Weekly Psychedelic Links - July 2022

7.1.22

Cannabis

• Fentanyl-laced marijuana is a myth. It’s time to end the hype (Leafly)

• Medical Weed Cards No Longer Required in Virginia Starting July 1 (High Times)

• Hemp, CBD get permanent legal status in NC after 11th-hour rescue (MSN.com)

• Scientists find THC in over 60% of CBD products they tested — and that may be a huge problem (ZME Science)

• UN Report Dramatizes Uptick in Global Cannabis Use (High Times)

• Louisiana Governor Signs Bill Providing Medical Marijuana Workplace Protections For State Employees (Marijuana Moment)

• Maryland Court: Cops Can Stop, Question Someone Who Smells of Pot (High Times)

• Nevada Cannabis Consumption Lounges Could Go Live By End Of 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

• Edibles, beverages infused with cannabis ingredient THC become legal Friday in Minnesota (Star Tribune)

• Inside The Process To Legalize Recreational Cannabis In Germany (Forbes)

• California Bill to Require Cannabis Warnings About Mental Disorder Risks Advances (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Lawmakers Advance Medical Marijuana DUI Protections And Cannabis Banking Reform Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• Texas Supreme Court Bans Smokable Hemp Production, Sales (High Times)

• Montana Lawsuit Challenges Marijuana Ban In State’s Third-Largest City (Marijuana Moment)

• House Panel Approves Amendment to Protect State Legal Cannabis Programs (High Times)

• Feds Fund Development Of Hemp-Based, 3D-Printed Materials To Build Affordable Housing (Marijuana Moment)

• New Vermont Guidance Looks to Eliminate Plastic Waste From State’s Cannabis Industry (High Times)

• Cannabis users are at greater risk for emergency and inpatient care: study (Fox News)

Magic Mushrooms

• These Mormons Have Found a New Faith — in Magic Mushrooms (Rolling Stone)

• New Jersey Senate President Files Psilocybin Legalization Bill That Includes Home Grow Option, Unlike Current Marijuana Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Tryp Therapeutics Strengthens IP Portfolio with Provisional Patent Application for Binge Eating Disorder Treatment (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Digging Up Druggable Targets: Psilocybin Efficacy in a Model of OCD (Psychedelic Science Review)

MDMA

• First-of-its-kind MDMA group therapy trial set to commence (New Atlas)

• Over One Hundred Years of MDMA Research (Drug Science)

Ayahuasca

• How the Shipibo Came to Be the Most Common Group Serving Ayahuasca to Foreigners (DoubleBlind)

Peyote

• Decriminalize Nature Targets Peyote: Drug Reform or Settler Colonialism? (Chacruna)

• Big business could wipe out Mexico’s sacred psychedelic peyote cactus (openDemocracy)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• How Did A Minnesota Honor Roll Student Die As Her Parents Were Sleeping Upstairs? (Oxygen)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• A Loophole in Japan’s Weed Laws Is Getting Tens of Thousands High (VICE)

Miscellaneous

• Colorado Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Psychedelics Legalization And Therapeutic Psilocybin Program On Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• War on drugs prolonged Colombia’s decades-long civil war, landmark report finds (The Guardian)

• Is there a future for psychedelic treatment in Saudi Arabia? (Arab News)

• Do Bad Psychedelic Patents Matter? (Lucid News)

• 4 Recommendations for Disability Inclusion in Psychedelic Therapy Research (Psychiatric Times)

7.8.22

Cannabis

• WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty To Cannabis Charge As Russia Calls Out U.S. Hypocrisy In Maintaining Criminalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Make no mistake, marijuana edibles are legal now in Minnesota (Leafly)

• Washington, D.C. Mayor Signs Medical Cannabis Self-Certification Bill (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Bill Gives Medical Cannabis Patients DUI Protection (High Times)

• Oklahoma: Advocates Turn in Signatures to Place Adult-Use Legalization Measure on November Ballot (NORML)

• Study Shows Flower Still Reigns Supreme in U.S., Canada as Consumer Favorite (High Times)

