This Week in Psychoactives - 10.25.19

Cannabis

• Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana for Personal Use (NORML)

• Finland’s Government Will Consider Decriminalizing Marijuana In Response To Citizen Petition (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s What Researchers Know So Far About How Marijuana Legalization Affects Public Health (Marijuana Moment)

• CBD Is Googled More Than Acupuncture or Meditation, New Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• China Has Officially Kicked Off Its Own Reefer Madness Campaign (MERRY JANE)

• CBD Linked to Sleep Disturbances in Adolescent Rats (The Scientist)

• FDA Warns Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers to Avoid THC and CBD (MERRY JANE)

• Matt Every Reveals Cannabis Use Was the Reason for 3-Month PGA Tour Suspension (Bleacher Report)

• Presidential Candidate Julián Castro Calls For Marijuana Legalization And Expungements In New Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• Sleep Deprivation Triggers the Munchies the Same Way Pot Does, Study Shows (MERRY JANE)

• Questions Raised Over Whether The Cannabis Industry Is Contributing To Air Pollution (NPR)

LSD

• The Man Who Turned On The World: The Life Of Michael Hollingshead (The Quietus)

Magic Mushrooms

• Mindfulness meditation enhances positive effects of psilocybin (EurekAlert!)

Ayahuasca

• A Homosexual Marriage Experience in Santo Daime (Chacruna)

• Can Ayahuasca Save The World? What I Learned at the 2019 Ayahuasca Conference (The Link)

Iboga

• Interview about Bwiti initiation and iboga with Nima Grégory Puente (LIMINAL)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• We need to talk about the deadly dangers of designer drugs (MedCity News)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing gas helpful for labor pain, but epidural still top choice (EurekAlert!)

• Edmond emergency room using nitrous oxide to alleviate fear, pain in pediatric patients (KFOR)

Ketamine

• One in three pain patients suffer side effects after ketamine infusion therapy (EurekAlert!)

PCP

• Police: Man high on PCP breaks into Germantown Walmart, uses hair clippers on $2 pumpkin (WJLA)

• Driver admits he was high on PCP when he killed expecting mother in crash (KFGO)

Opioids

• Massachusetts Study Confirms That People Rarely Die After Using Opioids Prescribed for Them (Reason)

• People who smoke or snort drugs half as likely to carry naloxone: BCCDC (The Tri-City News)

• Drug users urged to get naloxone kits after research shows many in B.C. don’t have one (Coast Mountain News)

Cocaine

• You Can (Illegally) Order a "Cocaine Taxi" in Germany (MERRY JANE)

• The Public Needs to Know Today's Cocaine Contains Fentanyl (The Cleveland Scene)

Methamphetamine

• Meth is most common drug in overdose deaths in chunk of US (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Iowa Cops Denied Medical Care to Arrested Man Who Died of Meth Intoxication (Filter)

CAFFEINE

• WVU researcher studies link between caffeine, sleep and alcohol use in middle-schoolers (The Herald-Dispatch)

• More electronic device use tied to more sugar and caffeine in teens (Medical Xpress)

TOBACCO

• In a First, FDA Endorses Brand of Tobacco Pouches as a 'Reduced Risk' Alternative to Cigarettes (TIME)

• Young people who use flavored tobacco at first are more likely to keep using tobacco later, study says (CNN)

• Which Countries Do Best — And Worst — At Keeping Big Tobacco Out Of Politics (NPR)

• Tobacco firms accused of using gimmicks to subvert plain packaging (The Guardian)

Alcohol

• FBI Rules Out Poisoned Alcohol In Deaths Of American Tourists (HuffPost)

• Antibiotics caused man’s gut to turn carbs into alcohol (New York Post)

• New Study Says People Who Frequently Drink Alcohol Had Lower Rates Of Obesity, But Doctors Disagree (CBS Philly)

• World first clinical trial commenced in alcohol use disorder (PR Newswire)

Nootropics

• The ‘smart drugs’ revolution: how pharmaceuticals will leave us ‘accelerating into a 24/7 society’ (Metro)

Kratom

• A new kratom report maps one possible future for the drug (Inverse)

Kava

• Government aims to establish a Kava research institute (FBC News)

• Behind the kava craze: Fiji's world-famous plant putting people to sleep (New Zealand Herald)

Miscellaneous

• Chicago Follows Oakland, Introduces Resolution to Decriminalize Psychedelic Plants (Psychedelic Science Review)

• There’s Now a Federal Psychedelic Lobby (DoubleBlind)

• What the heck happened to Reality Sandwich? (Psymposia)

• UK Parliament Committee Endorses Decriminalizing Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• What Drugs Are Most Popular Globally? Scientists Screened Sewage for Years to Find Out (VICE)

