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This Month in Psychedelics - October 2021

A lot happened this month, including three more U.S. cities that decriminalized psychedelics, two European countries that are slated to legalize cannabis soon, the truth about official warnings involving laced Halloween candy, results from the latest psychedelic research studies, and some examples of why psychedelic drug policy reform future is here—it’s just not very evenly distributed yet.

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

Three U.S. cities decriminalized psychedelics in October. Now Seattle, WA, Arcata, CA, and Easthampton, MA have joined the growing ranks of municipalities choosing to put an end to criminalizing the possession, use, and cultivation of psychedelics.

Across the pond, Luxembourg is expected to become the first country in Europe to legalize cannabis, with Switzerland following close behind.

Future

Looking to the future, voters in the U.S. will have the opportunity to weigh in on several cannabis and psychedelic ballot measures next week, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering relaxing restrictions involving psilocybin, Denver is thinking about expanding its psilocybin decriminalization experiment, and Mexico may finally legalize cannabis within the next few weeks.

Industry

The psychedelic industry is still quite young, but it may have the potential to completely change our conception of work forever. All kinds of new jobs in the field are opening up, and ethical concepts like privacy, indigenous reciprocity, and professionalism are still being sorted out. But one thing’s for sure—psychedelics are here to stay.

One intriguing aspect of the growing psychedelic industry is the emergence of ketamine clinics popping up all over the place. They are innovative and may serve as a helpful blueprint for other legal psychedelic therapies.

Research

Published Studies

Several studies were published this month, but two stood out from the rest of the pack. The first study took a look at people who have used psychedelics and found that those who tried the drugs even just once tend to have a lower incidence of both heart disease and diabetes.

The second study found that small group psilocybin therapy for cancer patients achieved remission of major depression symptoms for 50% of participants, demonstrating not only the possibility of treating mental health disorders but also the feasibility of administering psilocybin in groups rather than sticking to the more common individual-based therapy option.

Future Studies

With a surprising 180-degree turn-around, the DEA has proposed a dramatic increase in the production of cannabis and psychedelics for research in 2022. This would enable more psychedelic research to be conducted and it’s a refreshing signal from the federal law enforcement agency that has traditionally stood in the way of such research in the past.

MindMed announced a forthcoming study that will look at treating social anxiety associated with autism spectrum disorder with R(-)-MDMA.

Research Centers

And Toronto’s University Health Network is opening Canada’s first psychedelic therapy research center for mental health with the help of a $5 million donation made by tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Sanjay Singhal.

Harm Reduction

As usual, scare stories about unknowingly dosing children with laced Halloween treats have been making the rounds again this year. State officials sounded the alarm about psychoactive candy and snacks but research has shown that there still haven’t been any incidents of children being killed or seriously injured by contaminated Halloween treats.

If you take the time to think it through, drug dealers and users alike are just not going to waste their money or substances to unknowingly dose children. It doesn’t make any sense, yet officials use this time of year to warn parents about a seriously-unlikely danger anyway.

Miscellaneous

Next is a reminder that although many places around the world are relaxing their attitudes toward drug policy, some countries are still heavily punishing people for possessing, using, or distributing drugs. Two examples of this came up this month, including a man who will be hanged in Singapore for importing roughly two pounds of cannabis and a British man was given a 25-year prison sentence in Dubai after being caught with four bottles of CBD vape oil. Those of us who live in less punitive locations ought to remind ourselves that we are fortunate to not face these extreme punishments and we should continue fighting for the reform of drug policies around the world.

If you or someone you know often throws up when coming up on MDMA, that may be due to intense euphoria rather than a sign of toxicity. Since the drug causes serotonin production in the brain to increase, and serotonin stimulates the part of the brain that controls nausea, a sudden flood of the neurotransmitter could be responsible for the occasional up-chuck that some people experience during the first portion of a roll.

And wrapping up this month’s recap is a story about the world’s largest collection of LSD art. If you’re a fan of blotter art then it’s definitely worth checking out!