• Arkansas Activists Set To Turn In Double The Signatures Needed To Put Marijuana Legalization On Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraska Medical Marijuana Activists Turn In Ballot Signatures After Campaign Suffers Legal Setback (Marijuana Moment)

• Albania Prompted to Implement Medical Cannabis Reform After U.N. Criticism (High Times)

• U.S. Army Wants To Make Sniper Uniforms Out Of Hemp (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• A man whose daily headaches felt like an ice pick in his eyes says he tried 12 treatments but only found relief after taking LSD (Insider)

Magic Mushrooms

• New Study Shows Mood, Mental Health Improved by Microdosing Psilocybin (High Times)

• Indiana Nurse Faces Ten Years in Prison for Microdosing Psilocybin Mushrooms (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Two Cancer Patients Battle to Make Psilocybin Accessible for Palliative Care (Scientific American)

• Rural Oregon counties are lining up against psilocybin launch (OPB)

MDMA

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Pushes for Psychedelic Reform in Congress (DoubleBlind)

• GOP Congressman’s Amendment Would Direct Military To Study Psilocybin And MDMA Benefits For Service Members (Marijuana Moment)

DMT

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on Its Phase 1 DMT Stroke Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Iboga

• ‘To Heal and to Care for’: Protecting Iboga and Indigenous Voices in the Face of Corporatisation (Volteface)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• DEA Announces Hearing On Proposed Ban Of Five Psychedelic Compounds Following Significant Pushback (Marijuana Moment)

• Mindset Pharma Receives Allowance for Patent Application Covering its Short-Duration Novel Psychedelic Medications for The Treatment of Central Nervous System Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• PharmaTher Announces Positive Results from Study For Ketamine Microneedle Patch (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• The Never-Ending Psychedelic Trip of Michael Pollan (Rolling Stone)

• Journey Colab scores $12M to move psychedelics-based addiction treatment into clinic (Fierce Biotech)

• User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study (Drug Science)

• Tripping the Reward Circuit: Psychedelics for Substance Use Disorders (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psychedelics Give a Glimpse of Enlightenment (Psychology Today)

7.15.22

Cannabis

• Feds Must Defend Historical Rationale Of Banning Guns For Medical Marijuana Patients, Revised Lawsuit Argues After SCOTUS Ruling (Marijuana Moment)

• ‘Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change (Al Jazeera)

• Washington DC just legalized weed for all adults—but it’s locals only (Leafly)

• Oklahoma, North Dakota, Arkansas, and Nebraska submit signatures to put cannabis on November ballot (Leafly)

• Study Shows Decrease in Heavy Truck Crash Rates Since Cannabis Legalization (High Times)

• NYPD Will Keep Testing Officers For Marijuana, Reversing Course Hours After Announcing Policy Change Mandated By City (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Laws in France Have Disproportionately Affected Muslims (High Times)

• New York Firefighters Won’t Be Tested For Marijuana, Department Says Following NYPD Leak (Marijuana Moment)

• Argentine Supreme Court Endorses Medical Cannabis Home Grow (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Governor Signs Marijuana Banking And Insurance Reform Bill Into Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Portland Weed Demand Hits Three-Year Low (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Police Arrested Over 13,000 People for Marijuana Possession in 2021 (NORML)

• The Fight for Medical Cannabis in Indonesia (High Times)

• Weed, Like Change, Nourishes The Soil To Regenerate The Cannabis Industry (Forbes)

LSD

• Why David Bowie wasn’t a fan of LSD (Far Out)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA May Find Itself In Federal Court Again Over Refusal To Provide Psilocybin Access To Terminally Ill Patients (Marijuana Moment)

• Oregon therapeutic psilocybin program sparks some confusion (OPB)

MDMA

• World's first ecstasy 'shop' set to trial in the Netherlands (Mixmag)

• Luxury Champagne Recalled Again Over Ecstacy Contamination (Newsweek)

• MDMA: Rolling from Counterculture to the Clinic Counter (Psychedelic Science Review)

