This Week in Psychoactives - 8.9.19

CANNABIS

• Study Reviews How Marijuana Compounds Inhibit Tumor Growth And Kill Cancer Cells (Marijuana Moment)

• Study Finds Cannabis Dispensaries Reduce Opioid Deaths by 21% (Leafly)

• 14% of Americans Say They Use CBD Products (Gallup)

• The Mexican Government Is Taking Public Input On How Best To Legalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Louisiana Patients Finally Get Their Medical Marijuana (Leafly)

• California OKs cannabis sales and use at San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival (Los Angeles Times)

• Federal Court Says Ohio Officials Can Block Local Marijuana Ballot Measures (Marijuana Moment)

• Arizona Groups File 2020 Cannabis Legalization Initiative (Leafly)

• Navy Bans Sailors From Using CBD Despite Federal Hemp Legalization, New Memo Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Delaware: Law Signed Reducing Marijuana Penalties for Juvenile Offenders (NORML)

• Study: Colorado Teens Reduce Cannabis Smoking, Increase Edibles (Leafly)

• Florida Lawmaker Files Bill To Decriminalize Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• With little funding or political will, Michigan police let black market weed slide (MLive)

• Top Senate Democrat Announces Construction Of Only Hemp Seed Bank In The U.S. (Marijuana Moment)

• Bernie Says He’d Legalize Cannabis Through Executive Order (Leafly)

• Colorado Sold Twice As Much Recreational Marijuana As Medical Cannabis Last Year (Marijuana Moment)

• Wisconsin man — who arrived in U.S. in ’81 as Cambodian refugee — is deported for marijuana offenses, leaving behind his wife and new baby (Chicago Tribune)

• Is Cannabis Safe When Pregnant? Study Seeks Answer, Draws Critics (Leafly)

• NASA Warns Employees That Using CBD Products Could Get Them Fired (Forbes)

• Could a cannabis substance replace opioid pain relievers? (Medical News Today)

• Idaho Medical Marijuana Initiative Clears Early Hurdle On Way To 2020 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

MDMA

• Warning Issued for Dangerously Strong Ecstacy Pills in Europe (EDMTunes)

• Number of people hospitalised with 'severe illness' from ecstasy at Indiependence Festival in Cork (Irish Mirror)

• Alert after MDMA pill that is three time the adult dose is identified at Boomtown (Daily Echo)

AYAHUASCA

• Pieces of Ayahuasca, a Cash Crop (Chacruna)

MESCALINE

• Here are 7 notorious Peyote and Mescaline aficionados who used these drugs to open new doors in human perception and understanding (AlterNet)

PEYOTE

• The Encounter That Introduced Peyote to Western Science (Chacruna)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Sea of laughing gas canisters left on beach after Brighton Pride (Metro)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine Changes Course of Major Depressive Disorder Treatment (Psychiatry Advisor)

• Royal Navy pleads with sailors to stop taking ketamine amid fears that the Class B drug is rife among junior naval personnel on ships and submarines (Daily Mail)

OPIOIDS

• Decline in opioid deaths is tied to growing use of overdose-reversing drug, CDC says (Los Angeles Times)

• Study Finds Increase in Pharmacy Dispensing of Naloxone, More Efforts Needed to Improve Access (Pharmacy Times)

• “Go Slow”—Baltimore’s Peer-Led Fentanyl Harm Reduction Campaign (Filter)

• Author Testifies That China Fails to Crack Down on Fentanyl (The Daily Signal)

• Autopsy: Bonnaroo attendee died from drug overdose involving fentanyl and ecstasy (The Tennessean)

COCAINE

• Colombia’s Drug Strategy Paradox – Less Coca Crops, More Cocaine (InSight Crime)

CAFFEINE

• Here's How Much Caffeine May Trigger a Migraine, According to a New Study (TIME)

• Why Alcohol, Nicotine Disrupt Your Sleep More Than Coffee (Healthline)

• Teenager commits suicide by overdosing on caffeine (Independent Online)

• Science Says Drinking Coffee Helps People Slow Aging, Lose Weight, and Cheat Death. These Fascinating Studies Explain Why It's a Miracle Drink (Inc.)

