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Weekly Psychedelic Links - June 2022

6.3.22

Cannabis

  • Virginia: Approved Budget Recriminalizes Public Marijuana Possession Over Four Ounces of Marijuana (NORML)

  • Connecticut Gov. signs bill to crack down on weed gifting (Leafly)

  • North Carolina Senate Approves Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Finds THC Detected in Blood or Breath Does Not Indicate Impairment (High Times)

  • Medicinal cannabis reduces pain and the need for opiate painkillers among cancer patients (PsyPost)

  • North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Bill To Make Hemp Permanently Legal (High Times)

  • With veto, path to marijuana legalization in Delaware still open but fraught with unpredictability (WHYY)

  • FBI Marijuana Arrest Data May Be Critically Flawed, And DOJ Is Being Asked To Investigate (Marijuana Moment)

  • Louisiana Senate Approves Bill Allowing Public Employees to Use Medical Pot (High Times)

  • New York Senate Passes Gray Market Cannabis Bill (High Times)

  • Legal Cannabis Use Could Disqualify White House Intern Applicants (Forbes)

  • Texas Activists Say They Collected Enough Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Another City Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Gen Z Prefers Weed Over Booze (High Times)

  • Marijuana Research Has Exploded In Recent Years Despite Barriers Caused By Prohibition, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Peru Issues Draft Law to Allow and Regulate Patient-Grown Medical Cannabis (High Times)

  • New York Senate Approves Bill To Mandate Medical Marijuana Health Insurance Coverage (Marijuana Moment)

  • Austria Imports Record Amount of Medical Weed While Constitutional Challenges Loom (High Times)

  • Weed Joke on Jeopardy! Triggers Viewers (High Times)

LSD

  • Neuroscientists gain a deeper understanding of how LSD affects molecular brain activity (PsyPost)

  • Ceruvia Lifesciences to Supply LSD to Qualified Researchers at No Cost (PR Newswire)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Oregon Officials’ Rejection Of Rules For Spiritual And Religious Psilocybin Use Called Into Question (Marijuana Moment)

  • In Algeria, Ancient Cave Art May Show Psychedelic Mushroom Use (Atlas Obscura)

  • New studies shed light on the mysterious process by which psilocybin can rapidly improve depression symptoms (PsyPost)

  • B.C. company opens Canada's largest licensed psychedelic mushroom growing facility (CBC)

  • Policy and Legal Considerations for Religious and Community Use of Psilocybin Mushrooms under Oregon Measure 109 (Chacruna)

MDMA

  • A Balm for Psyches Scarred by War (The New York Times)

  • 'Highly unusual': Methamphetamine found in MDMA tablets for the first time in New Zealand (Stuff.co.nz)

Peyote

  • The Navajo Nation to Protect the Sanctity of Azeé – Peyote Medicine from Legalization and Commercial Use (Chacruna)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Warning over climate threat from laughing gas used during childbirth (Sydney Morning Herald)

  • Linking nitrous oxide to climate risk is yet another example of the disdain shown to women’s pain (The Guardian)

Ketamine

  • Ketamine can treat depression — but teletherapy could make it accessible (Inverse)

Miscellaneous

  • Canada to decriminalize some drugs in British Columbia for three years (The Guardian)

  • Maryland Bill To Fund Psychedelics Research And Access For Veterans Takes Effect Without Governor’s Signature (Marijuana Moment)

  • DARE 2.0 is "Keepin' it Real" in US schools (Substance)

  • Indigenous and drug policy groups seek to preserve traditional approaches as psychedelic markets open in Oregon (OPB)

  • Michigan Activists Give Up 2022 Push For Psychedelics Legalization Ballot Initiative, Shifting Focus To 2024 (Marijuana Moment)

  • The Intertwined Prohibitionist Histories of Psychedelics and Kratom (Psychedelics Today)

  • Why this startup is encouraging employees to microdose psychedelics at work (Fast Company)

  • From Psychedelic Pharma To Crop Gene Editing - The UK’s Big Opportunity (Forbes)

  • Don’t Count on RFRA to Protect Psychedelic Churches (Lucid News)

  • Tripping over the potential of psychedelics for autism (Spectrum)

  • Understanding the Current Legal Status of Psychedelics in the United States (JD Supra)

  • Can you take the trip out of psychedelics and still treat depression? (New Scientist)

6.10.22

Cannabis

  • Thailand legalises cannabis trade but still bans recreational use (BBC)

  • Prescription cannabis products with more THC may ease chronic pain, at least a little, study finds (CNN)

  • North Carolina Senate Passes Medical Marijuana Bill To House, But Questions Loom About Further Action This Year (Marijuana Moment)

  • Delaware: Lawmakers Decline to Overturn Cannabis Legalization Veto (NORML)

  • Voters In Five Texas Cities Will Decide On Marijuana Decriminalization In November, Activists Say (Marijuana Moment)

  • Louisiana Legislature Passes Bill to Protect State Workers from Termination for Medical Cannabis (Ganjapreneur)

  • Portugal Group Demands Freedom to Vote for Personal Use of Cannabis (High Times)

  • The Rapidly Expanding Cannabis Industry Needs To Get Its Marketing Act Together, A New Report Finds (Forbes)

  • If you’re high your love life might not be as great as you think (New York Post)

  • Ukraine to Legalize Medical Cannabis, Health Minister Says (High Times)

  • Illinois Governor Signs Bill To Close Marijuana Expungement ‘Loophole’ (Marijuana Moment)

  • Inflation’s so insane Snoop Dogg gave his blunt roller a raise (Leafly)

  • Legal Cannabis Use Could Disqualify White House Intern Applicants (Forbes)

  • West Virginia Activists Are Collecting Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization Measures On Local Ballots (Marijuana Moment)