Ayahuasca

• Study suggests ayahuasca users tend to eat healthier, get more exercise, and experience physical and mental health benefits (PsyPost)

Ketamine

• PharmaTher Announces Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Covering Ketamine for the Potential Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Motor Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Ann Shulgin, Forerunner of Today's Psychedelic Re-Emergence, Dies at 91 (Transform Press)

• House Approves Marijuana And Psychedelics Amendments As Part Of Must-Pass Defense Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• What Ethnographers Have Learned from People Who Use Drugs (Undark)

• Inside the Chemistry Lab Where the MDMA Godfather Synthesized Novel Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

• The Tory Leadership Candidates on Drugs (Volteface)

• Filament Health Issued Third Patent By United States Patent and Trademark Office (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Doctors Urge Access to Psychedelic Therapies in New Mexico (TIME)

• Can Psychedelics Treat Inflammation and Eye Disease? Eleusis Thinks So. (Lucid News)

• Villain Or Victim? Understanding The Role of Women In The Latin American Drug Trade (TalkingDrugs)

• San Francisco’s New DA Vows to Ramp Up City’s Drug War (Filter)

• The Battle for Psychedelic Patents (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• How To Become a Psychedelic Therapist (DoubleBlind)

• 5 Countries Where Psychedelics are Legal (Psychedelic Spotlight)

7.22.22

Cannabis

• Senate Leadership Introduces Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition (NORML)

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

• Legal cannabis is producing more plastic waste than pot (Leafly)

• Colorado Company To Research Cannabis As A Treatment For Parkinson’s Disease (Forbes)

• Biden Says He’s ‘Working On’ Bill To Release Cannabis Inmates (High Times)

• Germany, Luxembourg, Malta And The Netherlands Discuss Marijuana Legalization At Historic Joint Meeting (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Springs Recreational Cannabis Initiative Qualifies for November Ballot (High Times)

• Minnesota Is Home To America's First Cannabis Disc Golf Course (MIX 108)

• House Passes Bill Permitting Weed Ads on TV and Radio (High Times)

• Colorado's New Lead Marijuana Monitor Treks Through Heavy Issues (Westword)

• Cannabis Telemedicine Launches in Montana (High Times)

• Montana Marijuana Businesses Face Seemingly Endless Cycle Of Local Votes On Allowing Them To Operate (Marijuana Moment)

• People Busted for Weed in the U.K. Could Lose Passports Under Proposed Rules (High Times)

• Missouri Marijuana Legalization Measure In Danger Of Not Qualifying For Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Denver officials want to save struggling cannabis delivery businesses (The Denver Post)

• Study Finds Australians Support Cannabis Use Over Smoking Tobacco (High Times)

• House Will Not Vote On Marijuana Amendments For Veterans And Public Housing Residents After Committee Snag (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana use is higher among US states that have legalized recreational cannabis use (News-Medical)

LSD

• The Doors of Expression: LSD Alters Epigenetics and Protein Induction (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Science Feature: MindMed’s LSD Trial for ADHD (Microdose)

• Watch John Lennon explain that 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' was not about LSD (Far Out)

Magic Mushrooms

• The Sloppy Science of Psilocybin Microdosing Surveys (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• A single dose of psilocybin has long-lasting antidepressant-like effects in fruit flies (PsyPost)

• Restrictions on Psilocybin ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Are Easing as Research Ramps Up (Scientific American)

MDMA

• Patient safety issues halt trial for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy during Health Canada review (CBC)

• 'Corrective' measures ordered, but Health Canada says 2nd MDMA trial can continue (CBC)

DMT

• Teenager Used LSD And DMT To Help Overcome Trauma, Case Report Says (IFLScience)

Ayahuasca

• Churches sue to use hallucinogenic tea in religious practice (UPI)

• The Global Ayahuasca Boom: What About the Conservation of the Ayahuasca Vine? (Chacruna)

5-MeO-DMT

• The Story Behind a 1984 Hallucinogenic Pamphlet From Denton Is Just as Trippy as Its Subject (Dallas Observer)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Mydecine Files Full Patent Application Covering MYCO-006 Family of Novel Short-Acting MDMA Analogs (Psychedelic Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Weed vapes probably sending a toxic gas to your lungs, study finds (Salon)

