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Weekly Psychedelic Links - November 2022

11.4.22

Cannabis

  • Legal cannabis is America’s 6th biggest cash crop (Leafly)

  • Nevada Judge Orders Cannabis Removed From State’s List of Controlled Substances (High Times)

  • Delaware’s Democratic Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Bill To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights (Marijuana Moment)

  • Consumers embrace concentrates as falling flower prices lead to cheaper extracts (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Legal Marijuana Access Tied To Lower Risk Of Lung Injuries From Contaminated Vapes, Study Indicates (Marijuana Moment)

  • Creator Explains Patented Process To Extract Cannabinoids From Smoke (High Times)

  • New Senate Bill Would Create Federal Marijuana Commission To Prepare For Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

  • Colorado Regulators Issue Recall for Moldy Weed (High Times)

  • Missouri Voters Back Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative In New Poll, But Support Is Tightening A Week Before Election Day (Marijuana Moment)

  • Arkansas Marijuana Legalization Initiative In Jeopardy, New Poll Shows Days Before Election (Marijuana Moment)

  • Only a Quarter of Virginia Drivers Said Driving on Pot is ‘Extremely Dangerous,’ Survey Shows (High Times)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Compass Pathways Phase 2 Psilocybin Results far from Spectacular (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • North America’s First Take Home Psilocybin Trial Approved in Canada (High Times)

  • Colorado Psychedelics Legalization Ballot Initiative Still Trails But Picks Up Support From Previously Undecided Voters, New Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Therapists who already incorporate psychedelics in their practice are mixed on Prop 122 (CPR News)

MDMA

Ayahuasca

  • Using Ayahuasca and Psychedelic Plants to Treat Racial Trauma (Psychology Today)

San Pedro

  • Nazca Human Sacrifice Victim Used Psychedelics Before Death (High Times)

Ketamine

  • New study provides insight into the cognitive mechanisms underlying ketamine’s rapid antidepressant effects (PsyPost)

  • Telehealth startups prescribing ketamine at home are stirring concern (STAT News)

  • Is Ketamine the Drug of the Moment? (VICE)

Miscellaneous

  • MAPS Prepares For Trial in Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Lucid News)

  • The Harms of Psychedelics Need to Be Put Into Context (WIRED)

  • US veterans with PTSD turn to psychedelic drugs overseas as VA frustration grows (Yahoo!)

  • Why San Francisco Didn’t (Really) Decriminalize Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

  • Why Humans Have Always Been Fascinated by Snakes—From Ayahuasceros to Egyptians (DoubleBlind)

  • How Does Race and Ethnicity Influence Psychedelic Mental Health Outcomes? (Psychedelic Spotlight)

11.11.22

Cannabis

  • Maryland Becomes 20th State to Legalize Marijuana for Adult Use (NORML)

  • Missouri Becomes 21st State to Legalize Marijuana for Adult Use (NORML)

  • Ohio Voters Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Ballot Measures In Five Cities (Marijuana Moment)

  • Wisconsin Voters Approve Marijuana Ballot Questions In Cities And Counties Across The State (Marijuana Moment)

  • South Dakota Voters Reject Adult-Use Cannabis Second Time Around (High Times)

  • Arkansas Marijuana Legalization Initiative Defeated By Voters (Marijuana Moment)

  • North Dakota Rejects Bill To Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis (High Times)

  • Texas Voters In Five Cities Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Ballot Initiatives (Marijuana Moment)

  • Can cannabis help us win the war against antibiotic resistance? (Salon)

  • Czech Republic Plans To Legalize Cannabis In Coordination With Germany (Forbes)

  • Wisconsin Governor Pledges To Put Marijuana Legalization In Upcoming Budget After Voters Approve Reform On The Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Minnesota Senators Signal Plans To Advance Marijuana Legalization In 2023 With New Democratic Majority (Marijuana Moment)

  • Arkansas Activists Plan Expanded 2024 Marijuana Ballot Initiative Following This Week’s Legalization Defeat (Marijuana Moment)

  • Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit on Rule Barring Medical Cannabis Users From Buying Guns (High Times)

  • FDA Finally Rejects Petition For Federal Exemption For Marijuana More Than A Decade After It Was Filed (Marijuana Moment)

  • ‘Cannabis Use Disorder’ Pill Clinical Trial To Begin (High Times)

  • Study Shows Smoking Weed Doesn’t Automatically Make You Cool (High Times)

  • New Survey Details The Growing Importance Of Cannabis For Thanksgiving Celebrations (Forbes)

  • Study Finds No Change in Cannabis Perception Among Youth in Adult-Use States (High Times)

LSD

  • LSD induces both an “afterglow” for memory performance and a cognitive “hangover,” study finds (PsyPost)

  • LSD Microdosing Yields Positive Outcomes In Phase 1 Study, More Trials On Depression & Existential Distress (Benzinga)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Several rural Oregon counties vote against therapeutic use of psilocybin (OPB)

  • There’s Now a Shroom Dispensary in the US (DoubleBlind)

  • The Heroic Dose: Navigating Powerful Mushroom Journeys (DoubleBlind)

MDMA

  • MDMA Therapy is Almost Legal—But Who Will Have Access? (DoubleBlind)

  • ‘Losing the Magic’: When MDMA Just Stops Working (VICE)

Ayahuasca

  • Ayahuasca to blame for Aaron Rodgers' struggles, ESPN's Robert Griffin III suggests (Fox News)

  • What Mainstream Churches Can Learn from an Ayahuasca Church (Lucid News)

5-MeO-DMT

  • Feds Tell National Park Visitors To Stop Licking Psychedelic Toads (Marijuana Moment)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

Synthetic Cannabinoids

  • Two hospitalised due to dangerous batch of synthetic cannabinoids (Stuff.co.nz)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Home Office responds to call for retail sales ban on nitrous oxide (gasworld)

