Weekly Psychedelic Links - December 2022

12.2.22

Cannabis

• Biden Signs Marijuana Research Bill, A Historic First For Federal Cannabis Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Plans for Medical Cannabis Legalization on the Ballot in 2024 (High Times)

• Ohio Senate Votes To Remove Marijuana Paraphernalia Convictions From Criminal Records And Allow Broader Expungement (Marijuana Moment)

• Police in India Say Rats Ate More Than 1,100 Pounds of Confiscated Weed (High Times)

• Young Americans Are Twice As Likely To Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes, New Gallup Data Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• New Federal Job Applications Won’t Ask About Most Marijuana Use Unless It Was Within The Past 90 Days (Marijuana Moment)

• Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help (Scientific American)

• University Researchers Exploring Cannabis As A Treatment For Covid-19 (Forbes)

• New York’s illicit weed products are weak and full of toxins, study finds (Leafly)

• Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Opioid Use By Cancer Patients, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania Starts Program Providing Financial Assistance to Low-Income Cannabis Patients (High Times)

• Wedding Guest Files Lawsuit Over Pot-Infused Reception Food (High Times)

• These States Almost Legalized Marijuana In 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Many Trips, Diminishing Returns: Cross-Tolerance Between LSD and DOI (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Former CEO Sues Company That Fired Him for Microdosing LSD in an Investor Meeting (Futurism)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA Proposes Even Higher 2023 Production Quotas For Psychedelics Like MDMA And Psilocyn (Marijuana Moment)

• Non-profit Organization Marches on Canadian Capital To Fight for Therapeutic Mushrooms (High Times)

MDMA

• The man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills (The Face)

• Climate Lessons from Cambodia’s Illegal MDMA Market (TalkingDrugs)

Ayahuasca

• Why Ayahuasca Is Miley Cyrus' 'Favorite' Drug (And How It Supported Her Veganism) (Benzinga)

• After closing its doors in Canterbury, a church serving hallucinogenic tea vows to reopen elsewhere (NHPR)

• Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats: Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study (Chacruna)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Prison “K2”: The Hidden Center of a Chaotic New Drug War (Filter)

Ketamine

• Laid-off workers can now get a free month of ketamine-assisted therapy services to help with their mental health (Fortune)

• Low-dose ketamine may reduce shivering following spinal anesthesia (Physicians Weekly)

• Ketamine for Depression Poses “Significant Risk to the Public” (Mad in America)

• Study shows how ketamine administration starkly changes neuronal activity patterns in the brain (News-Medical.net)

Miscellaneous

• Berkeley, California Officials Approve Psychedelics Decriminalization Resolution Amid Pushback From Reform Advocates (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian And Mexican Presidents Announce International Effort To Reshape Drug Policy, Condemning ‘Failure’ Of Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Governor To Appoint Psychedelics Advisory Panel After Voters Approve Legalization Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• Why the “Psychedelic Renaissance” is just Colonialism by Another Name (DoubleBlind)

• Could the Latest Science on Psychedelics Revolutionise the Way We Understand Our Minds? (Men's Health)

12.9.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner released from Russian detention in prisoner swap (Leafly)

• Legalization Amendment To Be Added to Missouri Constitution (High Times)

• New Jersey Marijuana Regulators Approve Rules For Public Cannabis Consumption Areas (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Bringing Country Closer To Ending Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Study: Cannabis Has ‘Uniquely Beneficial Effects’ on People With Bipolar Disorder (High Times)

• Pain relief from marijuana comes from a belief it helps, study finds (CNN)

• Delivery is in the works for New York’s new legal weed stores (Leafly)

• Children are ditching alcohol for marijuana, as 20-year national US study shows a 245% increase (EurekAlert!)