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 Week in Psychedelics - 10.29.21

Cannabis

  • With export restrictions eased, Colombia's medical cannabis business is poised for liftoff (CNN)

  • Federal Survey Identifies Marked Decline in Youth Marijuana Use (NORML)

  • Why did Texas ban Delta-8? (Popular Science)

  • Cannabis products may help treat symptoms of depression, improve sleep, and increase quality of life, study suggests (PsyPost)

  • California Destroys 1M Plants in Marijuana Eradication Campaign (High Times)

  • State Attorneys General Warn About Marijuana-Infused Candy And Snacks Ahead Of Halloween (Marijuana Moment)

  • The Myth of Cannabis-Infused Halloween Candy—Debunked (High Times)

  • Cannabis is one industry that's actually coming out of Covid even stronger (CNN)

  • South Dakota Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill As Activists Pursue 2022 Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • New York: Officials Moving to Clear Over 400,000 Past Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

  • Montana Supreme Court Unanimously Overturns a Pot Conviction, Saying Cops Stopped the Defendant for No Good Reason (Reason)

  • Analysis: ‘Government-Grade’ Marijuana More Closely Resembles Hemp, Has Little in Common with Commercially Available Cannabis (NORML)

  • Florida judge rules online marijuana ordering sites may resume business (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Louisiana plans to regulate, not ban, delta-8 THC (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Former Arkansas Lawmaker Launches Campaign To Put Marijuana Legalization On The 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Maryland: Most Residents Want to Legalize Marijuana for Adult Use (NORML)

LSD

  • Ex-Denver Cop Who Broke Teen's Face for Dancing on LSD to Cost City $1.2 Million (Westword)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Study Finds Psilocybin Improves MDD in Patients With Cancer (Psychiatric Times)

  • Latest psilocybin patent highlights the swirling battle over psychedelics intellectual property (STAT)

  • Italian Activists Turn In More Than Half A Million Signatures For Marijuana And Psilocybin Referendum (Marijuana Moment)

  • Dr. Bronner’s Funds Psilocybin Legalization Effort in Connecticut (High Times)

  • More Evidence of the Chemical Compound Variability in Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • MYND Life Sciences Signs Agreement to Acquire Rights for the Use of Psychedelics to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Nova Mentis Earns Psilocybin Orphan Drug Designation in Europe for Fragile X Syndrome (PR Newswire)

MDMA

  • No One Is Wasting Their Ecstasy on Your Kids' Halloween Candy (Reason)

  • MindMed Announces R(-)-MDMA Program to target Social Anxiety Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

5-MeO-DMT

  • Beckley Psytech Announces First Cohort Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Trial Assessing Safety and Tolerability of Intranasal 5-MeO-DMT (Psilocybin Alpha)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Mydecine Reports Successful Synthesis of Novel Tryptamine Improving the Pharmaceutical Properties of Psilocin (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Silo Pharma Enters into Sponsored Research Agreement with Columbia University to Develop Psychedelic Therapeutics for Alzheimer’s Disease (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Awakn Life Sciences Identifies New Chemical Series Via Its Drug Discovery Program (Awakn Life Sciences)

  • Marvel Biosciences Announces New Program to Develop Novel Orally Dosed Non-Hallucinogenic Neuroplastic Promoting Compounds (Yahoo! Finance)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Ketamine

  • European Patent Grant Strengthens Small Pharma’s Ketamine-Based Patent Portfolio for the Treatment of Depressive Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Cocaine, ketamine use on the rise: survey (PerthNow)

  • Cybin Announces FDA Investigational New Drug Authorization of Cybin’s Sponsored Feasibility Study Using Kernel Flow Technology (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • MINDCURE Signs LOI with Awakn Life Sciences to Distribute Ketamine Protocol for Alcohol Use Disorder into Clinics Across United States and Canada through iSTRYM, MINDCURE’s Digital Therapeutics Platform (Psilocybin Alpha)

Miscellaneous

  • Canadian entrepreneur gifts $5 million to help create psychedelic research centre for mental health (CTV News)

  • Where the Psychedelic Revolution Is Headed, According to the Guy Who (Arguably) Started It (GQ)

  • Psychedelics Group Issues First Round Of Grants For Community-Based Entheogenic Education In DC (Marijuana Moment)

  • Addressing Abuse in Psychedelic Spaces (Psychedelics Today)

  • North America Continues Leading The Way In Psychedelic Wellness (PR Newswire)

  • Psychedelic Patents Should Be Limited, Harvard Law Experts Say (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Could Psychedelics Cure Our Post-Pandemic Depression? (Truffle Report)

  • How Gender Affects the Way We Use Drugs (TalkingDrugs)

  • DC Voters Strongly Support Drug Decriminalization, Poll Finds As Activists Launch Campaign (Marijuana Moment)

  • MAPS Canada’s Data Breach Foreshadows Corporadelic Future (Psymposia)

  • Wavepaths: The Neuroscientist-Founded Company Producing Music For—And As—Psychedelic Therapy (Forbes)

  • Novamind Brings Contract Research To Psychedelic Medicine (Lucid News)

  • Psychedelic Research Beyond Depression & Trauma (Truffle Report)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’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.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 10.22.21

Cannabis

  • Luxembourg first in Europe to legalise growing and using cannabis (The Guardian)