Ketamine

  • Mom of 5 died after ketamine injection by a paramedic, family alleges in wrongful death suit (NBC)

Miscellaneous

  • What a Trip: Coloradans Approve Landmark Psychedelics Measure (Westword)

  • Wonderland Miami Exposes Growing Rift in Psychedelic Community (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • Psychedelic Training Provider Fluence Files Trademark for Common Phrase, Walks Back After Criticism (Psymposia)

  • Psychedelic drug research held back by UK rules and attitudes, say scientists (The Guardian)

  • Will the Psychedelic Revolution Be Medicalized? (Lucid News)

11.18.22

Cannabis

  • Kentucky Governor Signs Executive Orders Allowing Medical Marijuana Possession From Other States And Regulating Delta-8 THC (Marijuana Moment)

  • Congress Passes Landmark Cannabis Research Bill (High Times)

  • Half of Dentists Say Patients Arrive to Checkups Stoned, Survey Finds (High Times)

  • Nearly Seven In Ten Americans Back Marijuana Legalization, Including Majority Of Republicans, Latest Gallup Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cows Given Hemp Feed To Produce Milk With THC (High Times)

  • New York’s gray market cannabis crackdown begins in Brooklyn (Leafly)

  • Study Finds Link Between Cannabis Use, Greater Physical Activity in HIV+ Patients (High Times)

  • U.K. Researchers Launch Study Exploring Weed’s Effects on the Brain (High Times)

  • Study Examines If CBD Buffers THC’s Effects (High Times)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Nearly 70% of Oregon bans psilocybin, but clinics will still open next year (Leafly)

MDMA

  • Second MAPS-Sponsored Phase 3 Trial of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD Completed (MAPS)

  • Post-pandemic trends in the UK MDMA market and implications for harm reduction services (Volteface)

DMT

  • Algernon Pharmaceuticals begins screening of first subject in phase 1 DMT human stroke study (Pharmabiz)

Ayahuasca

  • Mind-altering South American brew causes adverse side effects, study says (UPI)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • VIC Health Warns of 'Chemical Similar to PCP' Sold as Ketamine (VICE)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Laughing Gas Is Being Banned In the Netherlands As Reports of Extreme Use Grow (VICE)

Ketamine

  • Online Ketamine Clinics Face Tougher Times After Covid-Era Boom (Bloomberg)

Miscellaneous

  • Bipartisan Lawmakers Form New Psychedelics Caucus In Congress (Marijuana Moment)

  • Drug testing makes festivals safer, new research finds (Mixmag)

  • Spiraling Down Wonderland’s Psychedelic Corporate Rabbit Hole (Lucid News)

  • ‘How to Change Your Mind’ and the Destigmatisation of Psychedelics (Sam Woolfe)

  • Elon Talks Psychedelics: Is he Helping or Hurting the Movement? (Microdose)

  • Psychedelic drugs may reopen critical learning periods in the brain (New Scientist)

  • Cory Booker And Rand Paul File Bill To Reschedule Psychedelic Breakthrough Therapies And Remove Research Barriers (Marijuana Moment)

  • Philadose conference highlights psychedelic therapies in Pennsylvania (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Inside Detroit’s Trippy A-F “Psychedelic Healing Shack” (DoubleBlind)

  • Would you let your teenager try psychedelics? (Drug Science)

11.25.22

Cannabis

  • Krispy Kreme is paying to keep weed illegal (Leafly)

  • Rhode Island To Begin Adult-Use Cannabis Sales on Dec. 1 (High Times)

  • Oregon: Governor Announces Mass Pardons for Those with Low-Level Cannabis Convictions (NORML)

  • Colombian Senators Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • North Carolina tribe begins first legal medical cannabis harvest in the state (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Irish Lawmaker Files Bill To Legalize Marijuana Possession For Adults, Draws Early Criticism From Top Government Official (Marijuana Moment)

  • CBD did not help people who got too high, study finds (Leafly)

  • New York Cannabis Farms Have $750 Million of Weed — and Nowhere to Sell It (Bloomberg)

  • Just 10 Percent Of Americans Think Marijuana Should Be Totally Illegal, Pew Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cops May Soon Be Able To Scan Your Eyeballs To See if You’re Driving Stoned (High Times)

  • South Dakota Medical Marijuana Patients Won’t Be Denied Hunting Licenses, Official Says (Marijuana Moment)

  • The Nose Knows! Study Shows Aroma Drives Cannabis Consumer Appeal (High Times)

  • Federally Funded Study Shows Marijuana Legalization Is Not Associated With Increased Teen Use (Marijuana Moment)

  • Southern Illinois University Examining the Use of Cannabis for Ovarian Cancer (High Times)

  • No, marijuana is not more harmful than tobacco (Leafly)

  • Idaho Activists Launch Signature Drive To Put Medical Marijuana Legalization On 2024 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

  • Beckley Foundation Announces LSD, Microdosing Research (High Times)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Oregon's Newly Legal Magic Mushroom Industry Could Be Strangled by Restrictive Zoning Regulations (Reason)

Ayahuasca

  • Study Finds Benefits Outweigh Risks of Ayahuasca Use (High Times)

5-MeO-DMT

Iboga

  • I Tried Ibogaine, the Psychedelic Anti-Addiction Drug (VICE)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

  • Utah moves to ban synthetic cannabinoids in medical marijuana products (Fox 13)

Ketamine

  • Long-term Ketamine Treatment for Depression May Reduce Risk of Relapse (Lucid News)

  • At-Home Ketamine Treatments Could Be a Game-Changer—or a Big Problem (Gizmodo)

  • Amygdala connectivity predicts ketamine treatment response among patients with anxious depression (PsyPost)

  • atai Life Sciences and Massachusetts General Hospital Announce Initiation of Clinical Study Investigating Neuroplasticity Biomarkers in Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients Undergoing Ketamine Treatment (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