• Oregon recalls thousands of cannabis products over pesticide concerns (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Minnesota Files Lawsuit Against Several Companies for Illicit Edible Sales (High Times)

• As Congress Stalls On Marijuana Banking, New Report Details Public Safety Risk Of Cash-Intensive Dispensaries (Marijuana Moment)

• NORML Report Highlights Citywide Policies Depenalizing Marijuana Law Enforcement (NORML)

• Study: ‘Significant’ negative association between medical cannabis sales, alcohol (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Dispensaries’ Cashless ATM Transactions Get The Ax (High Times)

• Connecticut: Governor Announces Intent to Expunge 40,000+ Marijuana-Related Convictions (NORML)

• Biden’s Health Secretary Shares Marijuana Scheduling News At 4:20—Again (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana packaging rebrands can draw consumers, create cohesion, reflect values (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Trend Sees Brands Pairing Top-Shelf Weed, Fine Dining (High Times)

LSD

• Study on LSD microdosing uncovers neuropsychological mechanisms that could underlie anti-depressant effects (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Portlanders Explain Why They’re Waiting in Line for Psychedelic Mushrooms (Willamette Week)

• Study suggests psilocybin increases mindfulness, especially when accompanied by mystical experiences (PsyPost)

• Amsterdam’s Last Shroom Lounge (DoubleBlind)

• Diamond Therapeutics completes Phase I clinical study of low-dose psilocybin in healthy human subjects (PR Newswire)

• Oregon store allegedly selling psychedelic mushrooms raided (The Seattle Times)

MDMA

• MDMA may be available for medical treatment "as soon as 2024" in US hospitals (Mixmag)

• Wastewater data shows 286% increase in ecstasy use during pandemic (Healio)

• Abuse Potential: Considerations for Rescheduling MDMA and Psychedelics (Psychedelic Science Review)

DMT

• The Gestures of DMT Jesters (Sam Woolfe)

Ayahuasca

• A Canadian psychedelic drug company has created medical grade ayahuasca (Toronto Star)

• Modulatory Effects of Ayahuasca on Personality Structure in a Traditional Framework (Chacruna)

• Declaration of The 4th Brazilian Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Chacruna)

Ketamine

• Now Companies Can Buy Insurance To Cover Ketamine Therapy for Employees (Lucid News)

• Using Ketamine to Treat Anorexia (Psychology Today)

• Meta-Analysis of Intravenous vs Intranasal Ketamine (Psychiatric Times)

• Low-dose Ketamine Effective In Reducing The Incidence Of Shivering Following Spinal Anesthesia (Medical Dialogues)

Miscellaneous

• MAPS Found Liable in Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Lucid News)

• Most States Will Legalize Psychedelics By 2037, Analysis Published By American Medical Association Predicts (Marijuana Moment)

• When virtual reality meets psychedelic therapy (Mashable)

• How Will Our Value Systems Affect The Psychedelic Movement? (Maps of the Mind)

• We’re rushing the use of psychedelics as medicine, researchers say (New Scientist)

• Awakn Makes Its Case To Investors (Lucid News)

• Punk Ethos & Psychedelic Practice (Maps of the Mind)

12.16.22

Cannabis

• Recreational Weed Now Legal in Missouri (High Times)

• Connecticut: Adult-Use Cannabis Sales to Begin Next Month (NORML)

• New Hampshire GOP And Democratic House Leaders Team Up On Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s how New York’s legal weed delivery will work (Leafly)

• Teen Marijuana Use Remained Stable In 2022, Despite More States Legalizing And Lifting Of Pandemic Restrictions (Marijuana Moment)

• Kansas City: Officials Dismiss Hundreds of Marijuana Cases Following Statewide Legalization Vote (NORML)

• Kansas Lawmakers Plan To Introduce Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill (High Times)

• Prosecution collapses against execs caught up in CannTrust cannabis scandal (CBC)

• Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization Back In Voters’ Hands After City Council Repeal (Marijuana Moment)

• Massachusetts To Add Lessons on Weed Impairment to Driver’s Ed (High Times)

• Nearly 2 Million Marijuana Convictions Have Been Pardoned Or Expunged In The U.S. In The Past Five Years, New Report Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Australian Residents Could Save $850 Million Annually if Cannabis is Decriminalized (High Times)