• Caffeine and how it affect’s the central nervous system. (Thrive Global)

TOBACCO

• Dayton, Ohio, will no longer hire job applicants who use tobacco, nicotine (New York Daily News)

• Tobacco plant buffet: Sticky surface traps insects and another feasts, study says (WRAL)

ALCOHOL

• Low-level alcohol use increases miscarriage risk (Medical Xpress)

• Alcohol Producers Tout Wellness Benefits. Health Experts Say Don't Swallow Claims (NPR)

NOOTROPICS

• Say no to nootropics (Deccan Herald)

KRATOM

• Ohio delays kratom ban; bill proposed to regulate the herbal supplement (Cincinnati.com)

• What is kratom? Users praise its pain-relieving ability, but Louisiana officials look to ban it (The Advocate)

• PM says kratom can be legalised ‘if proved useful’ (ThaiVisa News)

• Kratom: The Real Problem With This Botanical Drug (Medical Daily)

• Kratom In Your Skin Care Products (Kratom Guides)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Ireland Partially Decriminalizes All Drugs (Cannabis Now)

• Another Study Confirms Psychedelics Can Help Treat Depression and Anxiety (MERRY JANE)

• CDC: Fatal Overdoses Are More Common in Cities Than Rural Areas (Filter)

• The Top 10 Psychedelic Research Papers of the Last 10 Years (Psychedelic Science Review)

• 2020 Candidate Andrew Yang Tweets Support for Safe Consumption Sites (Filter)

• Bernie Sanders Wouldn’t Legalize Drugs Other Than Marijuana, He Tells Joe Rogan (Marijuana Moment)

• The Most Psychedelic Technology in Human History is Here, and it’s Called Neuralink (Psychedelic Times)

• Remembering Psychedelic Therapy Research Elder, Dr Claudio Naranjo (Kahpi)

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 - 8.2.19

CANNABIS

• Thailand set to deliver first batch of medical marijuana (Reuters)

• Pass the Duchy: Luxembourg’s grand plan to legalize cannabis (Politico)

• Court: DEA Must Explain Its Failure to Act Upon Pending Marijuana Cultivation Applications (NORML)

• US Government Approves Increased Production of Marijuana for Clinical Research (NORML)

• Coast Guard Issues Order Barring Active Duty Members From Visiting Marijuana Shops (Marijuana Moment)

• Scientist Debunks Her Earlier Study That Claimed Weed Causes Brain Damage (MERRY JANE)

• Chart: Women account for more than a third of marijuana business executives (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Eggs and Peanuts Could Prevent Birth Defects Caused by Weed (MERRY JANE)

• New York Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization And Expungements Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• At some colleges, marijuana studies are blooming (CBS News)

• Florida Activists Clear First Hurdle To Put Marijuana Legalization On State’s 2020 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• California Working Toward Certifying “Almost Organic” Cannabis (Filter)

• Marijuana during pregnancy might be as dangerous as alcohol (Popular Science)

• CBN Is Another Cannabis Compound With Beneficial Properties (Forbes)

• Is cannabis use the same as off-duty drinking by workers? Many companies still say no (CNBC)

• He admits he once smoked marijuana, now U.S. won’t let him re-enter country (Los Angeles Daily News)

LSD

• The Truth About The Acid-Dipped Cigarette In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Refinery29)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• People Are Hungry for Shroom Legalization, and the Money to Fund It Is Growing (VICE)

• Could magic mushrooms be the next drug legalized in Canada? (Yahoo! Finance)

• Undesirable Effects from Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

MDMA

• To Spot MDMA Users, Festivals May Soon Roll Out Thermal Cameras (MERRY JANE)

• Study claims ecstasy and cocaine cause less harm than tobacco and alcohol (Dance Music Northwest)