  • There’s a Worldwide Spike in Arrests of Plant Medicine Practitioners (DoubleBlind)

  • All Entheogens Welcome at this Post-Modern Oakland Church (Lucid News)

  • How To Stop A Psychedelic Trip: The Promise of Ketanserin (Psychedelic Science Review)

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 - 7.3.20

ThisWeekinPsychedelics.png

Cannabis

  • Virginia’s Marijuana Decriminalization Law Officially Takes Effect (Marijuana Moment)

  • As Signature Deadlines Approach, Here’s Where Marijuana And Drug Policy Reform Campaigns Stand (Marijuana Moment)

  • Arizona Marijuana Activists Turn In 420,000 Signatures To Qualify Legalization Measure For Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Nebraska Medical Marijuana Campaign Submits 182,000 Signatures To Qualify For Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Colorado Governor Signs Marijuana Social Equity Bill Letting Him Expedite Possession Pardons (Marijuana Moment)

  • Researchers Are Looking At Cannabis As A Potential Way To Prevent COVID-19 (Forbes)

  • Pennsylvania and California Both Move to Expunge Thousands of Minor Pot Charges (MERRY JANE)

  • Virginia Lawmakers Announce Plans To Legalize Marijuana, One Day After Decriminalization Takes Effect (Marijuana Moment)

  • Texas: Austin Police to Cease Making Arrests, Issuing Citations for Minor Marijuana Offenses (NORML)

  • Treasury Department Issues Updated Guidance On Hemp Banking Rules (Marijuana Moment)

  • 56% of New Zealanders Say They'll Vote "Yes" on Weed Legalization This Fall (MERRY JANE)

  • Ohio Senate Votes To Expand Marijuana Decriminalization To Cover 200 Grams (Marijuana Moment)

  • 90% of College Students in New York Want Weed Legalization Now, New Poll Shows (MERRY JANE)

  • Cannabis pandemic sales uptick not enough to save struggling sector (Medical Xpress)

  • Congress Votes To Let Researchers Study Marijuana From Dispensaries (Marijuana Moment)

  • What’s the best minimum legal age for cannabis? (Leafly)

  • Nashville DA to Stop Prosecuting Minor Pot Possession, Effective Immediately (MERRY JANE)

  • California cities begin embracing cannabis in desperate search for cash (Politico)

  • CBD Helps Treat Osteoarthritis and Increase Mobility in Dogs, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

  • Military Members Who Used Marijuana Could Reenlist Under Measure Approved By Congressional Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • Consuming Pharmaceutical THC May Help Treat Alzheimer's Symptoms, Study Says (MERRY JANE)

  • Cannabis research stalled by federal inaction (Chemical and Engineering News)

LSD

Magic Mushrooms

  • Oregon Psilocybin Measure Has Enough Signatures For November Ballot, Activists Say (Marijuana Moment)

  • Invading Cicadas May Turn Into Sex-Crazed Zombies This Summer (VICE)

  • There's A Case For Non-Medical Psilocybin (Green Market Report)

  • What I Learned While Working to Decriminalize Psilocybin in California (Chacruna)

  • New Psilocybin Company Enters The Market (Green Market Report)

MDMA

  • Study finds impulsivity and psychological distress predict problematic ecstasy use (PsyPost)

Ayahuasca

  • Bringing Indigenous Healing and Psychoactive Plants to Global Mental Health (Mad in America)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Nitrous oxide may bring relief to veterans suffering from PTSD, new study suggests (EurekAlert!)

Ketamine

  • Proposed Patent for Ketamine Treatment Challenged by Clinicians (Lucid News)

  • Elijah McClain was injected with ketamine before he died. Is that legal? (USA Today)

  • Trying Something New in Isolation (The Cut)

Miscellaneous

  • Oregon Drug Decriminalization And Treatment Measure Qualifies For November Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • DC Psychedelics Campaign Gets Boost From Denver Psilocybin Activists As Signature Deadline Looms (Marijuana Moment)

  • Beckley Psytech raises £3m Series A (UK Tech News)

  • How COVID-19 will Affect the Psychedelic Renaissance (Volteface)

  • Using Zebrafish as an Experimental Model in Psychedelic Research (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • Are psychedelic drugs headed for the mainstream? (Sifted)

  • The Foster System Is a Battleground for the Racist War on Drugs (Truthout)

  • The Technodelic Experience: Achieving a Psychedelic State Without Psychedelics (Sam Woolfe)

  • Field Trip Psychedelics Launches Therapeutic Program For Vets, First Responders (Benzinga)

  • The DEA’s Most Recent Abuse of Power Should Renew Calls for Divestment (Common Dreams)

  • Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out: A Previously Unpublished Interview with Timothy Leary (DoubleBlind)

  • From Hippies to Modern Psychotherapy, A Psychedelics Handbook for the Willful Skeptics (Interesting Engineering)

  • South African Network of People Who Use Drugs Welcomes the Announcement of the National Drug Master Plan by the Department of Social Development on 2020 Global Day of Action (AllAfrica)

  • MindMed Building Diverse Pipeline and Leadership Position in Psychedelic Inspired Medicines Industry (PR Newswire)

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.

First Ever Trials on the Effects of Microdosing LSD Set to Begin

Sarah Boseley, writing for The Guardian:

[Microdosing is] illegal. So how many people are microdosing is unknown and there is only anecdotal evidence of the effects and any downsides. In a bid to learn more, the Beckley Foundation, which was set up to pioneer research into mind-altering substances, and the unit it funds at Imperial College London, will launch the first ever placebo-controlled trial of microdosing on Monday, 3 September 2018.

This is very exciting news. The first ever microdosing study is going to start in a couple of days. But is it really the first? Psychedelic Press begged to differ in this tweet:

First ever? Not really. We have a little surprise publication coming out very soon dealing with this. Stay tuned #microdosing

Microdosing has been criticized for being difficult to study, and this trial will involve volunteers self-administering their own LSD. So how will the researchers keep the participants from knowing whether they are taking an actual microdose or an empty pill? Simple—the study will get around that problem by employing an innovative technique.