  • Medical Cannabis & Sleep Disorders: What Do We Really Know? (The Fresh Toast)

  • Is the word ‘marijuana’ racist? (Leafly)

  • Opening the Curtain on Cannabis in the Opera (High Times)

LSD

  • LSD microdosing does not appear to improve mood or cognitive ability, according to new placebo-controlled study (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Clinical Trial in South Africa to Study Efficacy of Psilocybin on Women with HIV and Depression (High Times)

MDMA

  • Colorado Governor Signs Bill To Legalize MDMA Prescriptions Pending Federal Approval (Marijuana Moment)

  • Brexit helping cause harmful increase in fake ecstasy, study warns (The Guardian)

Ayahuasca

  • I Tried Everything. Then I Tried Ayahuasca. (Esquire)

Miscellaneous

  • Psychedelic Pharma’s Big Spin (Lucid News)

  • The Nationwide Reach of Harmful Drug “Paraphernalia” Laws (Filter)

  • Tracing The History of Hallucinogens in China (TalkingDrugs)

  • How psychedelic drugs might treat depression (BBC)

  • Bosses want to feed psychedelics to their staff (The Economist)

  • The Great Cannabis Microdosing PR Conspiracy (High Times)

6.17.22

Cannabis

  • Germany set to legalise sale of cannabis in licensed shops (Metro)

  • Study Finds Weekly Cannabis Use Has Minimal Impairment on Physical Health (High Times)

  • How cannabis-fed chickens may help cut Thai farmers’ antibiotic use (The Guardian)

  • Analysis: Cannabis Retailers Drive Economic Growth, Are Not Magnets for Crime (NORML)

  • Maine’s Legal Marijuana Stores Are Effectively Displacing Illicit Market, State Report Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Zealand Leaders Demand Cops Stop Spraying Chemicals on Cannabis (High Times)

  • Study: Regular Cannabis Consumers Perform Better Than Occasional Users on Distracted Driving Tasks (NORML)

  • Kentucky Governor Issues Medical Marijuana Executive Order Creating Advisory Committee To Study Patient Access Options (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Shows Medical Cannabis Enrollment Has Quadrupled (High Times)

  • EPA Warns Workers They’re Banned From Using Marijuana Or Investing In The Industry In New Memo (Marijuana Moment)

  • DEA Reports Significant Uptick in Marijuana-Related Seizures, Arrests (NORML)

  • Athens, Georgia on Cusp of Major Decriminalization Ordinance (High Times)

  • Teen Marijuana Use Dropped Dramatically In Colorado In 2021, State Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Mexico Lawsuit Seeks Insurance Coverage for Medical Cannabis (High Times)

  • GOP Senate Candidate Pushes ‘Pot For Potholes’ Marijuana-Funded Infrastructure Plan In Hilarious Campaign Ad (Marijuana Moment)

  • Superior Court in Brazil Affirms Right to Cannabis Home Grow (High Times)

  • Federal Court Sides With Nebraska Medical Marijuana Activists In Lawsuit Over Ballot Requirements (Marijuana Moment)

  • West Virginia Advocates Collecting Signatures for Decriminalization Ballot Measures (High Times)

LSD

Magic Mushrooms

  • Psilocybin-induced mystical experiences linked to lasting positive psychological effects (PsyPost)

  • Anticipating Legalization: Making Psilocybin Accessible (Cannabis Science and Technology)

  • Could magic mushrooms in care homes help curb fear of death? Psychedelic drugs could 'revolutionise' end-of-life treatment, expert says (Daily Mail)

MDMA

  • Paraguay May Be Shifting from Producing LSD and MDMA to Consuming Them (InSight Crime)

5-MeO-DMT

Iboga

  • Ibogaine Isn’t a “Cure” for Addiction—But It Can Be a Useful Detox Tool (Filter)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

  • Oregon ban on synthetic cannabis products will be nation’s first (Oregon Live)

Ketamine

Miscellaneous

  • Mind-Altering Drug Docuseries Lined Up At Netflix From Alex Gibney & Michael Pollan (Deadline)

  • Malaysia Ends Mandatory Death Penalty for Nonviolent Drug Crimes (High Times)

  • Is drug testing going to become a regular part of UK festivals? (iTV)

  • Missoula City Council measure would decriminalize hallucinogenic plants (Missoula Current)

  • Local Psychedelics Decriminalization Measure Stalls In Amherst, Massachusetts (Marijuana Moment)

  • The abuse of power in psychedelic retreats (leafie)

  • Psychedelics Can Help Boost Scientific Creativity, Review Finds (Analytical Cannabis)

  • NFTs Are Getting Psychedelic. Is It Worth the Trip? (Lucid News)

  • Michigan moves to outlaw fake urine as marijuana popularity soars (MLive)

6.24.22

Cannabis

  • Psychosis, Addiction, Chronic Vomiting: As Weed Becomes More Potent, Teens Are Getting Sick (The New York Times)

  • California may require labels on cannabis products to warn of mental health risks (OPB)

  • Vets And Medical Cannabis: It’s The Least We Can Do (Forbes)

  • Louisiana: Multiple Marijuana Reform Bills Signed Into Law; Measures Take Effect August 1 (NORML)

  • Spain Approves Medical Cannabis Reform: Pharmacy Dispensation Planned for End of 2022 (High Times)

  • Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Drunk Driving And Safer Roads, Study On Auto Insurance Data Suggests (Marijuana Moment)

  • Switzerland to Lift Ban on Medical Cannabis (High Times)

  • DEA Marijuana Busts Increased In 2021, Seizing Over 5.5 Million Plants (Marijuana Moment)

  • U.S. English Teacher Sentenced to 14 Years in Russia for Pot ‘Smuggling’ (High Times)

  • North Carolina House Republicans Block Senate-Passed Medical Marijuana Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis ‘Very Promising’ as Opioid Replacement, Early Study Results Show (High Times)