• Marijuana Legalization Reduces Arrests Even In States That Already Decriminalized, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Up to 9% of LSD and psilocybin users report reoccurring effects after drug has worn off (PsyPost)

• Gut Feeling: Links Between LSD, Endocannabinoids, and the Microbiome (Psychedelic Science Review)

Magic Mushrooms

• Florida halts amanita muscaria sales at nation’s only brick-and-mortar retailer (Leafly)

• COMP360 psilocybin therapy shows potential in open-label study in type II bipolar disorder presented at ACNP (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Here’s why police are raiding psychedelic mushroom stores in major cities (Leafly)

• Rat Study Examines Psilocybin as Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (High Times)

MDMA

• The History and Benefits of MDMA, the New Tool in Mental Health Again (Daily Kos)

DMT

• Experiencing a Changa Ceremony at an Oakland Plant Medicine Church (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Aaron Rodgers says doing psychedelic drug ayahuasca helped him overcome his ‘fear of death’ (The Independent)

5-MeO-DMT

• UCL To Lead First-Ever Brain Imaging Study Among Psychedelic Retreat Participants (High Times)

• PsyBio Therapeutics Takes Initial Step to Help Protect the Sonoran Desert Toad as it Files Three New Provisional Patent Applications, Including Intellectual Property Protection for the Biosynthetic Production of 5-MeO-DMT (Psychedelic Alpha)

Peyote

• Inside the battle to save the sacred peyote ceremony: ‘We’re in dire straits’ (The Guardian)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Israeli Based Biotech Company Clearmind Completes IND-Enabling Studies for CMND-100 (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• Ketamine plus therapy could help treat alcoholism, say researchers (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• Verdict in Lawsuit Assigns MAPS 25% Liability and $1M in Damages (Lucid News)

• New center takes multidisciplinary approach to the study of psychedelics (University of Michigan)

• It’s Not Just About Pot. Our Entire Drug Policy Needs an Overhaul. (The New York Times)

• The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on a Psychedelic Experience (Sam Woolfe)

• Would You Be Friends With Your Friends if You Didn’t Do Drugs Together? (VICE)

• Why is Gender-Affirming Care Needed in the Psychedelic Space? (Chacruna)

• How Many Likes Does it Take to be a Psychedelic Thought Leader? (Lucid News)

12.23.22

Cannabis

• First words from Brittney Griner: Thanks Biden, vows to help free others (Leafly)

• Federally Funded Study Finds Teen Use Rates Largely Unchanged by Legalization (NORML)

• Canada Destroys a Record Amount of Cannabis (High Times)

• District of Columbia: Council Members Advance Legislation to Expunge Tens of Thousands of Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Afroman Announces 2024 Run for President (High Times)

• Twitter Stops Suggesting People Who Search For ‘Marijuana’ May Need Drug Treatment (Marijuana Moment)

• Canada’s Cannabis Legalization Is Working Effectively, Annual Survey Suggests (Forbes)

• New Washington Bill Would Allow Interstate Marijuana Commerce (Marijuana Moment)

• New Report Analyzes Medical Pot Patients’ Consumption Habits (High Times)

• Majority Of Texas Voters Back Marijuana Legalization, And Three In Four Support Decriminalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• How LSD evolved from CIA mind-control drug to counterculture emblem (Leafly)

Magic Mushrooms

• Quebec covers psilocybin therapy under medical insurance in historic first (Leafly)

• Oregon Psilocybin Entrepreneurs Navigate Business Requirements (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Canadian Company Announces Ayahuasca Pills (Chacruna)

• Music and ayahuasca’s role in treating substance use disorders in men (UC Riverside)

Datura

• Weed responsible for hallucinogenic spinach recall identified as thornapple (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• New Bill Tries to Decriminalize Psychedelics in California—Again (DoubleBlind)

• The Myth of the Psychedelic Santa (Lucid News)