It will be unique, says Balázs Szigeti, the study leader. The cost and the illegality of LSD would make a conventional study prohibitively expensive. So he has hit on a way of running it by inviting those who already microdose to join a “self-blinded” study. They will take either what they usually use in a capsule or an identical dummy capsule instead, without knowing which is which. They will complete questionnaires and tests and play cognitive games online, and only at the end will they learn whether they were happy and focused because of LSD or because they thought they were using LSD.

Even if this isn't the first microdosing study ever conducted, it's the first time I've ever heard of a self-blinded study. What an elegant and creative solution.


The Best Psychedelic Blogs and Publications in 2020

Art by nanobotz

Art by nanobotz

Last updated: July 28th, 2020

It doesn't matter if you're new to the psychedelic community or an experienced psychonaut with hundreds of trips under your belt—finding blogs and publications that cover the news about psychedelics is tough.

But since I’ve been reporting psychedelic news for more than five years, I’ve accumulated a long list of potential news sources that I regularly scan for interesting stuff to share on this blog and my YouTube channel. So I figured I’d use my expertise to put together this resource guide to help my fellow psychonauts find the best psychedelic blogs and publications on the Internet.

The blogs and publications on this list are all different. Some focus exclusively on one particular plant medicine, like cannabis or ayahuasca. Others cover news about a variety of different psychoactive drugs. All of them have at least a few pieces related to psychedelics, and the collection features such a broad range of editorial styles that I can guarantee you’ll find at least a few that you’ll want to start reading on the reg.

The list is sorted alphabetically. Without further ado, here they are:

Adventures Through the Mind

Adventures Through the Mind is a blog focusing on psychedelic culture. The content is produced by Canadian author and public educator, James W. Jesso, who is the author of Decomposing The Shadow: Lessons From The Psilocybin Mushroom and The True Light Of Darkness, both about his experiences exploring the potentials of psychedelics.

Beckley Foundation

The Beckley Foundation is a UK-based think-tank and NGO founded and directed by Amanda Feilding. Its purpose is to pioneer psychedelic research and drive evidence-based drug policy reform.

Big Think

Big Think is where top experts explore big ideas and core skills that define the 21st century, including articles like Can Psychedelics Help You Expand Your Mind? and Can Psychedelics Make Us More Moral?

Botanical Dimensions

Botanical Dimensions is a non-profit ethnobotanical preserve founded on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1985 by Kathleen Harrison and the late Terence McKenna. Its mission is to collect, protect, propagate, and understand plants of ethno-medical significance, including their lore. The organization attempts to appreciate, study, and educate others about plants and mushrooms that are significant to cultural integrity and spiritual well-being. The blog focuses on topics like plants, fungi, culture, food, native knowledge, healing, and shamanism. 

Chacruna

Chacruna is a collective of intellectuals and creatives that love to redefine common knowledge about psychedelic plant medicines. Its contributors include leading anthropologists, psychologists, journalists, neuroscientists, philosophers, therapists, and wordsmiths with deep or new knowledge about psychedelic plant medicines.

The Daily Psychedelic Video

The Daily Psychedelic Video is the biggest collection of curated psychedelic videos on the web. The site is run by a team of psychedelic video aficionados dedicated to finding the best psychedelic videos out there. It has been active daily since April 2010, and includes more than 3,000 psychedelic videos.

Dedicated to the exploration of psychedelic aesthetics in cinema, TV, commercials and web videos, the DPV was created so that any person in the midst of a mind blowing psychedelic experience can have easy access to high-quality psychedelic material.

DMT Times

DMT Times was launched for several reasons. It is a hub and information point for users of DMT and ayahuasca: a place for those interested to find out about the latest news and events, conduct research, and discuss all aspects of their experiences with likeminded people.

There are many resources on the site, from movies and documentaries to books, articles, artwork and of course insights from the authors, John and Caroline. These will continue to grow over time, and soon there will also be interviews with authorities in the field, podcasts, local events and discussions, and more.

DoubleBlind

DoubleBlind is a biannual print magazine and media company covering timely, untold stories about the expansion of psychedelics around the globe. It isn’t speaking to the veteran tripper nor evangelizing to the anti-drug square. DoubleBlind is for everyone who is curious about psychedelics. This publication features fresh perspectives on some of the most important issues of our time: the depression epidemic, the corporatization of medicine, and the aching that people around the globe feel for spirituality or some other collective sense of meaning. Dive deep below the surface of the daily news cycle through long-form reported features, poetry, visual art, and provocative photo essays offered both online and in print.

Drug Policy Alliance

The Drug Policy Alliance envisions a just society in which the use and regulation of drugs are grounded in science, compassion, health, and human rights, in which people are no longer punished for what they put into their own bodies but only for crimes committed against others, and in which the fears, prejudices, and punitive prohibitions of today are no more. Their mission is to advance those policies and attitudes that best reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and bodies.

Drug WarRant

As the art of blogging evolves, few have utilized this tool as effectively for anti-marijuana-prohibition advocacy as Pete Guither. Check him out at DrugWarRant.com and enter the Drug War Rant community. Both of these outlets were the result of Pete’s anger at the continued prohibition of cannabis. What started out as research and writing primarily for his own edification has blossomed into a powerful online forum and community of drug-policy reformers that provides a valuable service by supplying activists with news and information on the latest scientific, legal and political developments.

Filter

Filter launched in September 2018 and is based in New York City. Its mission is to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights.

The Fix

The Fix is the world's premier website about addiction and recovery, featuring a daily mix of breaking news, exclusive interviews, investigative reports, essays, and blogs on sober living, lifestyle, and cultural resources, as well as knowledge and wisdom from expert counsel.