  • U.S. Supreme Court Denies Medical Marijuana Workers’ Compensation Cases (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Shows Cannabis Use Could Lead to Increased Kindness and Empathy (High Times)

  • Senate Committee Votes To Let People Who’ve Used Marijuana Work For CIA, NSA And Other Intelligence Agencies (Marijuana Moment)

  • Analyses: Drug Interdiction Efforts at US Borders Typically Yield Only Small Quantities of Marijuana (NORML)

  • MLB Teams Can Now Be Sponsored By CBD Companies, Baseball League Official Says (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mississippi Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence for Weed Possession (High Times)

  • Scientists find little evidence to show cannabis oils help end pain, according to major study (Daily Mail)

  • District of Columbia: Council Advances Legislation Prohibiting Most Employers from Discriminating Against Cannabis Consumers (NORML)

  • New Gene Technology Allows Growers To Boost THC Levels In Cannabis (Forbes)

LSD

  • ‘I’m happier now and nowhere near as intense’: GoDaddy.com’s founder pivots to LSD (The Daily Dot)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Judges Deny Challenge to Psilocybin Patent (VICE)

  • COMPASS Pathways presents largest ever study of psilocybin therapy, at American Psychiatric Association annual meeting (Psychedelic Alpha)

  • Pa. bill to study of psilocybin – the drug in magic mushrooms – as mental health treatment languishes in Harrisburg (PhillyVoice)

  • Oregon County Considers Banning Legalized Psilocybin Therapy (Filter)

  • How an NHL Enforcer Broke His Body — and Turned to Psychedelics to Heal His Brain (Rolling Stone)

MDMA

  • MDMA trials under review in Canada over alleged abuse of study participants (The Guardian)

  • Canadian Firm Seeks Approval to Manufacture MDMA and Other Psychedelics (High Times)

DMT

  • DMT is Effective at Treating Depression, New Study Finds (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • What do we see when dying? How a psychedelic trip can trigger at life’s end, and why we need to be better prepared for it (South China Morning Post)

Ayahuasca

  • An Ayahuasca Retreat Claims to Sell 'Miracles.' Former Workers and Guests Say It's Unsafe and Abusive. (VICE)

  • Another Phoenix Church Sues DEA Over Religious Use of Ayahuasca (Phoenix New Times)

  • The Ayahuasca King's Last Tour (The Texas Observer)

Ketamine

  • Tripping Through Motherhood: How Some Women Are Using Ketamine to Treat Postpartum Depression (Glamour)

  • Exploring Ketamine’s Antimicrobial Effects & Fungal Sources: Part 2 (Psychedelic Science Review)

Miscellaneous

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.

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.

Weekly Psychedelic Links - May 2022

5.6.22

Cannabis

  • Would You Smoke ‘Nuclear Weed’? You Might Already: Why Irradiated Cannabis Is Common (And Safe) (Forbes)

  • How marijuana laws have progressed across the South so far this year (Clarion Ledger)

  • Stanford study links marijuana use to increased heart attack risk (New Atlas)

  • A look at the legal and illegal sides of California’s cannabis industry (The Press-Enterprise)

  • States that legalized marijuana now researching mental health risks of high-potency cannabis (NBC)

  • ‘There’s a real risk there’: Cannabis use exacerbates depression (Healio)

  • Missouri House Committee Approves Joint Resolution To Put Marijuana Legalization On The Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Jersey Lawmakers File Bills To Restrict Marijuana Use By Police And Other Workers (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Hampshire House Votes To Give Senate ‘Another Chance’ At Passing Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

  • South Dakota Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Legalization On The Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Biden officials say Brittney Griner ‘wrongfully detained’ by Russia on cannabis charges (Leafly)

  • More Ohio Cities Set To Vote On Marijuana Decriminalization As Activists Pursue Statewide Reform Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • The Fight Over CBD Oil Continues in Germany (High Times)

  • A New Report Explains How California Screwed Up Marijuana Legalization (Reason)

  • Cannabis YouTuber Chrissy Harless’s Channel Deleted Without Explanation (High Times)

  • Delaware House Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Sending It To The Senate (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Finds Cannabis Flower Useful to Decrease Fatigue (High Times)

  • South Carolina Medical Marijuana Bill Dies On House Floor Following Procedural Challenge (Marijuana Moment)

  • Malawi Joins Zimbabwe in Switching from Cultivating Tobacco to Cannabis (High Times)

  • New York Lawmakers Discuss Competing Psychedelics Reform Bills Ahead Of Key Deadline (Marijuana Moment)

  • FDA Sends Warning Letters to Businesses Improperly Selling Delta-8 (High Times)

  • Missouri Marijuana Activists Say They’ve Exceeded Signature Requirements For Legalization Ballot Measures As Prospects For Separate Reform Bills Dwindle (Marijuana Moment)

  • Argentina Makes Medical Cannabis Reform a National Priority (High Times)

  • Nebraska Activists Unveil Plan To Put Medical Marijuana On The Ballot After Losing Key Funders (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

  • LSD and salvia divinorum use linked to an increased likelihood of depression and suicidal thinking (PsyPost)

  • MindBio Therapeutics Completes World’s First Microdosing Trial (Microdose)

  • A Return Trip to Timothy Leary’s Psychedelic, Day-Glo Mexico (The New York Times)

  • In low doses, can LSD be beneficial for the brain? (Vents Magazine)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Large survey suggests psilocybin is a “relatively safe” drug, with serious reactions being rare and short-lived (PsyPost)

  • Compass Pathways Shares ‘Promising’ Data That Psilocybin May Treat Anorexia (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Canada to Fund Research on Psilocybin for Substance Use Disorder (Filter)