• Cannabis getting stronger with synthetic versions added leading to psychosis, report warns (Independent.ie)

Ketamine

• Largest-ever clinical study of ketamine therapy shows that at-home model can be a safe, effective treatment for anxiety and depression; 62% fewer patients report suicidal ideation after four sessions (PR Newswire)

• Ketamine Beneficial For Treating Neonatal, And Pediatric Epilepsy: Study (Medical Dialogues)

Miscellaneous

• The Long, Strange Relationship Between Psychedelics and Telepathy (VICE)

• DEA Sued Over ‘Unlawful’ Delays On Psychedelic And Marijuana Public Records Requests Through FOIA (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Psychedelics Legalization Measure Qualifies for November Ballot (DoubleBlind)

• Keeping the Hippie Dream Alive (The New York Times)

• Accessibility Is Key for the Psychedelic Revolution (Pharmacy Times)

• Podcast aims to raise awareness about future of psychedelic treatments (CBC)

• Skip the trip – does the world need non-hallucinogenic psychedelics? (leafie)

• New Regulations for Psychedelics? Here's What Investors Need to Know (The Motley Fool)

7.29.22

Cannabis

• Weedmaps again advertising illegal marijuana retailers and products, complaints allege (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Singapore Executes Man for Cannabis Trafficking (High Times)

• House Passes Bipartisan Marijuana Research Bill, With Senate Expected To Send It To President Soon (Marijuana Moment)

• Zimbabwe OKs First Medicinal Cannabis Sales (High Times)

• Secret Australian marijuana facility exposes location after turning sky pink (The Washington Post)

• Biden Administration Proposes Prisoner Swap To Free Brittney Griner (High Times)

• Over 850 Doctors in Thailand Protest Pot Legalization (High Times)

• Senator Files Bill To Allow Marijuana Advertising On TV And Radio In Legal States (Marijuana Moment)

• The 'World's Biggest Cannabis Scam' Is Totally Unravelling (VICE)

• Bronx Cannabis Hub Fosters Opportunity in Communities Hit Hard by Arrests (Filter)

• Cannabis Users Less Likely to Face Complications After Spinal Fusion Surgery (High Times)

• 15 State Attorneys General File Brief Opposing Lawsuit To Help Put Medical Marijuana On Nebraska Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Thai businesses cash in on cannabis, from milk tea to toothpaste (Reuters)

• Missouri Marijuana Legalization Initiative Short Of Signatures Needed For Ballot In County Reviews (Marijuana Moment)

• New Hampshire stands alone in New England as only state without legal marijuana (WMUR)

LSD

• New Zealand Government Grants $650K For LSD Microdosing Trials (Benzinga)

• Operation Julie: Rural Wales LSD bust becomes a musical (BBC)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA Sued Again Over Refusal To Allow Psilocybin Access For Patients Despite Federal Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Why some of Colorado’s foremost shrooms advocates won’t be voting to legalize psilocybin (The Denver Post)

• Legal psilocybin prescriptions in Canada (Drug Science)

• Project Solace: The World’s Largest Medical Psilocybin Access and Data Project (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• COMPASS Pathways launches phase II clinical trial of psilocybin therapy in anorexia nervosa (Psychedelic Alpha)

DMT

• U.S. Patent Grant to Strengthen Small Pharma’s DMT Patent Strategy With Injectable Formulation (Psychedelic Alpha)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• DEA Cancels Proposed Ban Of Five Psychedelics, Giving Scientists More Time To Research Therapeutic Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

• Working with Indigenous allies is the ethical way to develop psychedelic-based pharmaceuticals (STAT News)

• Festival drugs: Warning over 'imposter' substances threat (BBC)

• Ecstasy for the 21st Century: Designer Drugs to Improve MDMA Therapy (Psychedelic Science Review)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Easy On The Eyes — This Company Reports Using a Unique Synthetic Cannabinoid Derivative To Treat Glaucoma (Benzinga)

