Marijuana Is Not a Holy Sacrament, Rules Indiana Judge Following First Church of Cannabis Lawsuit

Tom Porter, writing for Newsweek:

The First Church of Cannabis has been left disappointed after the organization's bid to have its use of marijuana recognized under Indiana religious freedom laws as a religious sacrament was rejected.

On Friday, Marion County Superior Court Jude Sheryl Lynch ruled that members of the church would not be exempt from state and federal laws banning the drug, reported NBC4i. 

Although the Church members lost, I'm glad to see that they made an honest attempt and are planning to appeal the decision. Drug policy reform has been inching along the past few decades mainly because of the medical and civil rights movements, but the religious/spiritual argument is also valid and should be tested in courts all across the land.

---

Post Permalink

Psychedelic Therapy Music Playlists

Mendel Kaelen, a post-doctoral neuroscientist at Imperial College London who specializes in the function of music in psychedelic therapy, has created a series of psychedelic music playlists that can be used for therapeutic purposes:

The music playlists I release publicly are either short mixtapes or full playlists created for therapeutic work. The easiest way to stay updated on new music is by following me on twitter or spotify. 

If you are a therapist interested in using this music in psychedelic therapy, please be aware that music-selection is only one component of the therapeutic work with music (preparation, guidance & integration). I am available to consult on this.

I am so glad that I stumbled upon Kaelen's incredible playlists. A recent experience with the Psilocybin I playlist—which was originally created for a 2016 psilocybin depression study—showed me just how skilled he is at creating the perfect soundscape for an entheogenic voyage.

As a lover of all things music and psychedelic, I was elated to discover that there is someone out there who specializes in creating marvelous playlists for psychedelic therapy and research studies. I highly recommend that you check out his work.

---

Post Permalink

19-Year-Old Rescued From Drug-Fueled Doomsday Sect in Peru

The Local:

According to José Antonio Capa, head of the anti-trafficking police unit, sect leader Félix Steven Manrique considered himself an envoy of God and called himself "Prince of Gurdjeff." 

He managed to groom Aguilar and other women through a Facebook group he set up, painting himself as a messiah on a mission to repopulate the world and one who would save his followers from the apocalypse.

In fact Manrique ran a harem of women who submitted to him. He forced them to have sex and consume Ayahuasca, an indigenous drink that causes hallucinations and anxiety attacks.

Absolutely horrific. This is the first time I've heard about an ayahuasca doomsday sect having been formed, but it's reminiscent of the murderous cult Charles Manson led in the 60s. However, instead of brainwashing his followers with "sex, LSD, Bible readings, repeated playing of the Beatles’ White Album and rambling lectures about triggering a revolution," Capa used Facebook to find his followers and held them captive by raving about the impending apocalypse and drugging them with ayahuasca.

---

Post Permalink

Caribbean Nations Agree to Consider Marijuana Legalization

Tom Angell, writing for Marijuana Moment:

The heads of Caribbean nations have agreed to “review marijuana’s current status with a view to reclassification,” noting “human and religious rights” issues stemming from criminalization as well as “the economic benefits to be derived” from legalization.

Another base hit for the cannabis team—people everywhere are finally starting to listen to those of us that have been advocating for the reform of marijuana laws for generations.

---

Post Permalink

Transformational Festivals and the New Psychedelic Revolution

Wesley Thoricatha, writing for Psychedelic Times:

In the 60’s there used to be this idea of creating this commune where people could gather together and live and grow veggies and all that stuff, and I think now we’re more of this gypsy global tribe where we have these nodes that we come together at and then we go apart again. I hadn’t been to Lightning in a Bottle in years, and there were so many people there- you go from one hug to the next. The more time you spend within the family, the more people you meet, and the more you feel at home. That sense of belonging I think is one of the things that transformational festival culture has been able to provide. It’s more and more rare in today’s society.

This is an excellent interview with James Oroc, author of the recent book The Psychedelic Revolution: The Genesis of the Visionary Age.

---

Post Permalink