  • Could Magic Mushrooms Treat Overeating? New Clinical Trial Intends To Find Out (The Fresh Toast)

  • How to Shop For Magic Mushroom Grow Kits on Amazon (MEL Magazine)

  • 4-year-old overdoses after accidently getting into a bag of Psychedelic mushrooms (WSB-TV)

Peyote

  • Meet The Company Developing Innovative Peyote-Based Treatments For Addiction, Anxiety, And Depression (Benzinga)

Iboga

  • Lamar Odom ‘could probably’ take hallucinogenic drug again for treatment (Page Six)

Ketamine

  • Medical experts told grand jury ketamine caused Elijah McClain's death, records show (The Denver Gazette)

  • Ketamine Infusions Improve Symptoms of Depression and Pain (Psychiatry Advisor)

Miscellaneous

  • Elon Musk advocates for psychedelic drug use as alternative to antidepressants (MARCA)

  • Why Field Trip Health Is Dividing in Two — and What This Means for Investors (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Connecticut Lawmakers Send Psychedelic Treatment Program Proposal To Governor As Part Of Budget Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Why Psychedelic Drugs May Become a Key Treatment for PTSD and Depression (Smithsonian Magazine)

  • New holistic healing, psychedelic therapy center launches in Austin (Fox 7 Austin)

  • DanceSafe have provided new guidance on how to test your drugs (Mixmag)

  • Numinus’s Acquisition of Novamind May Signal More Consolidation to Come (Lucid News)

  • Hallucinating Long After the Trip is Over: HPPD – Part 2 (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • Psychedelic Therapists Must Be Trained to Set Sexual Boundaries (Lucid News)

  • Real Reciprocity: The People Who Brought You Sacred Plant Medicine Need Your Support (Chacruna)

  • Are There Risks to Using Psychedelics If You Have Certain Mental Illnesses? (Lucid News)

  • Could a psychedelic retreat cure lifelong hang ups? (The Telegraph)

  • Chaplains Are Learning to Become Psychedelic Guides (Lucid News)

  • What Do Therapeutic Doses of Psychedelics Feel Like? (Psychology Today)

5.13.22

Cannabis

  • Austin, Texas Voters Approve Local Marijuana Decriminalization Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mexico’s Supreme Court rules personal marijuana possession legal, again (Leafly)

  • Cannabis confusion: Thousands of truckers taken off the job amid supply chain woes (Politico)

  • Sadiq Khan launches commission to examine cannabis legality (The Guardian)

  • Swiss City of Lausanne to Launch Recreational Cannabis Trial This Fall (High Times)

  • Thai high: Thailand to give away 1 million free marijuana plants (New York Post)

  • Delaware Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Sending It To The Governor (Marijuana Moment)

  • Miami Finally Gives OK to Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (High Times)

  • Ohio Will Not Vote On Marijuana This November, But Lawsuit Settlement Puts Legalization Activists On Path For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

  • Is weed the Chosen People’s drug of choice? These artifacts suggest it may be (The Times of Israel)

  • South Carolina Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill Suffers Another Procedural Defeat (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Hampshire Senate Rejects Marijuana Legalization Again As Part Of Amended Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis users expect cannabis-assisted therapy for depression to work as well as psilocybin-assisted therapy (PsyPost)

  • Working In Canada’s Marijuana Industry Does Not Make People Inadmissible To U.S., Border Patrol Document Confirms (Marijuana Moment)

  • Missouri Activists Submit Double The Signatures Needed For Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • Inside one of the first licensed medical cannabis labs in Britain (The Guardian)

LSD

  • Promising early results from largest-ever trial testing LSD for anxiety (New Atlas)

  • Behind the Scenes on the First Study To Compare the Effects of LSD and Psilocybin (Technology Networks)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Psychedelics Activists Arrested at DEA Headquarters Amid Protest Over Psilocybin Access for Terminal Patients (DoubleBlind)

  • Shroom Dispensaries Operate Out in the Open in Vancouver (DoubleBlind)

  • Oregon Issues Draft of Magic Mushroom Cultivation Rules (Lucid News)

MDMA

  • MAPS Completes Enrollment, as Planned, for the Confirmatory Phase 3 Trial of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD (PR Newswire)

  • Drug policy group condemns psychedelic research association for response to B.C. sex assault claims (CBC)

  • Reducing MDMA Comedown and Risks (TalkingDrugs)

Ketamine

  • Inventor of Brain-Scan Helmet Takes Ketamine to Test His Technology (Bloomberg)

  • Suicidal Ideation Not Related With Psychological Pain After Receiving Ketamine (Psychiatry Advisor)

  • IV Ketamine: A Possible 'Trajectory of Improvement' in Severe Depression (Medpage Today)

Miscellaneous

  • Connecticut Governor Signs Bill Creating Psychedelic Treatment Program (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psychedelic Patents are Broken Because the Patent System Is Broken (VICE)

  • The Trials of Rick Doblin (The Cut)

  • Europe’s first psychedelic drug trial firm to open in London (The Guardian)

  • Novel nasal spray delivers psychedelic drugs for PTSD (Israel21c)

  • Colorado Activists Collect Tens Of Thousands Of Signatures To Put Psychedelics Reform On Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Update on the Fight for Religious Liberties in Oregon (Psychedelics Today)

  • Psychedelic experiences and mindfulness linked to better psychological wellbeing (PsyPost)

  • Inside Illinois’ First Psychedelics Bill: How Advocates Are Breaking the Taboo (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Biotechs want to unlock the psychedelics market, but it isn’t simple (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  • First licence for service to test purity of illegal drugs. (The Times)

  • Altering Perceptions on Psychedelics (Harvard Medicine)

5.20.22

Cannabis

  • Rhode Island: Lawmakers Advance Adult-Use Legalization Bill (NORML)