  • Switzerland to legalise recreational and medical cannabis usage (The Local)

  • Virginia Has Sealed 64,000 Marijuana Distribution Charges Since Legalization Took Effect This Summer (Marijuana Moment)

  • New York: Employers Are Prohibited from Testing Most Employees for Cannabis (NORML)

  • Top Mexican Senator Says Marijuana Legalization Bill May Be Taken Up Within Weeks (Marijuana Moment)

  • South Dakota Lawmakers Advance Marijuana Legalization Bill As Activists Pursue 2022 Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • Oregon illegal pot grows: More calls to send National Guard (AP News)

  • USPS Releases Final Rule Banning Mailing Of Hemp, CBD And Marijuana Vapes (Marijuana Moment)

  • Alabama Announces Medical Cannabis Licenses Won’t Be Available Until 2022 (High Times)

  • Impact Of Marijuana Legalization On Crime Reduction Is Being Underestimated, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Recreational Cannabis Law in Washington, D.C. May Soon Be Operational (High Times)

  • New York: Officials Advance Home Cultivation Regulations for Qualified Patients (NORML)

  • Minnesota Denies Coverage of Medical Marijuana for Injured Workers (High Times)

  • Brit jailed for 25 years in Dubai over CBD vape oil speaks of 'shocking' conditions in call to mum (ITV)

  • Indica and Sativa Labels Can’t Be Trusted, Study Indicates (High Times)

  • Americans Want To Live Where Marijuana Is Legal, Real Estate Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study: Cannabis Use Benefits ADHD Symptoms in Adults, According to Self-Reports (ADDitude)

LSD

  • LSD vs. Psilocybin Microdosing for Mental Health and Workplace productivity (The Third Wave)

  • Can You Overdose On LSD? This Is What To Know (Healing Maps)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Boris Johnson to consider calls to legalise magic mushroom drug psilocybin (BBC)

  • Open-label study of COMP360 psilocybin therapy for depression in cancer patients demonstrates feasibility of simultaneous psilocybin administration in small groups (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • COMPASS Pathways is granted new US patent for crystalline psilocybin (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Doing Shrooms Alone: The Art of Tripping Solo (DoubleBlind)

  • Psyched Wellness Announces Preliminary Data Showing Potential New Functional Property and Health Benefit of Amanita Muscaria Mushroom (AME-1) To Inhibit Human Mast Cell Activation (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • The “Unsung History” of Psilocybin Research: Gastón Guzmán and His Scientific Contribution (Chacruna)

  • Numinus Advances Phase 1 Trial on Proprietary Psilocybin Product (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Magic Mushrooms Could One Day Treat Depression. How Do They Work? (ScienceAlert)

MDMA

DMT

  • First Patient Dosed in Phase IIa DMT-Assisted Therapy Clinical Trial (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Small Pharma Granted Fast-Track Designation From U.K. Regulator for DMT-Assisted Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder (Psilocybin Alpha)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Cybin Announces Completion of 74 Pre-Clinical Psychedelic Molecule Studies (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Emyria passes MDMA analogue development milestone with Eurofins to lead extensive compound screening program (Proactive Investors)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Nang gang: Nitrous oxide helps alleviate depression, study finds (The Big Smoke)

Ketamine

  • Are Ketamine Clinics Paving the Way for Legal Psychedelic Therapy? (DoubleBlind)

  • Why Ketamine-Assisted Therapy Has Gone Mainstream (Forbes)

  • PharmaTher Engages Alcami for Clinical and Commercial Manufacturing of Novel Ketamine Products (Psilocybin Alpha)

Miscellaneous

  • Easthampton, Mass. Decriminalizes Natural Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

  • Oakland Psychedelics Activists Launch Initiative To Legalize Community-Based Sales With Support From City Council (Marijuana Moment)

  • DEA Proposes Dramatic Increase In Marijuana And Psychedelic Production In 2022, Calling For 6,300 Percent More MDMA Alone (Marijuana Moment)

  • Preventing Sexual Abuse in Psychedelic Therapy (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Bank Of America Cancels Account Of Marijuana And Psychedelics Research Institute Registered With DEA (Marijuana Moment)

  • Activist Apes Erect 2,001-Pound Monolith In Front Of DEA Headquarters, Demanding Feds ‘Evolve’ On Drug Policy (Marijuana Moment)

  • How Do I Talk To My Doctor About Psychedelics? (Truffle Report)

  • Addressing Abuse and Repair: An Open Letter to the Psychedelic Community (Chacruna)

  • This New Company Believes Psychedelics Can Treat Dementia (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Campaign Launches to Decriminalize Drugs in Washington, DC (Filter)