Nitrous Oxide

• Doctors warn ‘dangerous’ laughing gas is becoming an ‘epidemic’ amid rise in hospitalisations (The Independent)

• A Law will Prohibit the Sale of Nitrous Oxide or “Laughing Gas” to Minors in Bulgaria (Novinite.com)

Ketamine

• At Home Sublingual Ketamine Exhibits Rapid And Significant Antidepressant And Anxiolytic Effects (Medical Dialogues)

• Ketamine found to be unlikely to lead to addiction (Medical Xpress)

• Silo Pharma Announces Positive Results from its Topically Administered Formulation of Ketamine (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Biden Administration Plans For Legal Psychedelic Therapies Within Two Years (The Intercept)

• San Francisco Launches Bid to Decriminalize Psychedelics (Filter)

• Your Genes May Determine How You React To Psychedelic Drugs (IFLScience)

• The Psychoactive Substances Act on Trial (Volteface)

• The High-Stakes Race to Engineer New Psychedelic Drugs (WIRED)

• Trump Urges ‘Very Quick Trial’ and Death Penalty for Drug Dealers (High Times)

• The Psychedelics Industry’s Next Hurdle Is How to Go Mainstream (Bloomberg)

• One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug (YouGov)

• Microdosing: Scientists tackle psychedelic trend becoming ‘creative enhancer of choice’ (The Sydney Morning Herald)

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 - 12.17.21

Cannabis

• Malta becomes first EU country to legalise cannabis for personal use (Euronews)

• St. Louis Mayor Signs Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation (Marijuana Moment)

• No Fentanyl Found in Cannabis After All, Vermont Police Say (High Times)

• Viral story shared across social media about two teens overdosing on fentanyl-laced marijuana in Springfield was untrue (MassLive)

• Ministry pushes full cannabis legalisation (Bangkok Post)

• Government-Funded Study Shows Unprecedented Decline in Marijuana Use By Young People (NORML)

• Pfizer to Acquire Pharmaceutical Company Testing Cannabinoid Treatment (High Times)

• Heavy metals in cannabis plants could affect human health, study finds (New Atlas)

• Rhode Island Legalization Bill Set for Early 2022 Introduction (High Times)

• Baltimore: City Officials Move to Abolish Pre-Employment Drug Screens for Many Public Employees (NORML)

• Smoking CBD-Rich Marijuana Has ‘No Significant Impact’ On Driving Ability, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis use could cause harmful drug interactions (ScienceDaily)

LSD

• Cary Grant Is High on LSD in ‘Flying Over Sunset.’ Everyone Else Has a Bad Trip. (The Daily Beast)

• PharmaTher Announces Positive Research Results for LSD Microneedle Patch (BioSpace)

• MindMed Initiates Phase 2a LSD Trial for the Treatment of Adult ADHD (Psilocybin Alpha)

Magic Mushrooms

• New Filing Challenges Compass Pathways’ Infamous Patent on Synthetic Psilocybin (VICE)

• Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy reduces loss of meaning and suicidal ideation among cancer patients (PsyPost)

• With health care workers hurting, a doctor wants to see if a psychedelic can help (NBC News)

• COMPASS Pathways announces positive outcome of 25mg COMP360 psilocybin therapy as adjunct to SSRI antidepressants in open-label treatment-resistant depression study (Psilocybin Alpha)

• More patients granted psilocybin exemption by federal government (CBC)

• Warning: Oregon Legalized Supported Adult Use of Psilocybin, Not Psychedelic Therapy (Chacruna)

• New York Lawmaker Files Bill To Legalize Medical Psilocybin Treatments, With Focus On First Responders And Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

• This Trippy New Book Takes You Through Modern Mushroom History—With Cartoons (DoubleBlind)

• Psyched Wellness Announces Path to Market for AME-1-derived Products in the USA (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Silo Wellness announces series of psilocybin retreats in Jamaica (Globetrender)

• HAVN Life Successfully Exports Psilocybin from Jamaica Facility into the U.S. for Research Purposes (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