• B.C. festival-goers' drugs contain only expected substance 2 out of 3 times: study (CTV News)

• Vaping Companies Brace for Wave of Lawsuits Over Lung Illness (Courthouse News Service)

• Drug laws not fit-for-purpose, world-leading drug experts warn (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Beto O’Rourke Calls For Drug Decriminalization And Safe Injection Sites In New Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• Drugs and Me sets up the First Harm Reduction Information Booth in Malta (Talking Drugs)

• What’s the Psychedelic Community Talking About? Three Main Takeaways from the 2019 Horizon’s Conference (Psychedelics Today)

• For-Profit Psychedelics and Access for All: A Conversation with Ronan Levy of Field Trip Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)

• Should I try microdosing at work? The science behind the Silicon Valley brain hack (Mic)

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 Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 9.20.19

CANNABIS

• A Malaysian Man Was Just Sentenced to Death for Selling Medical Marijuana (MERRY JANE)

• The Vape Health Crisis Is Pushing Cannabis Labs to Now Test for Vitamin E (MERRY JANE)

• Federal judge rules that Indiana’s smokable hemp ban is unconstitutional (Hemp Industry Daily)

• Beto O'Rourke Proposes Drug War Reparations Funded By Marijuana Taxes (Forbes)

• After A Period Of Confusion And Fear, Many District Employees Can Use Marijuana Off The Clock (DCist)

• President Influences Public Opinion On Marijuana Legalization, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Legal Weed Convinced Over 150,000 People to Move to Colorado, Study Reports (MERRY JANE)

• Marijuana Offenses Would No Longer Get Immigrants Deported Under New Congressional Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Support Grows For Marijuana Legalization Bill In Colombia (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• The mad scientist behind America’s mind-control quest with LSD (New York Post)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• The world’s first magic mushroom research center is launching in Jamaica (Quartz)

• Ann Arbor group aims to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, plants (mlive.com)

• Fantastic Fungi Offers a Gateway Into the World of Magic Mushrooms (Westword)

• Tourists Are Flocking To This Tiny Mountain Village For A Trip On Mexico’s Magic Mushrooms (mitú inc)

• Can magic mushrooms really cure depression? (The Telegraph)

MDMA

• What Hustlers’ Ketamine-MDMA Drug Cocktail Would Really Do (Refinery29)

AYAHUASCA

• Getting Arrested and Released for Ayahuasca in Israel (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

• A single dose of 5-MeO-DMT produces rapid and persistent improvements in life satisfaction and psychopathological symptoms (PsyPost)

IBOGA

• This Company is Developing a Drug Based on Ibogaine for the Opioid Crisis (DoubleBlind)

• A Detox Drug Promises Miracles—If It Doesn't Kill You First (WIRED)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• Could psychedelics tackle the obesity crisis? A longtime researcher in the field says his latest mouse study suggests potential (Endpoints News)

• The State of the Art of Psilacetin (4-AcO-DMT) (Psychedelic Science Review)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Some CBD vapes contain street drug instead of the real thing (Associated Press News)

KETAMINE

• Long-term effects of using ketamine for depression are uncertain (Philippine Star)

• Ketamine sedation lawsuits hard to win (Kare 11)

• Why Ketamine Needs To Be a Part of Anxiety Treatment (The Valparaiso Daily News)

OPIOIDS

• OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Files for Bankruptcy as Part of a Tentative Settlement (TIME)

• In Michigan, you can now get Narcan online (Detroit Free Press)

• Canadian Pharmacist Faces Punishment for Giving Out Naloxone (Filter)

COCAINE

• Cocaine overdose deaths rise (Cumberland Times-News)

• Guatemala joins ranks of cocaine producers as plantations and labs emerge (Reuters)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Iraq Faces a New Adversary: Crystal Meth (The New York Times)

CAFFEINE

• Could drinking tea boost brain connectivity? (Medical News Today)

TOBACCO

• India bans e-cigarettes as global vaping backlash grows (The Guardian)

• New York Bans Sale of Flavored E-cigarettes, the First State in the U.S. to Do So (TIME)

• Michigan Joins New York in Banning Sale of Flavored E-cigarettes Amid Vaping Health Concerns (TIME)

• Vapers seek relief from nicotine addiction in — wait for it — cigarettes (NBC News)

• Fort Lauderdale Passes Ordinance Raising Age For Tobacco Sales To 21 (CBS Miami)

• Is Juul Making It Easy for Kids to Vape in School? New Study Suggests Yes (Yahoo!)