  • Can microdosing psychedelics impact an insurance application? (News24)

  • Even in a Year of Massive Reforms, Racist Myths Pervade the Drug Policy Debate (TalkingDrugs)

  • Countdown to ecstasy: how music is being used in healing psychedelic trips (The Guardian)

  • Homecoming: The Psychedelic Digital Companion Therapists Are Already Using (Forbes)

  • The Whitewashing of Psychedelic Medicine (Reality Sandwich)

  • Field Trip Health Ltd. Continues Expansion With Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Centers in Seattle, Vancouver and Fredericton (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Baltimore Study Boosts Movements to Decriminalize Drugs and Sex Work (Filter)

  • Carlos Santana still takes hallucinogens (MSN)

  • ‘Shrooms! Shamans! Kosher LSD! Why Los Angeles Is Suddenly Tripping Out (Los Angeles Magazine)

  • How Nutrition Can Improve the Psychedelic Experience (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Why creatives should microdose LSD and cannabis before big pitches (AdAge)

  • Psychedelics and Sports: Can They Propel Athletes to Unprecedented Pinnacles of Ability? (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Tryp Therapeutics Reports Clinical Hold on Proposed Phase 2a Study in Eating Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • The Neuroanatomy of a Psychedelic Trip: The Basics (Healing Maps)

  • atai Life Sciences Launches atai Impact, a Philanthropic Program to Harness the Power of Innovative Mental Health Approaches for Positive Social Change (Psilocybin Alpha)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’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.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 10.15.21

Cannabis

  • Man to be Hanged in Singapore for Importing About Two Pounds of Pot (High Times)

  • Activists seek to legalise marijuana in hippie haven of Nepal (The Times)

  • Companies are selling saliva kits so customers can figure out the best marijuana strain and get HIGH (Today UK News)

  • Republican Ohio Lawmakers Announce Marijuana Legalization Bill, Reflecting Recent Bipartisan Shift On Issue (Marijuana Moment)

  • New NORML Report Highlights Concerns Regarding Sale of Unregulated Delta-8 THC, Similar Products (NORML)

  • Marijuana legalization used to right wrongs from drug war (UPI)

  • Virginia Medical Marijuana Patients See High Prices And Long Waits For Approvals (Marijuana Moment)

  • Harborside Announces Planned Commercial-Scale Renewable Energy Microgrid Project at Salinas Production Campus (PR Newswire)

  • South Dakota Activists Launch Marijuana Legalization Signature Drive To Get On 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Survey: 60% of cannabis users want to get high with a grandparent (Leafly)

  • Mississippi ‘Not Quite Ready’ to Implement Medical Cannabis (High Times)

LSD

  • Is LSD Addictive? Is It Safe To Use For Mental Health Issues? We Provide Guidance (Healing Maps)

Magic Mushrooms

San Pedro

  • What is San Pedro? Facts about the Psychoactive Plant (The Third Wave)

Ketamine

Miscellaneous

  • Voters Across The U.S. Will Decide On Marijuana And Psychedelics Ballot Measures Next Month (Marijuana Moment)

  • How COVID-19 Opened the Door to a New Era in Psychedelic Medicine (TIME)

  • No, Psychedelic Treatment Doesn't Look Like 'Nine Perfect Strangers' (Verywell Health)

  • On Sacred Reciprocity: Giving Back to our Indigenous Predecessors in the Psychedelic Movement (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Trying Psychedelics Just Once Might Reduce Your Chances Of Cardiometabolic Disease, Study Finds (IFLScience)

  • Is Mysticism Becoming A Problem For Psychedelic Medicine? (Forbes)

  • Is There a Dependable Way to Induce an Ego Death Experience with Psychedelics? (Lucid News)

  • Ego Death: Is This The Most Important Result From Psychedelic Therapy? (Healing Maps)

  • Why Psychedelic Stocks Have Crashed in the Last 3 Months (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Navigating a Double-Edged Sword: Toward Psychedelic Apprenticeship (Chacruna)

  • Psychedelic Reciprocity: Patents and Indigenous Knowledge (Truffle Report)

  • Stewarding Psychedelic and Ecological Biospheric Wisdom with Deborah Parrish Snyder (Chacruna)

  • Numinus Upgrades Psychedelics Lab to Increase Research Service Capabilities (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • The Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics: 2A or Not 2A?-Part 2 (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • Exploring Creepy Psychedelic Art (Reality Sandwich)

  • Mindset Pharma Expands Benchmarking Data for First Generation Psychedelics Through the COPE Program with InterVivo Solutions (Psilocybin Alpha)

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’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.

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