• The Big Return – and Decline in Quality – of MDMA (VICE)

• Latest trials confirm the benefits of MDMA – the drug in ecstasy – for treating PTSD (The Conversation)

• MDMA could soon be used to treat PTSD according to physicians (Mixmag)

Ayahuasca

• Study links the ceremonial use of ayahuasca to robust reductions in neuroticism (PsyPost)

• Educating Gringos in Shipibo Ways (Chacruna)

• Esther Jean Langdon: Half a Century of Research About Shamanism and Ayahuasca (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Cybin Awarded Notice of Allowance from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for CYB004 (Deuterated Psychedelic Tryptamine) for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

• atai Life Sciences Announces Successful Outcome of Phase 2a Biomarker Trial of RL-007 in Cognitive Impairment Associated with Schizophrenia (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Tainted synthetic marijuana linked to severe bleeding cases in Florida (Live Science)

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelics Rejected for Therapeutic Use in Australia (VICE)

• Can a Values-Centered Psychedelic Ecosystem Effectively Compete? (Lucid News)

• Mind Medicine Australia’s Response to the Announcement of the TGA NOT to Reschedule the Medical Use of MDMA for Treatment Resistant PTSD and the Medical Use of Psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression as Part of Therapy. (Mind Medicine Australia)

• How Do Psychedelics Change Your Personality? These Researchers Tried To Find Out (IFLScience)

• ‘This isn’t the 60s again’: psychedelics business takes off amid culture clash (The Guardian)

• 2022 Global Drug Survey: Help make it bigger than ever for its 10 year anniversary (TalkingDrugs)

• Most Addiction Specialists Support Legalized Therapeutic Psychedelics (Medscape)

• Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy on the Rise in VA Hospitals (Lucid News)

• Psychedelics and Substance Use Disorder: 4000 BCE to Present Day (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Many Indians Are Experimenting With Psychedelics, Other Drugs to Deal With Mental Health Issues (The Swaddle)

• Editor’s Choice Award 2021-Best Study on Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity (Psychedelic Science Review)

• atai Impact Establishes the atai Fellowship Fund in Psychedelic Neuroscience with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics (Psilocybin Alpha)

• How to Start Microdosing Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

• Understanding HPPD to Prioritize Harm Reduction of a Very Real Psychedelic Risk (Psychedelic Spotlight)

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

• Treating Hypoactive Sexual Disorder With MDMA (Reality Sandwich)

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 - 11.20.20

Cannabis

• Mexican Senate Passes Bill To Legalize Marijuana Nationwide (Marijuana Moment)

• Israel Announced Intentions To Legalize Recreational Cannabis (High Times)

• Argentina redraws medical cannabis rules, allowing home cultivation (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Cannabis resin now 25% more potent, global study reveals (The Guardian)

• New Jersey Senate Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Despite Contentious Psychedelics Provision (Marijuana Moment)

• CBD is not a narcotic, says EU court as it rules French ban is illegal (The Guardian)

• Lawmakers In Wisconsin Capital Vote To Allow Marijuana Use In Public (Marijuana Moment)

• How marijuana legalization made strides across the US in this election (The Guardian)

• New Jersey Senate And Assembly Committee Pass Marijuana Sales Bills Despite Pushback From Equity Advocates (Marijuana Moment)

• New Jersey: Senate Lawmakers Approve Legislation to End Low-Level Marijuana Arrests (NORML)

LSD

• Joanna Harcourt-Smith, Lover of Timothy Leary, High Priest of LSD, Dies at 74 (The New York Times)

• MindMed Receives Approval of Protocol Design to Evaluate Microdoses of LSD For Adult ADHD In Phase 2a Clinical Trial from Swiss and Dutch Health Authorities (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Florida man on LSD tackles Disney security guard at Animal Kingdom (Orlando Weekly)

Magic Mushrooms

• First Non-Palliative Canadian Granted Access To Psilocybin Therapy (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Usona Offers Psilocybin to Eligible Researchers at No Cost (Usona Institute)