• Flavored tobacco a major factor in the popularity of waterpipe smoking, study finds (FIU News)

KRATOM

• A Leaf Of Faith: Kratom Documentary Review (Kratom Guides)

• Legal Status Of Kratom In Pennsylvania (Kratom Guides)

• Point Pleasant Beach Looks To Ban 'Kratom' (Patch)

KAVA

• Fijians urged not to share the kava bowl (Newsie)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Missouri Man Becomes 8th Person to Die of Vaping-Related Illness in the U.S. (TIME)

• Ontario Teen Lands in ICU in Canada’s First Reported Case of ‘Vape Pen Illness’ (Leafly)

• Viking berserkers may have used henbane to induce trance-like state (Ars Technica)

• White House Cancels Pro-Vaping Meeting as Illness Cases Rise (Bloomberg)

• It’s Official: VICE's Reporting Makes Readers Take Drugs More Safely (VICE)

• The whole-planet view (Aeon)

• Psychedelics and Seniors: Can Drugs Such As Marijuana And Psilocybin Improve Their Quality Of Life? (Forbes)

• Nanaimo company gets licence to test psychedelic drugs (Nanaimo News Bulletin)

• Class A drug use among young adults at 16-year high (The Guardian)

• I Traveled the World Meeting Drug Dealers. Here’s What I’ve Learned (VICE)

• Why Aren't There More People of Color in the Recovery Movement? (The Fix)

• Behind the U.S.'s Bogus War on Taliban Drug Labs (VICE)

• Tripping on virtual reality: The artists trying to replicate psychedelic experiences in VR (New Atlas)

• Drugs and Creativity (Dope Magazine)

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 Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 3.22.19

CANNABIS

• Two years after voters approved it, Florida legalizes smoking medical marijuana (CNN)

• Legal weed for N.J. takes a huge step forward. We now expect final votes next week. (NJ.com)

• New Mexico Lawmakers Send Marijuana Decriminalization Bill To Governor (Marijuana Moment)

• Minnesota: Attorney For State’s Largest County To No Longer Criminally Prosecute Marijuana Possession Offenses (NORML)

• Top Ten Equity Must-Haves in Any Legalization Bill (LinkedIn)

• Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites 2020 Democrats (The New York Times)

• Support for US Cannabis Legalization Reaches New High, Poll Finds (Leafly)

• Daily Marijuana Use And Highly Potent Weed Linked To Psychosis (NPR)

• NORML Responds To Latest Cannabis and Psychosis Claims (NORML)

• Marijuana Consumers Gain Less Weight Than Non-Users, Study Confirms (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma: Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Regulatory Measure (NORML)

• Marijuana Activists Protest John Boehner’s SXSW Speech (Marijuana Moment)

• Denver’s Teen Marijuana Education Campaign Seems To Be Working, Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Medicinal cannabis: 'Patients still in limbo' (BBC)

• CBD Is In Jelly Beans, Pet Food and Shampoo. But Many Benefits Are Untested (Discover Magazine)

• U.S. Postal Service Issues Advisory On Mailing Hemp-Derived CBD (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis 101 At The University Of Connecticut (WUNC)

• Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Joint Committee Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

• NHL Alumni Study Centres on CBD, Puts THC on Ice (Leafly)

• Wisconsin Voters Will Decide On More Marijuana Ballot Questions In April (Marijuana Moment)

• CVS Pharmacy, America's Largest Drug Store Chain, Will Carry CBD Products (Reason)

• Family sues after Pennsylvania man with 10 pot plants is crushed by bulldozer in police chase (NBC News)

• South Carolina Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Bill In Subcommittee Vote (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Beto O'Rourke Said He's Never Done LSD (Esquire)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Most Oregon Voters Favor Legalizing Psilocybin Mushrooms in 2020 Election (Reset.me)

• Mazatec Mushroom Usage: Notes on Approach, Setting and Species for Curious Psilonauts (Reality Sandwich)

• Veteran hopeful Denver will vote to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms (ABC15 Arizona)

• The Decriminalization Train Keeps Rolling – Up Next Psilocybin? (Longmont Observer)

MDMA

• Genetic reductions in serotonin transporter may cause some people to respond differently to MDMA (PsyPost)

• UN report attributes rising ecstasy use in South America to electronic music events (Resident Advisor)

• Ecstasy can cause the user to develop memory problems: study (Top Health Journal)

• Less cocaine, more MDMA found in Antwerp waste water (The Brussels Times)

AYAHUASCA

• The “Traditional” Ayahuasca Ceremony Is Probably a Recent Invention (Kahpi)

• What Does Ayahuasca Have To Do with Ancestors and the Dead? (Kahpi)

• Ayahuasca Integration Means Facing the Shadow in Daily Life (Kahpi)

• Integrating Ayahuasca Experiences Requires an Integrated Approach (Kahpi)

• What Is DMT? How Ayahuasca Tea Affects Your Brain (YourTango)

5-MEO-DMT

• Short-acting psychedelic offers promising new treatment pathway for depression and anxiety (New Atlas)

• I Was Recorded During A 5-MeO DMT Ceremony Without My Consent (Psymposia)

PEYOTE

• Two Merida women imprisoned for growing peyote (The Yucatan Times)

IBOGA

• What Is Ibogaine? New Details About What Gwyneth Paltrow Calls The 'Next Big Thing' In Wellness (YourTango)

SALVIA DIVINORUM

• Salvia divinorum: from recreational hallucinogenic use to analgesic and anti-inflammatory action (Dove Press Medical)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Even low doses of synthetic cannabinoids can impair cognitive performance (EurekAlert!)