Freedom and Fulfilment

Writer Aaron Simon started his blog Freedom and Fulfilment to write about his experience and share ideas on self improvement, spirituality, and how we can create the best lives for ourselves and others. He has published several posts about psychedelics, including Mystical Experience & Psychedelics: Meaningful, Measurable, Life Changing and Can We Derive Values From Psychedelic Experience?

Heffter Research Institute

The Heffter Research Institute was incorporated in New Mexico in 1993 as a non-profit, 501(c)(3) scientific organization. Since its inception, Heffter has been helping to design, review, and fund the leading studies on psilocybin at prominent research institutions in the US and Europe. Their research has explored psilocybin for the treatment of cancer-related distress and addiction, for understanding the relationship between the psychedelic experience and spirituality, and for basic science research into the physiology of brain activity, cognition, and behavior. The Heffter Institute believes that psychedelics have great, unexplored potential that requires independently funded scientific research to find their best uses in medical treatment.
Hester is not an endowed foundation, and so there is a continuous need for funding to support this critical research.

Herb

Herb is not the couch-locked stoner caricature sketched by politicians with a hidden agenda and a lack of imagination. Its writers are diverse. They are free thinkers. They are achievers. And they are not here to scare your parents. They believe that cannabis is more than just a plant. Above all, Herb believes that cannabis is a catalyst to experience, to curiosity, to culture, to community, and to health. It’s not about the plant. It’s about what you choose to do with it.

Herb exists to empower our users to use cannabis to transform their bodies, minds and souls. They want you to do one thing: Grow.

HighExistence Magazine

HighExistence Magazine is for the young movers and shakers who want to put a dent in the world. For the up-and-coming artists, creative types, and entrepreneurs. This magazine will take you by the hand and show you how to live a Higher Existence. Every single article in HighExistence Magazine has a section at the end that explains how the article applies to your life and provides simple, practical steps to follow to implement the teachings.

High Times

High Times is the definitive resource for all things cannabis. From cultivation and legalization, to entertainment and culture, to hard-hitting news exposing the War on Drugs, High Times has been the preeminent source for cannabis information since 1974.

The Institute for the Advancement of Psychedelic Christianity

The IAPC is an organizational body whose purpose is to advance the cause of psychedelic Christianity by informing the public of the existence of this way of thinking about Christianity. It is not a church. The organization encourages people to join whatever church they believe tells the most truth and does not endorse any political parties, candidates, or positions. It encourages people to lighten up about politics, to treat them more like a sport and less like a religion, on the grounds that worldly politics will never lead to the kingdom of heaven.

Kahpi: The Ayahuasca Hub

Kahpi is the result of a large collective energy of people with long-term engagement with the realities of ayahuasca culture, science, and experiences. The site features a powerful series of ayahuasca video courses taught by 10 carefully-selected world-renowned teachers. As a charity organization, Kahpi is grateful to receive generous donations from around the world. These donations enable them to offer the Kahpi courses free to access.

Note: I am a contributor at Kahpi. If you would like to check out my work there, you can visit my author page.

Ladybud

Ladybud is the #1 women’s lifestyle publication with a focus on activism specific to drug war reform and other socially progressive issues. This publication fills a void in both mainstream and drug policy reform media. Traditional marijuana media focuses on young men and features content about cultivation and party culture. While Ladybud respects these roots, they are doing something very different. Their writers are mostly women in their 20s-60s who cover a wide variety of topics: marijuana activism, culture, beauty, sex, and food. They identify as the average modern woman who also believes the drug war is one of the greatest social and civil rights issues facing our nation and the world today.

Leafly

Leafly is the world’s largest cannabis information resource. They make the process of finding the right strains and products for you fast, simple, and comfortable. The Leafly "News" page features the latest cannabis news, including what's new in politics and pop culture, information, lifestyle tips, and more. Whether you’re new to cannabis, a medical marijuana patient, or a seasoned consumer, Leafly is the perfect destination for you!

LIMINAL

LIMINAL is a magazine for strange times. It covers a wide range of topics: the planet, the human body, arts, and science, just to name a few. This publication provides trusted context and framing for a new cultural paradigm, one that embraces inner experience – the realm of the psyche – as well as material, ecological, and political necessities.

Lucid News

Lucid News provides informed, honest, and transparent journalism that covers the growing integration of psychedelics into society and their broad implications for human wellness. Founded by longtime participants of psychedelic communities who bring discernment and a healthy skepticism to their work, this publication offers news and opinions from a wide range of perspectives to help readers navigate this pivotal moment of innovation and transformation.

MAPS Bulletin

MAPS (the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) publishes the MAPS Bulletin three times a year. The print edition is is mailed to members who donate $50 or more per year ($60 international) to support the organization’s research and educational initiatives, and the MAPS Bulletin Archive contains free electronic versions of each issue, stretching all the way back to 1988! MAPS also distributes the Bulletin as an educational tool for scientists, researchers, government officials, drug war prisoners, and educators. The MAPS Bulletin began as a one-page newsletter in 1988. In 1995, after growing successively longer with each issue, the newsletter became the MAPS Bulletin. Two out of three issues a year feature full-color thematic artwork on the covers.

Maps of the Mind

Blogger John Andrew created Maps of the Mind to share his experiences, pass on ideas and resources, and to inspire others. Through his experiences he has come to believe that the most powerful tool for transformation is the mind, so a lot of what he writes is based around three related areas: psychedelics, travel, and meditation.

To John, these three areas have an interesting crossover—there is a reason why psychedelic experiences are called “trips” and in the same way he believes that travel and meditation can be psychedelic inasmuch as they can be mind-opening and lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of self and the world. They have all been hugely influential in shaping who he is and his work aims to shape his readers as well.

Marijuana Moment

If you need up-to-the-minute news on the politics, business, and culture of cannabis, you’re in the right place. Edited by Tom Angell, a 15+ year veteran of the legalization movement, Marijuana Moment helps activists, industry professionals, consumers, policymakers, and the public understand developments and trends affecting cannabis.