• Revive Therapeutics Announces Research Collaboration with PharmaTher for Development of Psilocybin in Cancer and Discovery of Novel Uses of Psychedelics (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Psilocybin increases the expression neuroplasticity-related genes in rats (PsyPost)

• Psilocybin for Depression Study Approved and Funded by German Government (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Pilot Study of Psilocybin-Assisted Group Therapy in Older AIDS Survivors (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Single Dose of Psilocybin Reduces Migraines for at Least 2 Weeks (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Aeruginascin Identified in Psilocybe cubensis Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

• NeonMind Commences Preclinical Trial to Examine Psilocybin for Weight Loss (Psilocybin Alpha)

• How will Oregon’s new psilocybin therapy program work? (OPB)

• Numinus Announces Compassionate Access Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Substance Use Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

• ACT and PcbAP for Depression – A Natural Synergy Part 2: The Technical Integration (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Field Trip Health Ltd. Announces Expansion to The Netherlands and Launch of Proprietary Truffle Program (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ketamine

• Happiness during ketamine infusion predicts treatment-resistant depression outcomes (Healio)

• Ketamine May Be Helpful in Treating Alcohol Use Disorder (Psychology Today)

• Veterans Are Using Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy To Help With PTSD (Green Entrepreneur)

Miscellaneous

• Vancouver proposes decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs (The Globe and Mail)

• Canadian Officials Respond To Psychedelics Decriminalization Petition, Saying No Legal Changes Needed (Marijuana Moment)

• UK on the Brink of a Psychedelic Therapy Revolution (Filter)

• One Simple Way Biden Could Prove He Regrets His Role in the Drug War (Slate)

• How Tripping Can Help Us Reimagine Capitalism Ahead of Psychedelic Commercialization (DoubleBlind)

• High Country: The Aspen Brain Institute examines the promising future of psychedelic-assisted therapy (The Aspen Times)

• The Oregon Model (The Baffler)

• Keys for Integrating Psychedelic Experiences (Psychedelics Today)

• Kin Spruijt: A Psychedelic Nurse in a Dutch Psychiatric Clinic (Chacruna)

• Paraphernalia Decrim Advances in DC—Just Not for Drug Sellers (Filter)

• Breaking Barriers So Psychedelic Experiences Can Become Mainstream (Forbes)

• What is the Default Mode Network? (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Avoiding Negative Experiences With Microdosing (The Third Wave)

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 catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Month in Psychedelics - June 2020

Today marks the end of the first half of 2020. It’s crazy to think that so much happened in just six months, but here we are. Between a global pandemic and worldwide protests for racial justice, it might seem like nothing else has been going on. But we can’t forget the murder hornets, toilet paper shortages, Australian bushfires, the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, and so much more that has already happened this year. If the last six months are a reliable indicator of what’s to come, we definitely need to strap in before the ride really gets going.

The psychedelic world has been busy too. This month there was a ton of psychedelic news, including scientific research findings, innovations in the psychedelic industry, and some small wins on the drug policy reform front.

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

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

A Follow-Up Study Demonstrates Long-Term Benefits of Treating PTSD with MDMA

First up is a story about a new follow-up study that observed impressive long-term benefits that came from treating people who had PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Compiling followup data from six clinical trials, the researchers found that not only do the positive effects of the therapy hold up for more than a year after the completion of the treatment, but patients also continue to improve as time passes following the active MDMA sessions.

This study just adds more evidence to the ever-growing pile of data backing up the idea that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is an effective treatment for PTSD.

The World’s First Psychedelic Stock Index

Although the emerging psychedelic industry is still fairly new, several businesses have gone public, which means they can actually be traded on the stock market. But for a while it has been difficult for investors, bankers, analysts, journalists, and other market participants to find out which companies are selling shares.

However, this month CFN Enterprises launched PsyIndex, a new psychedelic stock index that aggregates and tracks the market performance of the multi-billion dollar industry. If you’d like to invest in psychedelic companies, I advise you to check out PsyIndex to become familiar with the overall landscape and read The Trip Report for constructive analysis about the various players in the industry.

