movement is just another way in which this problem is being highlighted. And we need to do something about it.

Since the early 2000s, studies have consistently shown that psychedelics are associated with reductions in violence. A recent survey of more than 1,200 men and women had several important findings:

  • Emotional dysregulation (the inability to understand and control emotions) is associated with increased levels of domestic violence in both men and women.

  • The men in the study who had taken psychedelics were associated with improved emotional regulation, however this finding did not exist with the women.

  • Men with a history of psychedelic use are half as likely to commit violence against a partner.

These findings are not only interesting—they could also aid in healing the world by helping men get in touch with their feelings for the first time, which may lead to a significant reduction in overall violence.


Beyond Psychedelics 2018

I'd like to take a moment to show some support for a wonderful three-day psychedelic conference that is starting in Prague next week—Beyond Psychedelics 2018. This event is a global multidisciplinary forum on psychedelics held in the Czech Republic, a country with a longstanding history of psychedelic research. In their own words, the conference will “review current challenges and risks, explore the basis of safe use and sensible integration, and create new synergies.” Attendees can expect to be a part of a global conversation about “the potential of psychedelics, alternative states of consciousness, and technologies in the current social climate.” There will also be two days of Pre-Conference Workshops on the topics of Integrative HR Psychotherapy and Psychedelic Integration. Please click the links above to learn more about this excellent conference.


The Essential Guide to Mescaline

The Third Wave:

Mescaline is the primary psychoactive alkaloid in a range of psychedelic cacti, including peyote (Lophophora williamsii), San Pedro (Echinopsis pachanoi), and Peruvian torch (Echinopsis peruviana)—all of which are native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It can also be found in trace amounts in other regional plants, such as the Berlandier acacia (Senegalia berlandieri).

In its natural state, mescaline has been used for thousands of years in Native American religious ceremonies. It was also the first psychedelic to enter mainstream Western culture, predating the widespread use of LSD and psilocybin. More recently, the extracted compound has shown promise in the medical and psychotherapeutic treatment of substance abuse and depression among other conditions.

Pure mescaline is usually available as a white or brownish crystalline powder, either loose or packed into capsules. It can also be found as a liquid solution or brew. Compared to many other psychedelics, however, extracted mescaline tends to be rare in most parts of the world.

The fine folks at The Third Wave have put together a wonderfully thorough guide that covers this remarkable naturally-occuring psychoactive alkaloid.


Synthetic Weed Is Back

Christopher Moraff, writing for The Daily Beast:

In 2011 and 2012, faced with a spike in emergency room visits, the Drug Enforcement Administration banned a handful of the compounds. Chemists continued tweaking the drugs to skirt ever-evolving synthetic drug laws, but since peaking in 2015, calls to poison centers for synthetic marijuana dropped by more than half. But over the past year K2 has made a comeback; and a recent spate of poisonings has public health officials worried.

"Scary as hell" is right. Crazy to think that although synthetic cannabinoids were relatively unpopular the past few years, they really do seem to be experiencing a full-fledged comeback now—especially among opioid users.


What's Up with Denver's Psilocybin Decriminalization Initiative?

Nora Olabi, writing for Westword:

...the campaign Denver for Psilocybin — backed by members of the cannabis community such as weed doctor and neuroscientist Michele Ross and Straight Hemp CEO Devin Alvarez — has faced hurdles in its bid for the ballot since making its bold announcement in early March. It's still struggling to get its petition language approved and has been denied twice by the city, most recently on May 7. With little time left to gather signatures before the August deadline, there's a chance that Denver residents may not see the initiative this November.

I'd been wondering if there had been any progress on this story, and now we know. Here's hoping that the initiative will make it to the ballot later this year.