• U.K. Police Chiefs Call for Decriminalization of First-Time Drug Offenses (High Times)

• Israel-Based Clearmind Medicine Granted U.S. Patent for Psychedelic-Based Alcohol Substitute (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Placebo Problems: Boundary Works in the Psychedelic Science Renaissance (Chacruna)

12.30.22

Cannabis

• Record Number of Scientific Papers Published About Cannabis in 2022 (NORML)

• Washington, D.C. Passes Bill To Expand Medical Weed Sales (High Times)

• Google Ends Ban On Advertising Certain Hemp And CBD Products In Parts Of U.S. (Marijuana Moment)

• Clinical Trial Finds Cannabis Oil is Well-Tolerated, Effective Insomnia Treatment (High Times)

• Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records To Launch Its Own Cannabis Brand (Forbes)

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Pardons 10, Some Cannabis Convictions (High Times)

• A dying US cancer patient used cannabis to ease pain. His hospital called the police (The Guardian)

• South Dakota Activists File Measure That Could Put Marijuana Legalization On Ballot For Third Election In A Row (Marijuana Moment)

• Is legal weed doomed to be run by big business? (Vox)

• Texas Marijuana Activists Submit Enough Signatures To Challenge Local Decriminalization Repeal, While Another City’s Reform Faces Lawsuit (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• A single dose of psilocybin improves depression in treatment-resistant patients, but with adverse effects (PsyPost)

• Psilocybin Therapy For Autism-Like Disorder Receives Approval For Phase 2a Clinical Trial (The Dales Report)

• Do Shrooms Go Bad? (DoubleBlind)

MDMA

• MDMA Is Getting Super Popular Among Rich, Young Indians (VICE)

• VA Report Says Psilocybin And MDMA Show Therapeutic ‘Promise’ For Veterans’ Mental Health Conditions (Marijuana Moment)

DMT

• Phase 2a study initiated to examine synthetic DMT for treatment-resistant depression (Healio)

Ayahuasca

• “Nobody Wants A Synthetic-Only Future”: Filament Health Is Formulating Natural Psilocybin And Standardizing Ayahuasca (Healing Maps)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Tripping Without The Trip: Non-Hallucinogenic Psychedelics (Benzinga)

Ketamine

• Much remains unknown about using ketamine to treat depression—and Colorado doesn't regulate it (The Denver Post)

Miscellaneous

• New York Lawmakers File Psychedelics Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelics Like Psilocybin Are Now Legal In Colorado With Governor’s Proclamation On Voter-Approved Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• The Multidimensional Worlds of Mariela de la Paz (DoubleBlind)

• Minnesota Medical Association Endorses Decriminalizing Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic therapies are on the horizon, but who will administer the drugs? (NBC News)

• Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say (NPR)

• Psychedelics Are Surging—at the Expense of Indigenous Communities (The Daily Beast)

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

Weekly Psychedelic Links - June 2022

6.3.22

Cannabis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Gen Z Prefers Weed Over Booze (High Times)

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

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

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

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

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

LSD

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

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

Magic Mushrooms

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

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

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

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

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

MDMA

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

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

Peyote

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

Nitrous Oxide

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

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

Ketamine

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

Miscellaneous

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6.10.22

Cannabis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LSD

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

Magic Mushrooms

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

MDMA

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

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

Ayahuasca

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

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelic Pharma’s Big Spin (Lucid News)

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

• Tracing The History of Hallucinogens in China (TalkingDrugs)

• How psychedelic drugs might treat depression (BBC)

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

• The Great Cannabis Microdosing PR Conspiracy (High Times)

6.17.22

Cannabis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LSD

• The Elephant in the Room is LSD (Lucid News)

Magic Mushrooms

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

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

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

MDMA

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

5-MeO-DMT

• What’s the Best Way To Take 5-MeO-DMT in a Clinical Trial? (Technology Networks)