  • Lawmakers strike the word ‘marijuana’ from all state laws, calling the term racist (Dark Matters)

  • Minnesota Republican Senators Block Marijuana Legalization Vote (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study: Young Adults’ Consumption of Alcohol, Cigarettes, Other Substances Fell Following Marijuana Legalization (NORML)

  • FDA Sounds Alarm About Cereal and Candy Edibles that Appeal to Children (High Times)

  • Delaware: House Members Pause Action on Marijuana Retail Bill Until After Legislative Break (NORML)

  • New Study Confirms Safety of CBD (High Times)

  • Congress might have inadvertently legalized a form of cannabis under Trump (San Francisco Chronicle)

Magic Mushrooms

  • First patient in Quebec gets approval from Health Canada for magic mushroom therapy (Global News)

MDMA

Ayahuasca

  • Tea and Ashes: How Ayahuasca Can Help You Quit Smoking (Chacruna)

Mescaline

  • Mescaline: A Neglected Tool for Psychotherapy (Chemical Collective)

  • Journey Colab Looks to Mescaline for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder (Lucid News)

Peyote

  • ‘Our way of healing’: Azee’ Bee Nahagha working to protect peyote from state decriminalization (Navajo Times)

  • What, Exactly, Is Peyote… And What Does It Do? (Rare)

Iboga

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • MindMed Releases Phase 1 Trial Results For Opioid Addiction (Microdose)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

Ketamine

  • Ketamine, esketamine improve depression symptoms (Healio)

Datura

  • Compound found in Datura shows promise as antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2 (News-Medical.net)

Miscellaneous

  • Inside the Dispute Over a High-Profile Psychedelic Study (VICE)

  • 50% of Microdosers Started During Pandemic, Survey Suggests (DoubleBlind)

  • Forget Burning Man — Psychedelic Shamans Now Heading to Davos (Bloomberg)

  • How Will The Psychedelic Industry Affect SSRI Treatment In The U.S.? (Healing Maps)

  • Psychedelics: how they act on the brain to relieve depression (The Conversation)

  • Getting Buzzed: The History of Hallucinogenic Mad Honey (Ancient Origins)

5.27.22

Cannabis

  • Rhode Island Becomes 19th State to Legalize Marijuana for Adults (NORML)

  • Kansas Lawmakers Plan To Work On Medical Marijuana Over Summer As 2022 Session Ends (Marijuana Moment)

  • New study finds cannabis effective for cancer pain (Leafly)

  • California Marijuana Retailers ‘100 Percent’ Compliant In Checking IDs To Prevent Youth Access, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • U.K. Caregiver Spared Jail Sentence After Cancer Patients Defend Him (High Times)

  • Marijuana ‘Strain’ Labels Often Mislead Consumers, Study Of Nearly 90,000 Samples Shows (Marijuana Moment)

  • North Carolina quietly moves toward full legalization of hemp (WRAL)

  • Louisiana Bill to Allow State Employees to Use Medical Cannabis Receives Unanimous Vote (High Times)

  • Delaware: Governor Vetoes Marijuana Depenalization Measure (NORML)

  • South Dakota Voters Will Decide On Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure In November (Marijuana Moment)

  • North Carolina Lawmaker Introduces Legalization Bill (High Times)

  • Federal Marijuana Arrests Continue To Drop Amid Legalization Movement, New Justice Department Report Shows (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis Reform Bill in South Africa Under Criticism from Unions and Rastas (High Times)

  • Legalised cannabis in Canada and US hasn’t killed illegal market (New Scientist)

  • Japanese Ministry of Health to Discuss Medical Cannabis Legalization (High Times)

  • Texas Activists Say They’ve Collected Enough Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization On Another Local Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • What’s Up With Cannabis Legalization in Belgium? (High Times)

  • Georgia Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization Ballot Question (Marijuana Moment)

  • Australian Legalize Cannabis Party Runs Successful Grassroots Election Campaign (High Times)

  • New York Marijuana Regulators Ask TikTok To Stop Banning Cannabis Education Advertising (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Psilocybin Causes ‘Significant Reduction’ in Symptoms of Depression, Largest of its Kind Study Shows (High Times)

  • Senator’s Wife Secretly Gave Him Psilocybin to Alleviate Depression (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Conflicting States of Consciousness: Exploring Psilocin and Sleep (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • Oregon, Measure 109, and Community Access: The Final Vote (Psychedelics Today)

MDMA

  • Diddy: Biggie's "Hypnotize" Video Shoot Was First Time We Tried Ecstasy (The Source)

  • I’m a Therapist Who Tried MDMA—Here’s How the Experience Shaped My Perspective on Psychedelic Therapy (Self)

  • Does Grapefruit Juice Make MDMA Stronger? (TalkingDrugs)

Ayahuasca

  • Will Smith Predicted Losing His Career During Ayahuasca Hallucination Before Oscars Slap (Entertainment Online)

  • Exploring the travel craze of Ayahuasca tripping to South America (Far Out Magazine)

  • How To Engage In Ethical Ayahuasca Tourism (Healing Maps)

Peyote

  • Legalizing peyote will 'detrimentally' affect religious practices, Navajo Nation says (12News)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Research Chemicals Provide Dangerous, Experimental Highs to Desperate Users (High Times)

  • Psychedelic Treatment For Alcoholism? Clearmind Medicine And SciSparc Collaboration Yields Positive Results (Benzinga)

  • 5 Next-Generation Psychedelics Entering Clinical Trials This Year (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Fears over ‘worrying’ new drugs being sold at festivals (Independent.ie)

Ketamine

Miscellaneous

  • Local Michigan Lawmakers Reject Psychedelics Decriminalization Over Concerns About Possible Legal Liabilities (Marijuana Moment)

  • $2.7M Grant to UC Davis to Find New Addiction Treatments Related to Psychedelics (UC Davis)

  • Vermont Governor Vetoes Bill On ‘Reducing The Criminalization’ Of Drugs By Setting Personal Use Amounts (Marijuana Moment)

  • Colorado’s Two Psychedelic Ballot Efforts Present Competing Visions (Filter)

  • DEA Loses Parking Space for its Plane (Drug WarRant)

  • Psychedelic Therapy Training Programs Expand To Meet Demand (Lucid News)

  • Europe’s Leading Psychedelic Conference Returns to Amsterdam (GlobeNewswire)

  • Why “Drug-Induced Homicide” Doesn’t Have to be Prosecuted (Filter)

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.