Merry Jane

MERRY JANE is a new generation's definitive resource for news, culture, and video covering cannabis and beyond. Through exclusive content and engaging perspectives, MERRY JANE brings together the most important information and entertainment for today's audience while also offering vital, interactive tools to explore the new frontier of cannabis products, dispensaries, events, and community. Roll with MERRY JANE!

NeuroticBuddha

There are many pitfalls along the path. Misinformation, quackery, and sometimes just plain lunacy make it difficult for the skeptical yet interested individual to see the real value of the spiritual path through the fog. NeuroticBuddha is for these very people. Written by Michael Stone, this project is for sound minded individuals who are cautious to walk the path and wish to approach it rationally but also with a wondrous curiosity that there is something more profound to be discovered about life. Michael's aim is to thoughtfully explore the wisdom in Buddhism, meditation, psychedelic use, and other spiritual pursuits in order to, even just slightly, silence that neurotic voice within.

New Moon Musings

New Moon Musings is an up-and-coming blog written by Maia Snow, a psybass DJ and PHD student researching gender and psychedelic/visionary culture and mixing it all together to create original commentary about the psychedelic community.

NORML

NORML's mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient, and affordable.

The Oak Tree Review

The intent of The Oak Tree Review is to investigate the many branches of psychedelic culture throughout history. Special interest is taken in its manifestations in art and literature.

Psilocybin Alpha

Psilocybin Alpha provides information, research, news and interviews from the emergent psychedelic industry so you can cut through the “shroom stock” noise and make sound decisions when choosing psychedelic companies to invest in.

Psychedelics Daily

Psychedelics Daily was started by Hash C Borgir, a Bhang Sadhu (Cannabis Shaman) from Punjab who was raised by his Shaman grandmother and trained in the Arcane Techniques of Ecstasy since the age of three. Hash has traveled the world looking to study the nature of the Sacrality of Manifested Experience from the Masters of Primacy, the Technicians of the Sacred, and the scientists of Ecstasy. Currently residing in the USA, Hash C Borgir has created Psychedelics Daily as a sub-project of The Stoned Apes Non-Profit, spreading psychedelic awareness to decondition the mind, one day at a time.

Psychedelic Frontier

The aim of Psychedelic Frontier is to:

  • Encourage the responsible exploration of non-ordinary mental states.

  • Provide information that enables people to gain better control over their own minds, both in transcendental states and in everyday life.

  • Share stories about the writer's transcendental experiences. These are not your average trip reports.

  • Spread reliable information and ideas on a topic that is fraught with misinformation and controversy.

  • Oppose the dogma, elitism, and pseudoscience that often plague discussions about psychedelics.

Psychedelic Press UK

Psychedelic Press UK was established in 2008 as a blog dedicated to the literature of psychedelic substances. In 2012 it launched a printed house journal, which now comes out 4 times a year, and a new publisher was established to manage both the journal and various other print publications.

As a result, PsypressUK.com is now focused on being an extensive database of book reviews dealing exclusively with drug-related literature. A free web resource for academics and the psychoactively-curious, it aims at providing an extensive introduction to the culture, science, and history of psychedelics.

Psychedelic Science Review

Psychedelic Science Review discusses scientific research and knowledge about psychedelics, from chemistry to psychology. Science writers break down complex topics, offering context and connecting important concepts in the literature to familiar examples. This publication also offers background information about psychedelic compounds, an ever-changing history of events surrounding psychedelics, and the organizations and people involved in progressing this resurgent field.

Psychedelic Science Review provides an exclusively scientific perspective on psychedelics. Its writers are not proponents or opponents of political or social change, nor do they offer moral commentary. While there is a place for those voices, this publication’s goal is to offer factual information on the basis of scientific relevance.

The Psychedelic Scientist

The Psychedelic Scientist is a blog dedicated to sharing the highlights of worldwide psychedelic research. It is a resource for interested scientists, psychonauts or laypeople who want to learn more about research into psychedelics, and how they can enhance our lives.

The Psychedelic Society

The Psychedelic Society advocates the careful use of psychedelics as a tool for personal and spiritual development. The profound experiences of unity and interconnectedness reliably brought about by strong psychedelic trips can help people to live lives of greater love, compassion, and joy.

Psychedelic.Support

Psychedelic.Support is committed to bring individual and global transformation through sharing of knowledge and connection to resources.

The organization saw a need for better connection to therapeutic care related to use of psychedelics and set out to use its skills, connections, and the Internet to give greater visibility to practices and programs of professionals working in this field. This global web-based platform is a guidepost for trusted care and evidence-based information.

Psychedelic Times

The mission at Psychedelic Times is to share the latest news, research, and happenings around the study of psychedelics as tools of healing, recovery, and therapy. They are passionate about the incredible potential that psychoactive substances such as marijuana, ayahuasca, MDMA, LSD, iboga, psilocybin, and DMT present to humanity, and are excited to share that passion with you.

Note: I am a contributor at Psychedelic Times. If you would like to check out my work there, you can visit my author page.

Psychedelics Today

Psychedelics Today is dedicated to exploring and discussing the important academic/scientific and other research in the field of psychedelics. They are interested in how psychedelics and other non-ordinary states of consciousness relate to the human potential as well as the healing potential that they can foster.

Psymposia

Since being founded in 2014, Psymposia has become a leading educational media and events group for rethinking drugs, in person and online. They bring students, researchers, and diverse voices together from around the world to share fresh perspectives, ask new questions, push boundaries, and shine a spotlight on how emerging psychedelic science and drug policy reform can transform society, law, and medicine. Through investigative journalism, personal stories, and deep conversation series, Psymposia illuminates how emerging trends shape society, law, and medicine.

