There’s a lot to catch up on since last month. For starters, Canadians can now request access to psychedelics, a country became the first in Asia to decriminalize cannabis, a study found that hemp may protect against COVID-19, and a U.S. politician smoked a blunt in a campaign ad.
Just like last month’s recap, there is no video recap of this month’s psychedelic news recap up on YouTube. I’ll have another update about some changes coming to my YouTube channel that should hopefully be out later this week on my channel, so make sure you subscribe there if you’d like to be informed about things on that front.
There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:
Policy
Wins
Kicking off the new year on a positive note, Health Canada granted the ability for patients to request special access to illegal psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes. Each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and the treatment option will be reserved for serious treatment-resistant and life-threatening conditions only.
Thailand made history by becoming the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis. The country’s Narcotics Control Board has already approved the removal of the drug from the ministry’s list of controlled substances and the delisting will go into effect 120 days after being formally signed by the health minister.
Future
A global coalition announced its campaign to internationally reschedule psilocybin mushrooms. The International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative is working toward a worldwide policy change that would enable new research into their therapeutic potential.
In a surprising move, the mayor of London appears to be pushing for decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of cannabis by 18 to 24 year-olds. This pilot trial is still in its early stages but it may signal a potential for some progressive drug policy reform to start coming out of England.
There were several huge victories in the drug policy reform movement last year, and there’s no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, there are already more than two dozen states that might relax their laws involving cannabis and psychedelics in 2022. With any luck, this might be the biggest year for drug policy reform we’ve seen yet.
But not everything is going in the right direction. Last week the DEA proposed adding five more psychedelics to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The substances are: 4-OH-DiPT, 5-MeO-AMT, 5-MeO-MiPT, 5-MeO-DET, and DiPT. If this push goes through then they will be subject to the same laws that restrict the possession, distribution, import, export, manufacturing, and research of psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA.
Industry
While many psychedelic companies are trying to patent as much intellectual property as they can, the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) published a study featuring an open science approach to synthesizing MDMA. Combined with Usona Institute’s recipe for manufacturing psilocybin that was published in 2020, open science like this will greatly benefit the overall psychedelic industry.
Although many people swear by the amazing transformational experiences they’ve had with classical psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, psychedelic companies are attempting to develop a wide range of novel psychoactive substances. This is similar to the work Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin did in the 20th century. However, the difference is that Sasha wasn’t attempting to corner the market on the psychedelic substances with the greatest potential return on investment.
Research
Published Studies
A study showing that hemp compounds may have the potential of blocking COVID-19 from entering human cells went viral this month. But before you run out to your nearest dispensary (or dealer) for some flower to cram in your vape, you should know that 1) This research was not conducted directly on humans, and 2) The results were not related to smoking, vaping, or eating weed. Instead, the study found that two specific cannabinoids (CBDA and CBGA) inhibited the reproduction and spread of coronavirus during in vitro lab tests.
A clinical trial testing the use of ketamine therapy to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) reported positive results. The study found that the treatment—which also featured an AUD-specific form of mindfulness practice—led to a 90% abstinence rate for patients for six months. In addition, the risk of deaths was also reduced by ten times.
The field of microdosing research is still in its earliest stages, and the verdict is still out as to whether it’s actually effective or not. However, another study has found that there may be no difference between microdosing and placebo. More than 50 subjects participated in a double-blind trial exploring whether microdosing psilocybin could lead to improvements in emotional and mental health. There were not any significant differences between the periods when the participants were microdosing and the times they were taking a placebo.
Future Studies
With the opioid crisis getting worse every year and the rate of overdose deaths rising faster than ever before, the U.S. federal government is starting to consider its options for addressing these issues. One future study to keep your eyes on will take a look at using a non-hallucinogenic version of ibogaine for addiction treatment, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse is partnering up with neuroscience startup Delix Therapeutics to conduct the study.
Harm Reduction
Drug checking organizations in New Zealand have detected a dramatic decrease in the amount of eutylone (commonly referred to as “bath salts”) being sold as “MDMA” in the country. The reason for this drop in tainted drugs most likely has to do with the fact that New Zealand embraced the concept of drug checking after legalizing the practice in November.
Miscellaneous
A candidate running for U.S. Senate made a ton of waves when he smoked a blunt in a new campaign ad. Democrat Gary Chambers, who is hoping to be Louisiana’s newest senator, spends the ad’s 37 seconds (which is the amount of time in between each cannabis-related arrest in America) talking about the harms of criminalization. It’s really a must-watch.
Rounding this month’s recap out is a history lesson. New archaeological evidence from Peru indicated that elite members of the Wari Empire consumed hallucinogenic beer-like beverages to power and maintain political control. Similar to the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries, we don’t know everything about what occurred at these parties, but one thing’s for sure—the Waris knew how to throw down!
That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.
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