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 - 2.18.22

Cannabis

  • Virginia Senate Votes To Start Recreational Marijuana Sales This September Through Current Medical Dispensaries (Marijuana Moment)

  • Sha’Carri Richardson, Suspended Over Marijuana, Suggests Racist Double Standard After Olympics Lets Russian Skater Compete Amid Doping Scandal (Marijuana Moment)

  • Israel Announces New Cannabis Decriminalization Plans (High Times)

  • Apple Secretly Joined Amazon In Advancing Commercial Cannabis Reform (Forbes)

  • New York Lawmakers Send Marijuana Licensing And Equity Bill To Governor’s Desk (Marijuana Moment)

  • South African Government to Fast Track Cannabis Reform Regulations (High Times)

  • D.C. Mayor Signs Bill To Let Older Patients Get Medical Marijuana Without Doctors And Create 4/20 Cannabis Tax Holiday (Marijuana Moment)

  • Marijuana for trauma: Report shows positive effects of medical cannabis (The Jerusalem Post)

  • Hawaii Senate Committee Approves Bill To Legalize Marijuana For Senior Citizens 65 And Older (Marijuana Moment)

  • Bill To Create State-Run Marijuana Shops In New Hampshire Approved By House (Marijuana Moment)

  • Alabama Senators Approve Marijuana Decriminalization And Expungements Bill In Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • South Dakota Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization And Taxation Bills In Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • WA researchers look at potential to use medicinal cannabis for weight loss (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

  • GOP Missouri Lawmaker Unveils Wide-Ranging Marijuana Legalization Bill As Others Pursue 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Kentucky Democrats File Bills To Legalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Lawmakers, Cops Consider Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization in Pennsylvania (NORML)

  • Wyoming Legislators Introduce Cannabis Decriminalization Bill (High Times)

  • Maryland Lawmakers Take First Step To Putting Marijuana Legalization On 2022 Ballot With Hearing On Two Bills (Marijuana Moment)

  • New York Senate OKs bill to allow hemp farmers to grow adult-use marijuana (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Majority Of Arkansas Voters Back Cannabis Legalization (High Times)

  • IRS Official Clarifies That Medical Marijuana Is Not Tax-Deductible Under Federal Law After Misstatement (Marijuana Moment)

  • Proposed Bill Could Protect Employees in Colorado who Use Cannabis (High Times)

  • Hemp-Reinforced Bobsled and Luge Tracks Debut at Winter Olympics in Beijing (High Times)

LSD

  • Another trial finds no evidence LSD microdosing does anything (New Atlas)

  • LSD, afterglow and hangover: Increased episodic memory and verbal fluency, decreased cognitive flexibility (Beckley Foundation)

  • New study addresses the question; ‘Can LSD boost creativity?’ (leafie)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depression Effective for Up to a Year for Most Patients, Study Shows (Johns Hopkins)

  • Top Italian Court Blocks Marijuana And Psilocybin Referendum From Going Before Voters (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psilocybin use associated with lowered odds of having been arrested, study finds (PsyPost)

  • Oklahoma Lawmakers Approve Psilocybin Decriminalization And Research Bill In Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mushroom rabbi grows ceremonial psilocybin for Denver congregation — but is that legal? (The Denver Post)

  • Hawaii Senators Approve Psilocybin Task Force Bill In Committee, With Decriminalization Measures Still Pending (Marijuana Moment)

  • Oregon proposes only using one type of mushroom for new psilocybin system, and no pills (OPB)

  • Nova Mentis Study Confirms Oral Microdose Psilocybin Treatment of Autism (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • These Four Companies Want to Take You on a Psychedelic Voyage in Oregon (Willamette Week)

  • No Need for Magic Mushrooms? Producing Synthetic Psilocybin from Bacteria and Yeast (Truffle Report)

  • Psyched Wellness Announces Key Findings from the 90-Day Oral Toxicity Study on AME-1 (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

  • Bar-Goers Were Poisoned by Ecstasy-Laced Champagne, German Police Say (Gizmodo)

DMT

Ayahuasca

  • Deontay Wilder contemplates using ayahuasca to help decide his boxing future (leafie)

  • When Is Drinking Ayahuasca a Religious Experience? (Reason)

5-MeO-DMT

  • More Companies Embrace 5-MeO-DMT to Create Therapies (Lucid News)

Peyote

  • Calling on Federal, State, and Local Governments to Protect and Respect Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) and its Byproducts (Chacruna)

  • How peyote — used as a ceremonial, legal medicine — helped heal one family’s grief (Rocky Mountain PBS)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Mydecine Announces MYCO-005 Family of Improved Safety Microdose Novel Molecules (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Awakn Files Patent For A New Class Of Entactogen-Like Molecules (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

  • Report finds too many New Zealanders are dying from preventable drug overdoses (Newshub)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Doctors warn of emerging public health issue from recreational use of laughing gas (Irish Examiner)

Ketamine

  • Ketamine No Better Than Placebo for Reducing Suicidal Ideation in Depression (Mad in America)

  • Ehave, Inc. Launches KetaDASH, Its In-Home Ketamine Therapy In The San Francisco And Sacramento Market (GlobeNewswire)