A Phase 2 Clinical Trial of LSD for Suicide Headaches Begins Treating Patients

Cluster headaches, also known as “suicide headaches”, are said to be one of the most painful conditions that a human can experience. The pain typically occurs on one side of the head—or above an eye—and a single attack can range from 15 minutes to 3 hours. These attacks often occur in clusters which usually last for weeks or months, and occasionally they go on for more than a year.

Anecdotal reports suggest that LSD can halt an attack in its tracks in addition to decreasing their overall frequency and intensity, but until recently there hasn’t been much modern research into using psychedelics to treat cluster headaches. However, this month a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating whether LSD is an effective treatment for the condition started treating patients.

MindMed and University Hospital Basel’s Liechti Lab are collaborating on that research in addition to other LSD studies: a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating microdosing LSD for adult ADHD and an initiative named “Project Lucy” which is going to focus on LSD experiential therapy for anxiety disorders.

Can DMT Be Used Therapeutically?

MindMed and the Liechti Lab aren’t stopping with LSD. In the final quarter of 2020 they plan to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial that will test various intravenous dosing regimens of DMT to see if the drug can be used therapeutically, with a focus on its efficacy for treating addiction. MindMed hopes that the Phase 1 study will set the stage for future potential Phase 2a proof-of-concept trials.

These two organizations aren’t the only ones interested in exploring the healing potential of DMT. The Yield Growth Corporation announced this month that its subsidiary NeonMind has filed a patent application for the therapeutic use of DMT. The company is planning to investigate whether DMT can be successfully used to treat compulsive eating disorder and other illnesses.

Spanish Porn Star Charged with Manslaughter Following 5-MeO-DMT Ritual

A Spanish porn star named Nacho Vidal was arrested and charged with manslaughter for his connection with a mysterious death following a 5-MeO-DMT ritual. Vidal was one of three people who were arrested due to their involvement with the July 2019 death of Jose Luis Abad, a Spanish fashion photographer.

Abad died after smoking the dehydrated toad venom from Colorado River toad, with contains the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT. At this point we still don’t know exactly what caused the death, but it may have been due to physiological issues like respiratory depression or convulsions related to the ingestion of the venom, rather than any foul play on the behalf of Vidal or the other two people involved.

Drug Policy Activists Are Still Collecting Signatures Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although some drug policy reform efforts had to put an end to their signature collection due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, not every initiative has shared the same fate.

Activists in Montana submitted 130,000 signatures to legalize cannabis and the George Floyd protests actually helped the psychedelic decriminalization campaign in Washington, D.C. It seems that the racial justice protests may have actually counteracted the loss of potential signatures caused by the pandemic.

Psilocybin and the Human Ego

A breakthrough psilocybin study uncovered a new neurochemical mechanism that enables the drug to generate psychedelic effects and dissolve the ego. The study found that psilocybin can change levels of glutamate in the human brain, which in turn determines which type of ego dissolution the patient will experience—positive or negative.

Positively-experienced ego loss is related with heightened mood and euphoria whereas negatively-experienced ego dissolution involves a loss of autonomy and self-control of thought processes. The researchers were able to predict which type of experience the patient was going through by reading the levels of glutamate in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

And a meta-analysis of four prior studies found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy can engender large reductions in anxiety and depression after the completion of treatment. These benefits were also present at the six-month follow-up.

Ketamine Can Temporarily Shut Down the Brain

Another study found that high doses of ketamine are capable of temporarily shutting down the brain, which may help explain why some people report getting stuck in a “k-hole” after using the drug.

The study didn’t originally set out to study ketamine’s effects; the researchers initially wanted to find a cure for Huntington’s disease, which is a progressive disease that causes a progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. And it wasn’t conducted with humans, either. Sheep were given injections of ketamine and hooked up to an EEG machine, which found that brain activity in the animals shut down entirely following the administration of ketamine. After the effects wore off, brain activity resumed, indicating that the brain can be effectively turned on and off (like a light switch) with ketamine.

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.