PsyPost.png

PsyPost

The mission at PsyPost is to spread objective information about psychology and neuroscience research. By reporting on a wide variety of important, interesting, and overlooked studies, PsyPost provides the general public, mental health professionals, and academics with free updates on new research — providing everyone with a glimpse into the latest knowledge being uncovered by scientists.

The publication covers the latest discoveries in psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, sociology and similar fields.

Reality Sandwich

Reality Sandwich is a magazine of ideas for the transformational community. They cover subjects like shamanism, non-local consciousness, visionary art, alternative economics, psychedelics, permaculture, transformational festivals, meditation, democratic engagement, near death experiences, and tantra, to name but a few. Together these topics are the heart of a vibrant new transformational culture that’s addressing the social, spiritual, and ecological crises of our time.

Note: I have previously contributed to Reality Sandwich. If you would like to check out my work there, you can visit my author page.

Reset.me

Reset.me provides journalism on natural therapies and medicines to enhance the mind, body, and spirit. Reset.me strives to help expand consciousness and spread more love around the world. The team behind Reset.me endeavors to build a community that connects like-minded individuals worldwide to promote the sharing of knowledge and experiences. Reset your mind. Reset your life.

Rick Strassman MD

Rick Strassman is a medical doctor specialized in psychiatry with a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research. He has held a fellowship in clinical psychopharmacology research at the University of California San Diego and was Professor of Psychiatry for eleven years at the University of New Mexico. After twenty years of intermission, Strassman was the first person in the United States to undertake human research with psychedelic, hallucinogenic, or entheogenic substances with his research on DMT. He is also the author of the well known book DMT: The Spirit Molecule which summarizes his academic research into DMT and includes his own reflections and conclusions based on this research.

Rooster

It's a mindset. It's a release. It's a magazine that allows you to relax and fully engross yourself in a humorous and provocative editorial journey that won't drain, but enlighten and excite. The team at Rooster gives you hope that not all journalism comes from the same source or homogenous mentality to make another dollar with repurposed content. They give you an escape from the inevitable and burdensome troubles of life. 

Sam Woolfe

Sam Woolfe is a freelance writer and blogger currently based in London, UK. He created his blog more than seven years ago with the aim of sharing a range of interesting ideas and his thoughts on them, as well as to generate healthy debate and discussion. Sam strives to write in a balanced, curious, and thought-provoking way and enjoy creating well-researched content that readers find insightful and useful.

As a writer, his specialist areas include mental health, current affairs, self-development, careers, and travel. His blog delves into many topics of interest, including (but not limited to):

  • Spirituality

  • Buddhism

  • Psychology

  • Psychedelics

  • Moral philosophy

  • Applied ethics

  • Evolutionary theory

  • Culture and society

  • The human condition

Sapiensoup Blog

If you want answers to tough questions you could probably find them easily at the touch of a button. However, in today’s world we find ourselves flooded by vast amounts of information. And that’s where Sapiensoup Blog comes in. The two bloggers that run the site love science and numbers, and they question everything. Nadine is a research scientist, and Marlene is a marketing manager. Together, they sift through the fog of information to provide their readers with the opportunity to make informed decisions.

Spirit Pharmacist

Benjamin Malcolm teaches psychopharmacology and clinical psychiatric pharmacy, practices as a clinical specialist in psychiatric pharmacy, and performs clinical research on psychoactive drugs. He also run a blog on his website, Spirit Pharmacist, which offers up unique analysis about psychedelics that often focuses on the dangers of combining them with other drugs.

Stop The Drug War

StoptheDrugWar.org publishes the publication Stop The Drug War and the Drug War Chronicle newsletter, a widely-read publication that is a staple tool of organizations and advocates worldwide and a venue in which their work is highlighted to others. Their current advocacy focus is international drug policy. They organized sign-on letters and statements during the lead-up to the April 2016 "UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem" (UNGASS), and continue to promote a broad policy reform agenda for the UN and the US Congress and administration.

Techgnosis

Techgnosis is a website run by Erik Davis, an author, award-winning journalist, independent scholar, and lecturer based in San Francisco. His blog covers a wide variety of topics and includes many psychedelic-related posts.

The Third Wave

The First Wave was indigenous use of psychedelics for thousands of years. The Second Wave was the use of psychedelics during the counter-culture of the 60s and 70s. The Third Wave is upon us now. Brought about by recent developments in cannabis legalization and psychedelic research—and it will change the way mainstream culture perceives psychedelic use. The Third Wave provides well-researched, high-quality information specific to the classic psychedelics—and how they can be used to help people like you live more vibrant lives.

Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D.

Thomas B. Roberts, Ph.D. is a Professor of Educational Psychology at Northern Illinois University, DeKaIb, Illinois, where he has taught courses on transpersonal, mind-body, psychedelic, and consciousness topics. He is also the author of the book The Psychedelic Future of the Mind: How Entheogens Are Enhancing Cognition, Boosting Intelligence, and Raising Value. His Academia.edu profile features papers, talks, teaching documents, and many more resources that he has created.

The Trip Report

If you’re looking for intelligent analysis of the blossoming psychedelic industry with a uniquely humorous spin, then look no further than Zach Hainey’s The Trip Report. It’s a weekly newsletter for the builders of the emerging psychedelic ecosystem that covers the business, policy, and impact of psychedelics. In addition to Wednesday’s free-for-all-dispatch, paid subscribers get additional The Trip Report Pro updates every Monday and Friday with more in-depth news and analysis from the land of psychedelia.

VICE

VICE is a magazine focused on arts, culture, and news topics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the magazine's founders later launched Vice Media, which consists of divisions including the magazine as well as a website, broadcast news unit, a film production company, a record label, and a publishing imprint. VICE regularly publishes articles about psychedelics and drug culture.

Westword

More than 1.6 million active users read Westword each month to find stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who’ve won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. Four decades after its founding, Westword remains the voice of Denver for faithful readers who appreciate hard-hitting journalism. And better beer.