Iboga

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

Synthetic Cannabinoids

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

Ketamine

• Exploring Ketamine’s Antimicrobial Effects & Fungal Sources: Part 1 (Psychedelic Science Review)

• The 'normalised' drug that the UK takes more of than any other country (Liverpool Echo)

Miscellaneous

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

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

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

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

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

• The abuse of power in psychedelic retreats (leafie)

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

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

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

6.24.22

Cannabis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LSD

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

Magic Mushrooms

• Judges Deny Challenge to Psilocybin Patent (VICE)

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

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

• Oregon County Considers Banning Legalized Psilocybin Therapy (Filter)

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

MDMA

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

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

DMT

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

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

Ayahuasca

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

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

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

Ketamine

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

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

Miscellaneous

• After Six-Decade Hiatus, Experimental Psychedelic Therapy Returns to the V.A. (The New York Times)

• Two psychedelic-related initiatives may be on the 2022 Colorado ballot (The Denver Channel)

• Alliance launches to advance psychedelic healthcare in Europe (Psychedelic Health)

• After Six-Decade Hiatus, Experimental Psychedelic Therapy Returns to the V.A. (The New York Times)

• States are embracing psychedelics, paving the way for FDA approval (DoubleBlind)

• Rabbi Ben Gorelick Plans to Use Religious Freedom Against an 8-Year Minimum Psychedelic Charge (High Times)

• Numinus Applies for International Patent Filing of Psychedelics Production Process (Psychedelic Alpha)

• The New Psychedelic Plot (The Wall Street Journal)

• Efforts to Decriminalize Psychedelics Can Extend to Rural Places, Too (The Daily Yonder)

• Recreational psychedelics remain far behind on legalization path (Pique Newsmagazine)

• Psychedelic Therapy Will Not Save Us (Mad in America)

• Mummies who mushroom: The mums using psychedelics to take the edge off modern parenthood (Harpers Bazaar)

• Extending the Reach of Psychedelic Therapy With Psychoplastogens (Technology Networks)

• The Great Microdosing Debate (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Celebrating the Psychedelic Dawn (Lucid News)

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 - 8.6.21

Cannabis

• Louisiana: Marijuana Decriminalization Law Takes Effect (NORML)

• Missouri Probation Officers Are Sending People Back to Prison for Legally Using Medical Cannabis (MERRY JANE)

• Trial to test if cannabis-based mouth spray can treat brain tumours (The Guardian)

• Wyoming Marijuana Decriminalization And Medical Cannabis Initiatives Clear First 2022 Ballot Hurdle (Marijuana Moment)

• Puerto Rico: Law Signed Protecting Medical Cannabis Patients from Employment Discrimination (NORML)

• Arkansas Marijuana Activists Push For Legalization Ballot Initiative In 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• How the CIA used LSD to fight communism (Big Think)

Magic Mushrooms

• Canadians Overwhelmingly Support Legal Access to Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy, Poll Reveals (Psilocybin Alpha)

• COMPASS Pathways’ Psilocybin Patent Questioned By UK Patent Examiner (Psymposia)

• Does This Medieval Fresco Show A Hallucinogenic Mushroom in the Garden of Eden? (Atlas Obscura)

• Filament Health Is the First Public Company to Be Issued a Patent for Extraction of Natural Psilocybin (Psilocybin Alpha)

DMT

• Enzymes Responsible for DMT Synthesis Coexist in Mammalian Brain Cells (Psychedelic Science Review)

• PharmaDrug Forms Research Collaboration with Terasaki Institute for Novel Ocular Drug Formulation Program to Deliver DMT and Other Tryptamines to Treat Eye Disease (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Addiction Treatment: Ayahuasca May Help Addicts Stop Abusing Alcohol and Drugs (Gilmore Health News)

Mescaline

• Could Synthetic Mescaline Protect Declining Peyote Populations? (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Deadly drug 25B-NBOH sold as powdered LSD in Melbourne, spike in Victorian hospitalisations (News.com.au)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Lawsuit Filed Over Massachusetts Prisons’ Use of Faulty Drug Tests (Ganjapreneur)