  • FDA: Safety Concerns With Compounded Ketamine Nasal Spray (MPR)

  • PharmaTher Announces Grant of U.S. Patent on Ketamine Formulation (Psilocybin Alpha)

Miscellaneous

  • Judge Grants Hearing for Opposition to DEA Proposal to Criminalize 5 More Psychedelics (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • MAPS Accepts $500,000 Donation From Atai Life Sciences’ Philanthropy Arm (Forbes)

  • Maryland Senators Propose Free Psychedelics for Veterans with PTSD (Truffle Report)

  • Psychedelics Open Opportunity to Study Synesthesia (Lucid News)

  • Trauma and Vulnerability to Suggestion: Redefining How We Understand Consent (Psychedelics Today)

  • The Psychonaut’s Guide to Kabbalah and Spiritual Journeying (DoubleBlind)

  • What Are the Prospects for Canada’s Federal Drug Decriminalization Bill? (Filter)

  • Maryland Lawmakers Work To Decriminalize Drug Paraphernalia (Marijuana Moment)

  • The 5 Craziest Places On Earth to Do Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

  • The Religious Uses of Licit and Illicit Psychoactive Substances in a Branch of the Santo Daime Religion (Chacruna)

  • “Largest-Ever” Harm Reduction Ad Campaign Demands Services, Honors the Dead (Filter)

  • Naming and shaming drug users is focus group fodder – Labour must do better (LabourList)

  • Co-Creating a Psychedelic Commons: A Commoner’s Guide (Chacruna)

  • Meet the 16 Most Influential Women Shaping the Future of Psychedelics (Business Insider)

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 - 2.4.22

Cannabis

  • Mississippi governor signs law allowing medical marijuana (Leafly)

  • The NFL is throwing $1 million into cannabinoid research (Leafly)

  • House Officially Approves Marijuana Banking Amendment To Large-Scale Bill Set For Final Passage Friday (Marijuana Moment)

  • Delta-8 Debate: The 2018 Farm Bill gave rise to an unlikely intoxicant (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • House Advances SAFE Banking Act as Part of the America COMPETES Act (NORML)

  • Driving Performance and Cannabis Users’ Perception of Safety - Review (Drug Science)

  • Minnesota: Patients’ Access to Herbal Cannabis Products Begins March 1 (NORML)

  • Claim of Fentanyl-Laced Cannabis Overdoses in Connecticut was False (High Times)

  • Cannabis being used to treat symptoms of Long Covid in new landmark trial (Mirror)

  • ‘The science about the benefits of cannabis is limited’: Does legalizing marijuana lead to an increase in tobacco use? (MarketWatch)

  • Utah Lawmakers Pass Bill To Protect Medical Cannabis Patients (High Times)

  • A Cannabis Monopoly Asteroid is Coming (Marijuana Moment)

  • Petition Forces Ohio Lawmakers into Action on Cannabis Legalization (High Times)

  • Marijuana legalization push increasingly unites unlikely political bedfellows (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • 2021: A Year In Review For The Cannabis Industry (Forbes)

  • Top Maryland Lawmaker Files Marijuana Legalization Bill In Anticipation Of Ballot Referendum Passing (Marijuana Moment)

  • Pennsylvania Issues Mandatory Recall for Hundreds of Cannabis Products (New Cannabis Ventures)

  • Wisconsin Governor Vetoes GOP Bill To Increase Marijuana Extraction Penalties (Marijuana Moment)

  • Republican Lawmakers in Virginia Have Drafted New Cannabis Legislation (High Times)

  • Marijuana Banking Reform Cleared For House Floor (Again) Following Committee Action On Large-Scale Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Can Cannabinoids Unlock a Better Understanding of Our Bodies and Brains? (Discover Magazine)

  • Nearly One In Ten New Missouri Jobs Came From Medical Marijuana Industry In 2021, Trade Group Report Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Jackson seeks cannabis exemption as part of shock comeback at age 40 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

LSD

Magic Mushrooms

  • Virginia Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill Defeated In Senate Committee After Top GOP Lawmaker Flips Support (Marijuana Moment)

  • Religious Practice Under Oregon Measure 109 (Psychedelics Today)

  • Maine Lawmakers Hear Testimonies For and Against Psilocybin Bill (Truffle Report)

  • Seattle Doctor Files DEA Petition To Reschedule Psilocybin For Medical Use (Marijuana Moment)

  • America’s only psychedelic mushroom store is a church in Oakland. We observed the sacrament (Leafly)

  • Federal Appeals Court Dismisses Cancer Patients’ Case To Use Psilocybin Under Right-To-Try Laws (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psyched Wellness Announces Additional Positive Results from the 14-day Oral Toxicity Study of AME-1 (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Health Canada Grants Private Company Approval for Healthcare Professionals to Take Psilocybin, Prove Safety (Truffle Report)

MDMA

  • Couple Takes MDMA Right Before Grandfather Dies, Trips in Front of Family (Newsweek)

DMT

  • Entheon Biomedical Announces the Approval of DMT Clinical Trial (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

  • Yaminawa Women and Ayahuasca: Shamanism, Gender, and History in the Peruvian Amazon (Chacruna)

  • Women Who Heal: Musicians in the Urban Ayahuasca Scene (Chacruna)

  • Madrinha Rita: Brazilian matriarch of ayahuasca (Chacruna)

5-MeO-DMT

  • Inside a 5-MeO-DMT Retreat: Who Should and Shouldn’t Embark on This ‘Hero’s Journey’ (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Peyote

Ketamine

  • Testimony: Minneapolis police trained to ignore city's civil rights report on ketamine and excited delirium (StarTribune)

  • Can Ketamine and A.I. Improve Wellness? (Inc)