• Identifying Metabolites of Synthetic Cannabinoids (News-Medical.Net)

• Owner of Madison convenience store chain gets 30 months in prison for synthetic marijuana, contraband tobacco (Madison.com)

• Yeast Could Help Fill Demand for Cannabinoid Compounds (Drovers Magazine)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Some Women Turning To Laughing Gas As Alternative To Drugs During Childbirth (CBS Philly)

KETAMINE

• Scientists Gave Alligators Ketamine and Headphones to Understand Dinosaur Hearing (Motherboard)

• High Holy Strangeness: A Playlist for Ketamine by Eric Sienknecht (Chacruna)

• Ketamine Prohibition Across the Globe Has Deadly Effects (71 Republic)

• VA to offer new ketamine-based nasal spray to help combat depression (Task and Purpose)

• Long known as a party drug, ketamine now used for depression, but concerns remain (San Francisco Chronicle)

PCP

• Monroe man found staggering in the streets arrested for PCP (The Ouachita Citizen)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• FDA to Review Higher Dose Naloxone Injection for Opioid Overdose Treatment (Monthly Prescribing Reference)

• Opium prices plummeted as much as 80% in 2018, hurting farmers (Mexico News Daily)

• Methadone Helped Her Quit Heroin. Now She’s Suing U.S. Prisons to Allow the Treatment. (The New York Times)

• Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic's Third Wave Begins (NPR)

• Naloxone use up as overdose deaths begin to plateau (WBIR)

• Puerto Rico approves sale of naloxone amid opioid crisis (Medical Xpress)

• Former DEA official now working for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma (NBC News)

• Naloxone now available at every emergency room in the state (Journal Inquirer)

• Vermont state trooper exposed to suspected heroin revived with Narcan (UPI)

• Vermont’s police chief said cops risk death from opioid exposure. He’s wrong. (PolitiFact)

• Opioid response team offers help, hope to overdose survivors (KENS5)

COCAINE

• Bristol named cocaine capital of Europe (Mixmag)

• Cocaine Poses Silent US Drug Threat as Production Nears Record Levels (Homeland Security)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Changing the Way We Think About Meth (VICE)

• Methamphetamine Is Flooding Into U.S., Drug Officials Say (The Wall Street Journal)

ALCOHOL

• Scientists hunt down the brain circuit responsible for alcohol cravings (ScienceDaily)

• Elementary school bans kombucha over alcohol content (The Takeout)

• Big Alcohol Is Bracing for a More Sober Future (Bon Appetit)

• The dangers of alcohol extend to those who don’t even drink (Earth.com)

• Contrary to folklore, alcohol does not help with rheumatoid arthritis (Cosmos)

• Now, There Is Zero Proof That Alcohol Is What Makes A Great Cocktail (NPR)

• March Madness Alcohol Study Shows One Demographic Is Affected the Most (Inverse)

• Is ‘Breaking the Seal’ When You Drink Alcohol Really a Thing? (SELF)

KRATOM

• Lowndes County Supervisors Vote to Ban Kratom (WCBI)

• Kratom Addiction: Colorado Clinics' Widely Different Reports (Westword)

• Commentary: Why We Should Regulate Kratom (U.S. News & World Report)

• Is there a difference between Kratom, Kratum, and Cratum Capsules? (Baltimore Post-Examiner)

KHAT

• Somalia- Khat-Munching: A Connecting Factor in East Africa (MENAFN)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Activists Plan Initiative To Decriminalize Psychedelic Drugs In Oakland (Marijuana Moment)

• First supervised drug injection site in U.S. offered lease in Philadelphia’s Kensington district (Philly.com)

• It’s Time to Reject the Racist “Drug Dealer” Stereotype (Filter)

• 'It's about saving lives': inside the UK's first licensed drug testing service (The Guardian)

• Germany named drug use capital following Europe-wide sewage study (Deutsche Welle)

• Psychedelic pioneer, consciousness researcher Ralph Metzner dies in Sonoma (Sonoma Index-Tribune)