Ketamine

• With a nudge from AI, ketamine emerges as a potential rare disease treatment (STAT)

• Ketamine May Combat Depression in Teens (Lucid News)

Miscellaneous

• Usona Institute Breaks Ground for Global Center in Psychedelic Science (The Joplin Globe)

• Drug deaths in England and Wales highest since 1993 (BBC)

• The Story of “El Chapo” and Why the Drug War Will Never End (The Nation)

• First-ever research centre for psychedelic drug therapy is opening in Australia (Mixmag)

• Fireside Project Releases App for Psychedelic Peer Support (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Modernization of Sacred Plant Medicine Traditions: At What Cost? (Psychedelics Today)

• The Wonderful and Absurd Adventures of Rosemary Woodruff Leary: Fashion Icon, Fugitive, and Psychedelic Pioneer (Part One) (Chacruna)

• Researchers Concerned About Whitewashing of Psychedelic-Assisted Mental Health Research (Mad in America)

• Awakn Life Sciences Announces Its Second Location in the UK for “Awakn Clinics London,” Providing Treatment to the Largest City in the UK (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Two Years After Oakland’s Psychedelic Decrim, What’s Been the Impact? (Filter)

• Improving Y/Our Relationship with Psychedelics (Maps of the Mind)

• Advancing the Psychedelic Renaissance (Reality Sandwich)

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

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 5.1.20

Cannabis

• Marijuana Seems To Reduce Opioid Use Among Chronic Pain Patients, Meta-Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• CIA Says Past Pot Use Does Not Disqualify Applicants From Agency Jobs (MERRY JANE)

• Commander-in-Cannabis: How Will Trump and Biden Approach Marijuana Policy? (High Times)

• CBD Can Stop Brain Cancer in Humans and Dogs, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• Kansas Governor Says Medical Marijuana Still On The Table In 2020 Despite Coronavirus (Marijuana Moment)

• Could cannabis terpene formulation treat COVID-19? (Health Europa)

• US Marijuana Research Policy Violated International Law For Decades, DEA Lawsuit Memo Reveals (Marijuana Moment)

• Maryland Medical Marijuana Dispensary Opens State's First Weed Drive-Thru (MERRY JANE)

• Lebanon has legalised cannabis growing, but its political class are muscling in on small farmers (The New Arab)

• Why you should read the label on your cannabis product (Leafly)

• Does cannabis use amplify the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure and vice versa? (EurekAlert!)

• Australian study finds vehicle crashes are a common factor in cannabis deaths (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• One doctor vs. the DEA: Inside the battle to study marijuana in America (NBC)

• Grandma gets high: Why seniors are consuming cannabis (Leafly)

• Scientists Create New Method To Store Marijuana Pollen On A Long-Term Basis (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• LSD "off-switch" developed by psychedelic pharmaceutical company (New Atlas)

• What Happens When You Add Other Drugs To Your LSD Trip? (VICE)

• Bicycle Day 2020 Was Truly Historic, But Not for the Reasons You Think (Psymposia)

• When a Coronavirus Lockdown Resembles an LSD Trip (The New York Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon Therapeutic Psilocybin Legalization Campaign Has A New Signature Strategy Amid Coronavirus (Marijuana Moment)

• New York Assemblywoman Introduces Measure to Decriminalize Psilocybin (DoubleBlind)

• Compass raises $80M to take magic mushroom drug toward phase 3 (FierceBiotech)

• Oregon psychedelic startup tests nasal spray for PTSD, depression as legislative momentum builds (GeekWire)

• Calls For Australian Government To Allow MDMA And Psilocybin To Be Used To Treat Mental Health (LADbible)

MDMA

• Why MDMA Sex Feels So Good (VICE)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Scientists Solve the Crystal Structure of the Freebase of 5-MeO-DALT (Psychedelic Science Review)