That concludes the list. Hopefully you learned about a few more psychedelic blogs and publications that you'd like to read. I plan to keep this blog post updated as old blogs die and new ones are born, so if you notice that there are any that I missed or if others have gone defunct, please contact me and let me know. And don't forget to share this post with your network so we can funnel more traffic to these websites and spread the love!

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this resource guide, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

This Week in Psychedelics - 3.2.18

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • Maine: Lawmakers Push To Rewrite 2016 Voter-Approved Marijuana Law (NORML)
  • UK Parliament Members Blame Own Party for Blocking Medical Cannabis Vote (Leafly)
  • Acclaimed Illustrator Reveals the Secrets of Great Cannabis Packaging (Leafly)
  • Marijuana man makes $1 million a year running a 'bud and breakfast' hotel (The Sun)
  • Tech behind cryptocurrency unites with cannabis (New York Post)
  • This UK Cafe Is Selling Cannabis-Infused Treats (High Times)
  • In Hollywood, Cannabis Is Part of the Creative Process (Leafly)
  • Why It's So Hard to Dose Weed (Wired)
  • Colorado Is Finally Getting Its First Cannabis Club (Forbes)
  • Missouri: Medical Marijuana Initiative Effort Reaches Signature Milestone (NORML)
  • Ex-FBI official hoping to blaze a path to Congress as 'cannabis candidate' (CNN)
  • Racial Disparities Persist Among NYC Marijuana Possession Arrestees (NORML)
  • Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Marijuana's Schedule I Prohibited Status (NORML)
  • Most UK cannabis 'super strength skunk' (BBC)
  • Cannabis Access Consistently Linked With Lower Opioid Use: Studies (NORML)
  • Will Hawaiians Who Use Medical Pot Lose Their Right to Own a Gun? (Reason)
  • Anti-Pot Group Releases Scathing Report Card on Commercial Cannabis (Westword)
  • Tribes Cut out of California Cannabis Market Might Grow Their Own (Leafly)
  • Legal Cannabis Industry Poised For Big Growth, In North America And Around The World (Forbes)
  • Cannabis 101: The science behind your high (The Weekender)
  • Ebony Costain Is Changing The Way You Buy Cannabis (Forbes)
  • What We Can Learn from the Man Who Ate Cannabis and Had a Meltdown High Above the Pacific Ocean (The Stranger)
  • Better Marijuana Stock: Aurora Cannabis vs. Cronos Group (The Motley Fool)
  • Molson Coors 13F: Legalized Marijuana May Hurt Our Beer Sales (Investopedia)

LSD

  • LSD Study Reveals Unprecedented 'Harmonic' Reorganization of Brain (Inverse)
  • The Beckley Foundation Intends To Study Links Between Microdosing LSD And Creativity (Forbes)
  • Prof. David Nutt: 'It's irrational to deny people access to LSD' (Radio New Zealand)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Study: Mushrooms became hallucinogenic to keep away insects (UPI)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • Using MDMA to Treat Eating Disorders (Psychedelic Times)
  • Ecstasy, party drug of '90s, makes a roaring comeback (Clarion Ledger)
  • Assumed dodgy ecstasy batch reason thirteen people hospitalised in Christchurch (Newshub)
  • MDMA warning after six children taken to hospital in Scotland (The Independent)
  • Model died after 'overdosing on MDMA and ketamine' at music festival (Metro)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

  • Federal lawsuit forces Oklahoma City airport security to modify their handling of Native American objects (NewsOK)
  • A Peyote Tipi Ceremony with Puyallup Tribal Leader Ramona Bennett (The Stranger)

Iboga/Ibogaine

  • How the Shamanic Medicine Iboga can Resolve and Heal Childhood Trauma (Reality Sandwich)
  • Maryland Lawmakers Consider Using Ibogaine To Treat Addiction (CBS Baltimore)

Dissociatives

  • Additional Review of Ketamine as Fast Acting Antidepressant is Promising (PsychCentral)
  • Ketamine Now Being Used in Los Angeles clinic to treat Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) and Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) (PRWeb)
  • Hartford Police: Man Set Fire To House After Family Confronted Him About PCP Use (Hartford Courant)

Opiates/Opioids

  • Inside the secret lives of functioning heroin addicts (CNN)
  • How America Can Win the Drug War in Afghanistan (The National Interest)

Kratom

  • FDA oversees destruction and recall of kratom products (The National Law Review)
  • Kratom, Marijuana Can Help People Kick Opiates, Addiction Expert Says (Westword)
  • Kratom Likely Source For Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak, CDC Says (The Fix)
  • Why Kratom Shouldn't Be Swept Up in the Opioid Crackdown (The Crime Report)
  • FDA raises death count from kratom, a natural opioid (CBS News)

Kava

  • Kava Kava: An Ancient Herb For Stress And Anxiety (Reports Healthcare)
  • Alternative to alcohol: Michigan's first Kava Bar in Grand Rapids (The Rapidian)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • President Trump Suggests Executing Drug Dealers (TIME)
  • Getting High with the Most High: Drugs in the Bible (Ancient Origins)
  • Bitcoin Mega-Philanthropist 'Pineapple' Talks About Psychedelic Research (Forbes)
  • Neuroendocrine Associations Underlying the Persistent Therapeutic Effects of Classic Serotonergic Psychedelics (Frontiers)
  • The Untapped Potential of Psychedelics in Mental Health Treatment (Conatus News)
  • A Single Psychedelic Drug Trip Can Change Your Personality for Years (Live Science)
  • Are psychedelic drugs about to become the new prozac? (Well+Good)
  • Long-Term Effects Of Psychotropic Drugs Are 'Cloaked In Mystery' (NPR)
  • Cocaine, LSD and Ketamine: They Reveal Drug Network in the US Navy (Maritime Herald)

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.