• “Addicted to the War on Drugs” Is Right, Despite the Rhetoric (Filter)

• What Groovin the Moo musicians think about the pill testing trial (The Canberra Times)

• The European Psychedelic Renaissance: Interview with Dr. Henrik Jungaberle (Psychedelic Times)

• Hallucinogen Therapy Is Coming (Nautilus)

• From “Meth Crisis” to “Opioid Crisis” to “Fentanyl and Meth Crisis” to… (CATO Institute)

• Legalization Is the Only Viable Drug Policy (Project Syndicate)

• Here are the 10 most seductive drugs — and their fascinating histories (AlterNet)

• What's the deal with microdosing? (The Telegraph)

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 Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

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On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

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This Week in Psychoactives - 3.15.19

CANNABIS

• Alaska Is Officially The First State To Legalize On-Site Marijuana Consumption (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri Police Searching for Marijuana in a Stage 4 Cancer Patient's Hospital Room Incites a Viral Video (TIME)

• Vermont Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Moves To House (Marijuana Moment)

• House-Passed Legal Marijuana Bill Advances In New Mexico Senate (Marijuana Moment)

• New Hampshire House Passes Bill to Allow Home-Grown Medical Cannabis (High Times)

• Legal Marijuana Sales Don’t Increase Use, But Allowing Possession Does, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• The SAFE Banking Act Reintroduced (NORML)

• Congressional Bill Would Let VA Doctors Recommend Marijuana To Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

• New York marijuana: What to know about cannabis edibles, hospitalizations, poison control (The Journal News)

• Independent Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, Regardless Of Partisan Lean, Poll Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Where’s the Cheapest Cannabis? A State-by-State Comparison (Leafly)

• Marijuana Tourism From China To Amsterdam: Study Sheds Light On Motivations (Marijuana Moment)

• Florida: State Lawmakers Vote to Restore Patients’ Right To Smoke Medical Cannabis (NORML)

• Bipartisan Bill Shields Federal Workers From Being Fired For Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri House Approves Bill To Expunge Marijuana Records For Medical Patients (Marijuana Moment)

• We Finally Know What’s in New Jersey’s Cannabis Legalization Bill (Leafly)

• Colorado Lawmakers Considering Allowing Marijuana Deliveries (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Black Market Thriving Despite Legalization (Forbes)

• New York Senate And Assembly Include Marijuana Legalization In Budget Proposals (Marijuana Moment)

• Black Lawmakers to Block Legalized Marijuana in N.Y. if Their Communities Don’t Benefit (The New York Times)

• Where Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico Bill to Create State-Run Dispensaries Appears Dead (Leafly)

• Minnesota Senate Committee Kills Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Aurora Cannabis Just Hit a Dubious Milestone (The Motley Fool)

• CBD sport drug testing (Natural Products Insider)

• Parents warned of ‘hallucinogenic’ fake cereal bar ‘laced with CANNABIS’ being sold to London schoolchildren that makes kids ‘violently ill’ (The Sun)

LSD

• Can American Troops Win Wars by Dropping Acid? (The Daily Beast)

• Stanford U. Employee Pleads Not Guilty to Near-Fatal Stabbing (Patch)

• Sailor from Navy carrier's nuclear department admits to 'wrongfully' bringing LSD aboard (Task and Purpose)

• LSD-Fueled Innovation From Your Friends at Silicon Valley (71 Republic)

• The Acid King, Leonard Pickard, in his own words (Rooster)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Psychedelic Mushrooms Can Help Depression, Anxiety, Addiction (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)

• Psychedelic Mushrooms Can Boost Creativity and Empathy for a Week (Futurism)

MDMA

• The environmental impacts of MDMA production warrant consideration (Earth.com)

• Greens candidate who said you should be able to buy packets of MDMA at Woolies says her ‘turn of phrase’ was ‘incorrect’ (news.com.au)

• Highly Accredited Doctor States “MDMA Not Too Dangerous” (EDMTunes)

• Drug testing service finds 'potentially dangerous' MDMA levels in pills at New Zealand festivals (TVNZ)

DMT

• Blindness MIRACLE cure: Experts in huge breakthrough with 'God molecule' psychedelic drug (Daily Star)

• Microdosing Psychedelic Drugs Was Just Found to Reduce Anxiety and Depression (Esquire)

AYAHUASCA

• Ayahuasca Can Help Us Heal Deep Wounds of Global History (Kahpi)

• Ayahuasca in Asia: Amazonian hallucinogenic plant medicine finds following in the East despite shady status (South China Morning Post)

PEYOTE

• Native American Church Works to Conserve, Sustain Peyote (Voice of America)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Efficacy of Cannabinoids for Agitation, Aggression in Alzheimer Disease Inconclusive (Psychiatry Advisor)