  • PharmaTher Granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Ketamine to Treat Status Epilepticus (Psilocybin Alpha)

Miscellaneous

  • Who Will Control the Future of Psychedelics in Colorado? (Westword)

  • Utah Lawmakers Vote To Study Benefits Of Psychedelics In Treating Mental Health Disorders (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psychedelics Decriminalization Ballot Proposal Filed in Michigan (Truffle Report)

  • I Read Every Neuroscience Study On Psychedelics Published Since 2017. Here’s What I Learned (Healing Maps)

  • Researchers use linguistic analysis to uncover differences between psychedelic drug experiences (PsyPost)

  • Psychedelic therapy effective in reducing suicidality, more trials needed (Healio)

  • Psychedelic or Not: Of Mice, 5-HT2A Agonists, and Head Shakes (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • One Year on, Oregon Drug Decriminalization Is Boosting Harm Reduction and Housing (Filter)

  • Looking Ahead to a Psychedelic 2022 (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • The Tortured Double Think of the New Drug Strategy (Transform)

  • What Happens When Psychedelic Treatment for PTSD Turns Into a Bad Trip (Slate)

  • Are Double-Blind Studies Holding Back Psychedelic Research? (The Dales Report)

  • What Research Doesn’t Tell Us About Older Psychedelic Users (Lucid News)

  • Jeering Psychedelics: A Critique of Jacques Mabit’s Criticism of Queering Psychedelics (Chacruna)

  • Are psychedelics dangerous? - What the research says (Drug Science)

  • Psychedelics Without the Trip Could Be 'Healing Magic' for Mental Health (Singularity Hub)

  • Clinical study of psychedelic drugs for cancer patients could be a ‘game changer’ (The Salt Lake Tribune)

  • Sensible policy on psychedelic drugs is growing more common (The Economist)

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 Year in Psychedelics - 2021

Before we get into this recap of the biggest psychedelic news stories from 2021, I’d like to address the fact that this blog post is coming out a month late. Normally I strive to publish my yearly recaps on New Year’s Eve, but things have been really hectic on my end lately and I’ve been barely keeping up with putting out the weekly link roundups, much less creating monthly and yearly recaps or other types of content.

So I apologize for not getting this out into the world sooner. I’ve started to realize that I bit off way more than I can chew over the last year and fell behind on things here at Think Wilder. Here’s hoping 2022 will be a little more focused so I can meet my deadlines and get my work out in a timely manner for y’all to enjoy!

Just like last month’s recap, there is no video recap of this year’s psychedelic news recap up on YouTube. I’ll have another update about some changes coming to my YouTube channel that should hopefully be out later this week on my channel, so make sure you subscribe there if you’d like to be informed about things on that front.

Moving on to the main show, there was a ton of huge news in 2021. Without further ado, let’s jump into the news.

Policy

Wins

Nine U.S. cities decriminalized psychedelics:

When it comes to cannabis policies there were several successes at the state level, even though attempts to change things at the federal level were unsuccessful. Four states legalized weed:

In addition, Alabama legalized medical marijuana and New Jersey and Louisiana decriminalized cannabis.

Taking things a bit further, Baltimore, MD and Scotland decriminalized the use of all drugs.

The governors of Connecticut and Texas signed legislation that will enable the states to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. And New Zealand legalized drug checking, becoming the world’s first country to do so.

Industry

One of the biggest stories in the psychedelic industry involved the fight over patenting various aspects involving psychedelics. The one that probably stirred up the most discontent was when COMPASS Pathways submitted a patent application that attempted to claim the right to common, preexisting psychedelic therapy techniques. This prompted a discussion about patents in psychedelia, with many people wondering if companies should own the future of the field. COMPASS Pathways has five U.S. patents and a total of ten worldwide, so they are quickly claiming rights to a lot of intellectual property in the space. But not without a fight—last month a non-profit known as Freedom to Operate submitted a new legal filing that argues against COMPASS Pathways’ patent on its form of synthetic psilocybin based on the idea that it is not a novel invention. The results from this case will set a precedent for not just COMPASS Pathways but for other psychedelic companies as well.

Psychedelic companies started making waves on the stock markets around the world, with five companies joining the Nasdaq (Mindmed, atai Life Sciences, Field Trip Health, Enveric Biosciences, and Bright Minds Biosciences) and Cybin joining the New York Stock Exchange.

Psychedelic companies secured a historic amount of funding, estimated at a cool $2 billion.

A few other interesting stories in the realm of psychedelic industry from 2021:

Research

Published Studies

Several studies came out:

Future Studies

Looking ahead:

  • A study looking to treat tobacco addiction with psilocybin will receive federal funding

  • The NIH granted Yale nearly $200k to fund the studying of psilocybin for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder

  • The Australian government earmarked $15 million for psychedelic research

  • The DEA has proposed a dramatic increase in the production of cannabis and psychedelics for research in 2022

Research Centers

A record-breaking number of psychedelic research centers were announced or opened:

In addition to these new psychedelic research centers, Harvard Law School’s Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation will contribute to the effort to create evidence-based laws and policies involving psychedelics.

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.

The Fireside Project has been helping people process psychedelic experiences via its free peer support phone line since it launched last April, but 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.

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.

Miscellaneous

What a year! Tons of new psychedelic research studies, a streak of drug policy reform wins, the growing psychedelic industry, and several important developments in psychedelic culture… last year was certainly a lot to take in.

Now that you’ve read my recap of the biggest psychedelic news from 2021, I’d like to recommend the following highlights from other publications that you might enjoy:

And lastly, I will leave you with the links to the annual psychedelic news recaps I’ve published over the last six years. I hope you have a wonderful 2022 and make sure you subscribe to my monthly newsletter to keep up-to-date with all the latest psychedelic news.

Previous Years in Psychedelics

That’s all for this year’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 year’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.