Ketamine

• Treating Depression with Ketamine Under Quarantine (DoubleBlind)

• Ketamine and COVID-19 (Forest Bluff Magazine)

Miscellaneous

• Turn On, Tune In, Cash In (New Republic)

• Weed Biotech Partners with US Hospital to Make Psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT (MERRY JANE)

• Dr. Bronner’s Donates $1 Mil to Legalize Medical Psilocybin in Oregon (DoubleBlind)

• This petition to decriminalize psychedelics is causing Canadians to respond in droves (The Growth Op)

• Biden RAVE Act Legislation From 2003 Continues to Impede Risk Reduction Efforts (Lucid News)

• Biotech startup wants to make new short-acting psychedelic drugs more scalable & accessible (The Sociable)

• Field Trip Announces “World’s First” Virtual Psychedelic Therapy, But Forgets To Mention They Aren’t the First and No Psychedelics Are Involved (Psymposia)

• Dax Shepard Explains Why He'd Approve of His Daughters Taking Psychedelic Drugs (E! Online)

• Psychedelics Company Orthogonal Thinker Closes $6M Seed Round (Benzinga)

• Efforts to Legalize Psychedelics is Quickly Picking Up Momentum (Baystreet)

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

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

This Week in Psychoactives - 11.29.19

CANNABIS

• Study: Daily Cannabis Use Among Pain Patients Associated with Less Non-Prescription Opioid Use (NORML)

• License revoked for California cannabis vape maker Kushy Punch after state seizes $21M worth of products (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Scientists Just Figured Out Why Some People Hallucinate on Weed (MERRY JANE)

• Another Study Links Vitamin E Additive to Lung Illness (NORML)

• California Is Raising Taxes On Cannabis Again (Forbes)

• Study Finds “Little Support” for Cannabis Impacting Cognitive Abilities (NORML)

• Cannabis reduces headache and migraine pain by nearly half (ScienceDaily)

• Marijuana vaping disease strikes Thai patient (Coconuts Bangkok)

• Additives result in higher toxins for vape users, Portland State study finds (EurekAlert!)

• Michigan halts sale of marijuana vapes unless re-tested (MSN)

• Alcohol-Related Car Crashes Declined In Idaho After Washington Legalized Marijuana Next Door (Marijuana Moment)

• Feds Will Stop Funding State Addiction Programs That Use Cannabis (MERRY JANE)

• Trinidad And Tobago Government Introduces Marijuana Reform Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• For many, even 'automatic' clearing of marijuana records could be complicated (Crain's Chicago Business)

• Is Weed Safe When You're Breastfeeding? (VICE)

• US Air Force Bans Service Members From Using CBD, Despite its Legal Status (MERRY JANE)

• Joe Biden Walks Back Marijuana ‘Gateway Drug’ Comment After Week Of Criticism (Marijuana Moment)

• Inside the Contentious World of Cannabis Churches (InsideHook)

• Pete Buttigieg Says Marijuana Arrests Signify “Systemic Racism.” His South Bend Police Fit the Bill. (The Intercept)

• Where Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Congressional Candidate Smokes Marijuana And Talks Legalization In Campaign Video (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis legalisation: Does it lead to harder drug use? (BBC)

LSD

• New Zealand-based LSD microdosing trial gets go-ahead (Newshub)

• Inside the Archive of an LSD Researcher With Ties to the CIA’s MKUltra Mind Control Project (The Intercept)

• Thai medical authorities issue warning on recreational 'Magic Paper' hallucinogen (AsiaOne)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• FDA Grants Psilocybin Second Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Resistant Depression (Medscape)

• Scientists Discover New Compounds in Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Depression sufferers should not self-medicate with magic mushrooms, health experts warn (The Telegraph)

• Late frost means magic mushrooms will bloom in the UK on New Year‘s Day (Stock Daily Dish)

MDMA

• Parents of teens, here’s what you really need to know about MDMA (The Conversation)