• Assessing Personality Traits of Youth Who Use Synthetic Cannabinoids (Clinical Advisor)

• Scientists Produce Active Ingredients in Marijuana Using Yeast (Haaretz)

• Synthetic Weed: The Furthest Thing from Real Cannabis (Greencamp)

NITROUS OXIDE

• A Brief, 200-Year History of Humanity’s Love for Laughing Gas (VICE)

• Laughing Gas Parties Were A Big Hit With 19th Century Society (Ancient Origins)

KETAMINE

• Is Esketamine the Game-Changer for Depression We Want? (Rolling Stone)

• Louisiana doctor uses FDA-approved ketamine to treat depression (WWLTV)

• NYC club kids divided on using ketamine for depression (Page Six)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• “Yellow Peril”—How Blaming China for Fentanyl Continues a Racist Legacy (Filter)

• Deregulating buprenophine prescribing for opioid use disorder will save lives (STAT)

• Trump’s budget proposal does nothing for the opioid epidemic (Vox)

• The Washington Post Blames Obama for Fentanyl Deaths (Reason)

• Va. bills on naloxone in schools, nuisance animal control signed by Gov. Northam (WTOP)

• Indy coffee shop owner saves man’s life just hours after store hosted naloxone training (Fox 59)

• New trend in drug abuse: Youth mix opium with weed (GhanaWeb)

• State health officials encourage people to carry naloxone (WPRI)

COCAINE

• New way of testing for cocaine discovered (Phys.org)

• How Brit cocaine users have blood on their hands and are complicit in the UK’s knife crime epidemic (The Sun)

ALCOHOL

• Agreement reached to increase alcohol limits on beer in Utah (The Washington Post)

• Instacart's Expanded Coverage Is Increasing Competition In The Alcohol Market (Forbes)

• Alcohol marketing awareness linked to 'higher risk' drinking among UK teens (EurekAlert!)

• House bill would require signs: 'Pregnancy and alcohol do not mix' (Detroit Free Press)

• Alcohol may not be as good for the heart as once thought (WILX)

• What Happens When You Give Up Alcohol For A Month? Here's What Happened When I Tried (Bustle)

KRATOM

• Kratom Industry Group Has First Qualifier For Its GMP Standards Exceeding FDA's (HBW Insight)

• Kratom banned in Caledonia (The Dispatch)

• Mixing Ayahuasca And Kratom: What You Ought To Know This Combination (Kratom Guides)

• DEA calls this widely used supplement a ‘drug of concern’ (MDLinx)

• Lowndes County officials to decide on Kratom ban (WVTA)

• Dietary Supplement? Or Drug? The Kratom Regulation Debate (Filter)

• Kratom-Related Poisonings Are Soaring, Study Finds (Get Smart About Drugs)

• Advocates decry Ohio pharmacy board vote to ban kratom (The Columbus Dispatch)

KAVA

• New kava bar finds its roots in downtown Phoenix (The State Press)

KHAT

• The Flower Men of Saudi Arabia (Al Jazeera)

MISCELLANEOUS

• The UN Chief Executives Board unanimously endorses decriminalisation of people who use drugs (Transform)

• Can LSD and magic mushrooms help win wars? This Marine officer says ‘yes’ (Marine Corps Times)

• New Alabama law would require residents to pass drug tests to get food stamps (The Hill)

• Nicotine 101: The Truth About What It Is and What it Does (Filter)

• Stop Funding Southeast Asia’s Brutal Drug War (The New York Times)

• Addressing federal conflicts over supervised drug consumption sites (The Hill)

• How to Become a Psychedelic Therapist (Psychedelic Support)

• Women of Visionary Art: Interview with David Jay Brown and Rebecca Ann Hill (Psychedelic Times)

• Blinded by the White: Addressing Power and Privilege in Psychedelic Medicine (Chacruna)

• Art, Ecological Awareness, and Femininity: Interview with David Jay Brown and Rebecca Ann Hill (Psychedelic Times)

• The mind’s horizon: The coming age of psychedelics, part one (AZ Daily Sun)

• Iowa Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Legalize Psilocybin, MDMA and Ibogaine (Reset.me)

• ‘Suicide’ headaches? Magic mushrooms or LSD could offer relief (Genetic Literacy Project)

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 Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

---

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

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This Week in Psychoactives - 3.8.19

CANNABIS

• Bipartisan Legislation To End Marijuana Prohibition Filed (NORML)

• As of 2019, Legal Cannabis Has Created 211,000 Full-Time Jobs in America (Leafly)

• Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Passes New Mexico Senate (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico House Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Trump Administration Wants More Input On Marijuana Rescheduling (Forbes)

