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)

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 Month in Psychedelics - August 2022

Policy

Following last month’s attempt to ban five novel psychoactive substances, which was later withdrawn, the DEA announced a plan to criminalize two additional psychedelic drugs—DOI and DOC. However, shortly after the announcement the DEA backed down and communicated that it no longer intends to place these two substances in Schedule I. While this may end up being a temporary victory, it is still a big win for now.

Industry

The psychedelic industry experienced a lot of movement this month. MindMed put an end to its 18-MC for opioid addiction program and slashed a lot of their early research and development projects. atai Life Sciences also decided to narrow its focus as well, cutting three programs: DemeRx’s noribogaine program, the non-psychedelic drug N-acetylcysteine for brain injury, and Salvinorin A for depression. And finally, Mydecine is looking like it is on the verge of closing due to a lack of funding.

Research

A randomized-clinical trial found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is capable of treating alcohol use disorder. The study had a fairly small sample size of only 93 patients but the effect size was large, with the patients who received psilocybin reduced their drinking by 83% within eight months of their first dose.

Meanwhile, yet another placebo-controlled study found that psilocybin microdosing did not have any significant benefits to creativity, cognition, or perception. This study also had a small sample size, with only 34 participants, but it adds to the pile of evidence accumulating against the idea that microdosing has any tangible benefits that go beyond the placebo effect.

Miscellaneous

NFL football player Aaron Rodgers opened up about how he used ayahuasca to help him with his mental health and propel him to the point where he is at now in his career as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. This was a pretty big admission in the world of sports, where the use of illegal drugs is a big no-no. Fortunately both his coach and the league were accepting of the news, and hopefully this is the beginning of a trend because it would be great to see even more professional athletes come forward about their experiences with illegal drugs.

However, not all athletes got off so easy. WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for the possession and smuggling of cannabis oil cartridges. Since then she has appealed the conviction and is hoping to overturn the ruling, but there’s no telling how this case will play out in court.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is a video of a wild bear who helped himself to a supply of psychedelic honey and ended up incapacitated in the back of a truck. Fortunately he turned out just fine after coming down from his trip, which I’m sure he’ll remember for the rest of his life!

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 11.26.21

Cannabis

• The new German government plans to legalize cannabis. (The New York Times)

• Mexico Senate on Track to Endorse Recreational Cannabis by December (High Times)

• Uber Eats users in Ontario can now buy cannabis through the app (Engadget)

• New GOP weed approach: Feds must ‘get out of the way’ (Politico)

• South Dakota Supreme Court kills adult-use legalization (Leafly)

• Is Fentanyl-Tainted Marijuana 'Something Real' or 'Just an Urban Legend'? (Reason)

• A New Center at CSU Aims to Unlock the Secrets of CBD (5280)

• Indica and sativa labels are largely meaningless when it comes to cannabis complexities (The Conversation)

• St. Louis Lawmakers Unanimously Approve Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana Possession And Cultivation (Marijuana Moment)

• Analysis: Marijuana Legalization Associated with Improved Clearance Rates for Violent Crimes (NORML)

• Illinois Judge Rules Weed Odor is Not Probable Cause For Searches (High Times)

• Ohio Marijuana Activists Almost Have Enough Signatures To Force Lawmakers To Consider Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• New Mexico Issues First Adult-Use Cannabis Cultivation License (High Times)

• Taliban Contracts Australian Company To Grow Cannabis In Afghanistan (Marijuana Moment)

• Mississippi lawmakers unlikely to reach medical marijuana deal this year (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Dogs Are Being Exposed To Marijuana Through Human Poop And Pet Owners Should Beware, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Majority Of Texas Republicans Back Marijuana Legalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Arizona Cannabis Social Equity Program Faces Legal Challenge (High Times)

• Canada’s first regulated cannabis suppositories target female consumers (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Montana: Officials Create New Drug Court to Focus Solely on Expunging Past Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Few Medical Cannabis Licenses in Portugal Have Been Awarded (High Times)

• Pennsylvania order targeting vaporized products upends cannabis market (Marijuana Business Daily)

• CNN’s Sixth WEED Documentary Features the Benefits of Medical Cannabis for Autism (High Times)

LSD

• New graphic novel depicts famed history of LSD research in Sask. (CBC)

Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushroom study hints psilocybin repairs alcohol-induced brain damage (Inverse)

• COMPASS Pathways granted fifth US patent for crystalline psilocybin (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Metaphysics and mushrooms: Psychedelics can change how you think about the universe (Big Think)

• What Happens When Zen Monks Take Mushrooms? (Lucid News)

• HAVN Life Successfully Exports Psilocybin from its Jamaica Facility into Canada (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

• Police Presence at Music Festivals Linked to "Panic Overdoses": Study (EDM)

DMT

• Entheon Biomedical Provides Update on Clinical and Preclinical DMT Programs (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Ayahuasca users report psychological benefits after taking placebo at a ritualistic ceremony (PsyPost)

• Are All Ayahuasca Retreats The Same? You Might Be Surprised (Healing Maps)

Peyote

• Mining and Poaching Threatens 15,000-Year-Old Peyote Tradition in Mexico (DoubleBlind)

San Pedro

• San Pedro: What is it Like to Experience Mescaline from San Pedro? (The Third Wave)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Mescaline-Like Psychedelic Alters Synaptic Plasticity (Technology Networks)

Ketamine

• Ketamine benefits neurocognition in depression with suicidal ideation (Healio)

• Wesana Health Clinics Surpass 4,000 Administered Ketamine Treatments (Psilocybin Alpha)

• PharmaTher Applies for FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Ketamine to Treat Rare Neurological Disorder Status Epilepticus (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Navigating the Patchwork of New York City Ketamine Clinics (Lucid News)

Miscellaneous

• New Zealand Permanently Legalizes Drug Checking, a Global First (Filter)

• U.S. Reports More Than 100,000 Overdose Deaths In One Year (High Times)

• New study finds 'microdosing' psychedelics can be effective in treating anxiety, depression (The Hill)

• Responding to the 2022 Global Drug Survey Will Help Other Drug Users (Filter)

• Colorado Springs Pushing to Decriminalize Psychedelics (Truffle Report)

• The Rise of Psychedelic Retreats (The New York Times)

• How to Cultivate a More Ethical, Inclusive Psychedelic Future (Lucid News)

• Why Are Some People More Sensitive to Psychedelics Than Others? (Sam Woolfe)

• Cybin Awards Grant for Psychedelic Treatment Clinic at Lenox Hill Hospital to Benefit Underserved Communities (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Academic Centers Start to Take Psychedelics Seriously (Medpage Today)

• Psychedelics and Mysticism: The Debate Continues (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psychedelics, Cognition, and Sleep Disorders (Truffle Report)

• Is Psychedelic Research Funding Starting to Shift? (Medpage Today)

• Revive Therapeutics Files for ODD Designation for Bucillamine Treatment Targeting Rare Liver Disorders, COVID-19 (Truffle Report)

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 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.