AYAHUASCA

• Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend Harry Morton was 'hooked on ayahuasca', a psychedelic drug that distorts brain waves to create a vivid 'waking-dream' state — and was once used by the actress who said it 'changed her life' (Daily Mail)

• Don’t Forget Us Native People Behind the Ayahuasca (Kahpi)

• Personal Healing with Ayahuasca Helped Me Be a Better Psychologist (Chacruna)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Doctors warn of the dangers of ingesting nitrous oxide in light of OU student death (WHIO)

KETAMINE

• A Single Dose Of Ketamine Might Help Heavy Drinkers, Study Finds (NPR)

PCP

• Naked man reportedly high on PCP jumps off roof of Kansas City home ‘like Peter Pan’ (FOX 4 Kansas City)

OPIOIDS

• Pioneering Glasgow clinic offers addicts pharmaceutical grade heroin (The Guardian)

• Drugmakers and Distributors Are Under Federal Opioid Probe, Report Says (TIME)

• Heroin Pipes: How the “Hammer” Was Built for Harm Reduction (Filter)

• My friend and I both took heroin. He overdosed. Why was I charged with his death? (The Washington Post)

COCAINE

• Coca Plant Makes a Comeback (Reality Sandwich)

• When Paul McCartney Realized Cocaine Was Terrible for Him (Showbiz CheatSheet)

• Kirstie Alley Traded Cocaine For Flowers As 'Gift' To Herself (TooFab)

CAFFEINE

• Some coffee drinkers claim it causes anxiety. Here's what the science says (Salon)

• Caffeine, Cough Medicines: What's in the Average Blood Transfusion (U.S. News & World Report)

• Calls for probe into 'energy gum' that has more caffeine than Red Bull (Scottish Daily Record)

Nicotine

• Massachusetts Becomes the First State to Ban Flavored Tobacco and Vaping Products (TIME)

• Pennsylvania Officially Raises Age Of Tobacco Purchase To 21 (CBS Pittsburgh)

• New York City Lawmakers Vote to Ban All Flavored E-Cigarettes (TIME)

• CPSC Will Go After Vape Shops That Violate Bottle Rules (Vaping360)

• How the British Approach to Vaping Puts the US to Shame (Filter)

• More People In US Now See E-cigarettes More Harmful Than Tobacco (Medical Daily)

• "Small Vape" Stood Up for Itself at the White House (Vaping360)

• What the E-Cigarette Bans Get Wrong (Slate)

• Vape debate: Are e-cigarettes wiping out teen smoking? (AP News)

ALCOHOL

• Does Drinking Alcohol Literally Shrink the Brain? (SciTechDaily)

• A Brain Network for Alcoholism? (Psychology Today)

• Stamford and the bottle: Study shows alcohol is a problem in city (Stamford Advocate)

• Utah underage drinking declines to record low (The Salt Lake Tribune)

NOOTROPICS

• Some Nootropics Contain a Substance Unapproved by the FDA (VICE)

KRATOM

• Which Liver Enzymes Metabolize Mitragynine (Net Newsledger)

• Retail sale of kratom supplement banned in Monument (Colorado Springs Gazette)

• Poison Control Centers Saw 5,000% Increase In Calls About Kratom Exposure (WOSU)

KAVA

• Fijian kava arrives in New Zealand pharmacies (NZ Herald)

• The viability of kava in healthcare — sensations of euphoria and relaxation (The Market Herald)

MISCELLANEOUS

• How Drugs Won the War on Drugs (Mixmag)

• Leaked Documents Say Roughly 2,000 NY Prisoners Affected By Erroneous Drug Tests (Gothamist)

• Are over-the-counter psychedelics in our future? (Big Think)

• Federal Health Agency Hosts Talk On Psychedelics Research (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic studies on depression recruiting subjects in the Netherlands (Stitching OPEN)

• Nearly 100 Cities Are Considering Decriminalizing Psychedelics, Map Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Is this the way the drug war ends - not with a bang, but a whimper? (Politics.co.uk)

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.