• North Dakota’s First Medical Cannabis Dispensary Is Open for Business (Leafly)

• Elon Musk Could Lose His Pentagon Security Clearance Over Video of Him Smoking Pot (TIME)

• Higher education: Colleges add cannabis to the curriculum (AP News)

• Liberal Hawaii Decides Again Not to Legalize Cannabis (Leafly)

• Cannabis conundrum: California researchers struggling to get their hands on it (The Mercury News)

• Why scientists are using yeast to make marijuana compounds (The Verge)

• Amazon Vet Joins Cannabis Site Leafly As New CEO (Forbes)

• Majority Of Americans Support Legalizing Marijuana And Expunging Records, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Hawaii Dispensaries Can Now Serve Out-of-State Cannabis Patients (Leafly)

• Marijuana Use Before Sex Leads To More Satisfying Orgasms, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Regulations Are Choking Out California's Legal Weed Industry (VICE)

• Bernie Sanders Hits Campaign Trail With A Big Focus On Marijuana Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Beto O’Rourke Rallies Support Around Marijuana Reform Ahead Of Potential 2020 Run (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate John Hickenlooper Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate Jay Inslee Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• How I Use CBD to Treat Endometriosis (Civilized)

• Texas Lawmakers Hold Marijuana Decriminalization Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

• Texas Sheriffs Stand Against Marijuana Policy Reform (The Appeal)

• The DEA Wants Help Differentiating Marijuana From Hemp (Marijuana Moment)

• Facebook May Loosen Marijuana Restrictions, Internal Company Presentation Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Guns or cannabis? Ohio patients must choose. (Cincinnati.com)

• South Africa's Cannabis Policy is Wildly Confusing, Despite "Dagga" Being Part of the Culture for Centuries (Civilized)

• Florida Poised to Repeal State Ban on Smokable Cannabis (Leafly)

• Massachusetts dogs suffering from “cannabis toxicity” now that pot is legal (The Takeout)

• Meghan McCain Says Marijuana Might Have Extended Her Father’s Life (Marijuana Moment)

• Boulder company conducting study on effects of CBD on brain injury (Boulder Daily Camera)

• Where Do The Major North American Sports Leagues Stand On Cannabis? (Yahoo! Sports)

LSD

• Stanford admissions employee charged in LSD stabbing of girlfriend (Los Angeles Times)

• How LSD Makes Us Trip, and Why It Might Be Good for Us (Esquire)

• Taking LSD every morning ‘could be beneficial’, say scientists (Metro)

• Gaspar Noé provokes again, this time with LSD as lubricant, in 'Climax' (The Boston Globe)

• This sailor brought acid aboard his carrier (Navy Times)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• A single dose of psilocybin enhances creative thinking and empathy up to seven days after use, study finds (PsyPost)

• B.C. counsellor wants Health Canada to approve psilocybin to treat death anxiety (Vancouver Sun)

MDMA

• Israeli approves compassionate use of MDMA to treat PTSD patients (420 Intel)

• MDMA is purer, more readily available than ever in New Zealand (Newshub)

• Man died plunging into Amsterdam canal after taking MDMA (Rave Jungle)

• Schoolgirl, 15, collapsed and died on first day of summer holidays after experimenting with ecstasy (The Sun)

DMT

• Scientists Microdosed Rats With DMT, and It Was Both Good and "Concerning" (Inverse)

• The DMT Trip and the Mysteries of Hyperspace Travel (Chacruna)

• Meet the real-life people probing one part of an Alex Jones DMT conspiracy theory (Rooster Magazine)

AYAHUASCA

• Ritualistic ayahuasca users tend to have positive health and psychosocial well-being (PsyPost)

• Six Playful Lessons from a Transgender Journey Through Ayahuasca Integration (Chacruna)

• Shipibo Women Healers on the Challenges and Opportunities of the Ayahuasca Boom (Psymposia)

• What I Learned During 15 Years as an Ayahuasca Scientist (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

• 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) used in a naturalistic group setting is associated with unintended improvements in depression and anxiety (Taylor and Francis Online)

SALVIA DIVINORUM

• What It’s Like to Smoke Salvia for Science (Motherboard)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• 2C-B Is the Drug Taking Over the UK's Clubs (VICE)

• What is party drug 2CP and what are the side-effects after first UK death? (Metro)

• Examining the Tragic Bestival Drug Death of Louella Fletcher-Michie (VICE)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Synthetic cannabinoid use can affect psychological outcomes (Healio)

• Government moves to increase synthetic cannabinoids penalties (Radio New Zealand)

• Spice ‘zombies’ triggering NHS cost crisis (Metro)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Boca Regional Offering Nitrous Oxide Therapy For Patients In Childbirth (Boca Newspaper)