• Youngsters have no idea when they are safe to drive after ecstasy use (DutchNews.nl)

• Victorian schoolgirls safely back home after MDMA scare at camp (news.com.au)

AYAHUASCA

• Ayahuasca Is About More Than Just You. It’s About Planetary Health. (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

• Holding 5-MeO Practitioners Accountable for Dangerous Behavior: Interview with Rak Razam and Mario Garnier (Psychedelic Times)

PEYOTE

• Peyote Is Endangered, Spiritually Sacred and Becoming Legal (HowStuffWorks)

IBOGA

• Gabon prepares for first international forum on Iboga (Africa Times)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Coroner's ruling: Corey-James Brown died from smoking synthetic drugs (New Zealand Herald)

NITROUS OXIDE

• What to know about nitrous oxide (Medical News Today)

• The dangers of nitrous oxide: An inside look at Surrey's laughing gas problem (Surrey Live)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine isn't an opioid and treats depression in a unique way (EurekAlert!)

• Ketamine clinics are arriving in Richmond (WTVR)

PCP

• PCP-Crazed Man Attacks Officers After Crash In Stafford: SCSO (Patch)

OPIOIDS

• Your Methadone History Could Soon Be Shared Without Your Consent (Filter)

• As Opioid Prescriptions Surged in Germany, Opioid Addiction Held Steady, While Opioid-Related Deaths Fell (Reason)

• Device for Opioid Overdoses Releases Naloxone Automatically (Medgadget)

• Opioid Patient Worth $200,000 a Year to Purdue, State Says (Bloomberg)

• Drought Cripples Taliban's Record-High Opium Production Amid Peace Talks (Breitbart)

• Colorado Wants You To Know About This Life-Saving Drug (Westword)

COCAINE

• Exclusive NYPD Data Reveals Just How Often Fentanyl Is in Cocaine (VICE)

• Colombia will spray Chinese glyphosate to control coca (Diálogo Chino)

• Weird New Kinds Of Cocaine Could Start A “Hidden Epidemic” Of Health Threats (BuzzFeed News)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Autopsies reveal how meth hurts the heart (Medical Xpress)

• Study assesses outcomes for meth users with burn injures (ScienceDaily)

CAFFEINE

• Exceeding healthy caffeine limits during pregnancy can be harmful to babies’ health (Consumer Affairs)

• Coffee Farmers Are In Crisis. Starbucks Wants To Help. (Forbes)

TOBACCO

• Most Americans Support Raising Minimum Age to Buy Tobacco (Gallup)

ALCOHOL

• One in 10 Older Adults Binge Drinks, Study Says (The New York Times)

• Facebook bans sales of alcohol and tobacco between users (CNBC)

• Here's the Buzz on Alcohol in Space (HowStuffWorks)

• How Much Does Alcohol Harm People Besides the Drinker? (Psychology Today)

KRATOM

• Is Kratom Safe During Pregnancy? Researchers Start to Investigate (The Scientist)

• Can Kratom cause a false positive on a 12-panel drug test? (Augusta Free Press)

• Officials warning public about dangers of kratom (The North Platte Telegraph)

• Kratom Is Not a Safe Pain Treatment (Newsmax)

KAVA

• MIT Scientists Synthesize The Feel-Good Molecules In Kava, 'Nature's Xanax' (WBUR)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Psychedelic Medicine Is Coming. The Law Isn’t Ready (Scientific American)

• Another Florida Sheriff's Deputy Arrested For Arresting People on False Drug Charges (Reason)

• Exclusion, Censorship, Internment: Brazilian Drug Policy Under Bolsonaro (Filter)

• The Life-Changing Magic of Tripping (The Atlantic)

• A Reddit user surveyed 650 psychedelic drug users, here’s what they found (Happy Mag)

• Public university to host ‘psychedelic neuroscience’ symposium (The College Fix)

• Latest update on drug-related deaths and mortality in Europe (EMCDDA)

• Why Psychedelic Science Should Pay Speakers and Trainers of Color (Chacruna)

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.