• Why ‘nos’, the nitrous oxide party drug, is no laughing matter (The Times)

KETAMINE

• A ketamine-like drug is the first new antidepressant to get FDA approval in years (Vox)

• Esketamine is not a breakthrough new drug: Why the nasal spray for depression is old news (KevinMD.com)

• How Is Taking Ketamine for Depression Different From Falling Into a K-Hole? (Gizmodo)

• Driver high on ketamine ploughed into woman walking in Kings Heath (Birmingham Live)

PCP

• Bryan police: Man charged after resisting arrest, assaulting officer (Bryan-College Station Eagle)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Maryland to distribute fentanyl test strips to allow users to test drugs (The Baltimore Sun)

• How One Group Is Expanding Access to Overdose-Reversing Drugs Through the Mail  (Tonic)

• French poppy seed bread found to contain dangerous levels of morphine (The Telegraph)

• Good News: Opioid Prescribing Fell. The Bad? Pain Patients Suffer, Doctors Say. (The New York Times)

• Investigation: Where Are Naloxone Confiscations Happening the Most? (Filter)

• 'Opium-addicted' parrots terrorize Indian poppy farmers (The Jerusalem Post)

• The Opioid Dilemma: Saving Lives in the Long Run Can Take Lives in the Short Run (The New York Times)

• Naloxone kits will be added to 29 city-owned public buildings (CBC)

• Staten Island nonprofit will include naloxone training in CPR classes (SILive.com)

• Naloxone credited with decrease in overdose reports in Lima region (Lima Ohio)

• Scott Gottlieb was one of the few Trump officials taking on the opioid crisis. Now he’s out. (Vox)

• Fulton commission considering ban on synthetic opioids (MDJOnline.com)

• Report: Man overdosing on heroin crashes into restaurant (News 12 Westchester)

• Saira Khan: Stop doctors creating a nation of addicts (Mirror)

• Charges dropped in historic opium poppy bust in Catawba County (WCNC)

• Why aren’t slots for opioid treatment filled? City tries to turn the tide. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Training Day: Naloxone indications and administration (EMS1.com)

• Naloxone saves lives and experts say it's easier to get than most people think (9News.com)

COCAINE

• Insta-gram: How British cocaine dealers got faster and better (Mixmag)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Local dentists show dangers of meth (KRQE)

ALCOHOL

• Alcohol Reduces Fibromyalgia Pain (Pain News Network)

• Why You Can't Buy Alcohol on Election Days in Some Countries (VinePair)

• Drinking Alcohol Is More Harmful To Young People Than Previously Thought, According To Study (Bustle)

• Push to allow more alcohol in Utah beer hits stumbling block (Standard-Examiner)

• Locals reflect on first year of having Sunday alcohol sales (WTHI-TV)

• Is It More Difficult for Women to Quit Drinking Alcohol? (The Bold Italic)

• More than a dozen Clayton businesses caught selling alcohol to minors (WRAL)

KRATOM

• Kratom recalled after salmonella bacteria found in products sold by Oregon company (Statesman Journal)

• Chester County family sues kratom distributor in death of son (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• US Poison Control Is Being Inundated With Calls About an Opioid-Like Herb (ScienceAlert)

• Two Parents' Kratom Stories: One Nightmare, One Miracle (Westword)

• Monroe County sheriff to ask for banning of Kratom (WCBI)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Psychedelics and Dying Care: A Historical Look at the Relationship between Psychedelics and Palliative Care (Taylor and Francis Online)

• The IRS Targets Drug Policy Reformers (Reason)

• Gwyneth Paltrow thinks psychedelics are the next big wellness trend (Quartz)

• Labour supports trials of consumption rooms to cut drug deaths (The Guardian)

• “Never Give Up”—State Commission Urges Mass. to Move for Supervised Consumption Sites (Filter)

• Leaving The Third Wave: Team Statement (The Psychedelic Scientist)

• Reframing Psychedelic Integration into a Continuum with Community (Psychedelic Support)

• Alex Jones Says Secret Government Program Uses Psychedelics To Communicate With Aliens (Marijuana Moment)

• Can We Quantify the Placebo Effect in Psychedelic Medicine? (Psychedelic Support)

• Wavepaths Conversations — Jon Hopkins (Medium)

• Record Number in US Dying From Alcohol, Drugs, Suicide (Newsmax)

• Teens Need the Truth About Drugs (The Wall Street Journal)

• Male drug-related deaths up 98% in Northern Ireland (BBC)

• Yale researchers bolster conversations on psychedelic science (Yale Daily News)

• Could Microdosing Psychedelics Treat Mood Disorders? (The Fix)

• Psychedelic Drugs Heal, Too (Washington Square News)

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On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

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Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.