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.

This Month in Psychedelics - October 2022

Policy

Alberta will become the first province in Canada to regulate psychedelics for official therapeutic use. This move is intended to protect the public by ensuring safe access to high-quality substances and providing trained professionals who will help facilitate the therapy sessions. The new policy will go into effect in January 2023.

Germany approved a plan to legalize cannabis nationwide, but now the European Union will need to decide whether to allow the country to move forward. Assuming things go according to plan, cannabis could become legal in Germany by 2024.

President Joe Biden announced mass pardons for people who have committed federal cannabis possession offenses in the United States. This is a major development from Biden, who has been quiet on the issue of drug policy reform after campaigning on marijuana decriminalization, rescheduling, and expungements for low-level cannabis convictions. As a part of this recent announcement he also called on governors across the country to pardon simple possession cases in each state.

Next week is the U.S. midterm election, and several states will vote on cannabis and psychedelic drug policy reforms. Here is a guide that goes into detail on each proposal.

Industry

Beckley Psytech has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire clinical-stage life sciences company Eleusis Therapeutics, which will bring several novel psychedelic compounds under the Beckley Psytech umbrella of psychedelic-based candidates.

Research

A study found that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy may be effective at treating eating disorder symptoms in adults with severe PTSD. Although these are promising findings, they are still preliminary and more research will need to be conducted to verify the study’s results.

The DEA proposed significant increases in the production of cannabis and psychedelics for next year. This will allow more psychedelic research to be conducted, which will in turn provide an even better understanding of the safety and efficacy regarding psychedelic substances.

Harm Reduction

The Multi-Disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is getting ready for a trial involving a wrongful death civil lawsuit that began earlier this week. The case involves the death of a woman who attended the 2017 Lightning In A Bottle music festival. 20 year-old Baylee Ybarra Gatlin died while under care at the Zendo Project (MAPS’ harm reduction organization) and the lawsuit will determine whether MAPS is liable for financial damages incurred at the festival.

Miscellaneous

Unfortunately there were two criminal cases involving cannabis and psychedelics that did not turn out well. First, a Russian court upheld American basketball star Brittney Griner’s nine-year prison sentence. Earlier this year Griner was arrested in Russia for possessing less than one gram of cannabis oil. The U.S. government is attempting to work out a negotiation that may allow her to come back home sooner, but the details and result of that attempt are still to be determined.

And just a few countries over, a Polish couple was sentenced to eight years in prison for facilitating ayahuasca ceremonies at their home in the Czech Republic. This outcome, along with Brittney Griner’s loss at appealing her sentence, show that although the attitude toward psychedelics is loosening in some parts of the world, there are still places where you can be punished harshly for merely possessing or using these substances.

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.

Weekly Psychedelic Links - October 2022

10.7.22

Cannabis

• Biden Announces Mass Marijuana Pardons And Calls For Cannabis Scheduling Review (Marijuana Moment)

• Amsterdam considers banning ‘cannabis tourists’ from its coffee shops (The Guardian)

• Costa Rica’s President Sends Marijuana Legalization Bill To Lawmakers (Marijuana Moment)

• 'It's like the new Amsterdam': The rush to cash in on Thailand's hazy cannabis laws (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

• FBI: Nearly Half of All Drug Seizures in 2021 Involved Marijuana (NORML)

• Morocco issues first permits for cannabis production (Reuters)

• Committee in Colombia Approved Adult-Use Legalization Proposal (High Times)

• Most Americans Don’t Think Marijuana Is Dangerous Despite Prohibitionist Arguments, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Regulators finally approve hempcrete for US homes (Leafly)

• OSHA report ties cannabis worker death to dust inhalation (Leafly)

• Survey: Medical Students Rarely Exposed to Scientific Data About Cannabis (NORML)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon enters the home stretch to authorize psilocybin mushrooms (Chacruna)

• This 'magic' mushroom dispensary in Florida is selling psychedelics and testing legal boundaries (Business Insider)

MDMA

• MindMed Collaborators Initiate Phase 1 Comparative PK/PD Trial of R-, S- and Racemic MDMA (Psychedelic Alpha)

DMT

• Prolonged DMT Infusions could be a Breakthrough for Stroke Patients (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Ayahuasca

• Combating Suicidality: A Role for Psilocybin and Ayahuasca? (Psychedelic Science Review)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• These LSD-based drugs seem to help mice with anxiety and depression — without the trip (NPR)

• Are you too high? A promising new ‘comedown drug’ may be on the way (Leafly)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Unexplained Bleeding Linked to Rat Poison in Synthetic Cannabinoids (Medpage Today)

Nitrous Oxide

• Nitrous oxide: Southend mum's campaign over 'laughing gas' (BBC)

Ketamine

• Ketamine and depression: A mechanism of the antidepressant revealed (Medical Xpress)

• PharmaTher Holdings Announces Grant of U.S. Patent Covering Ketamine for Parkinson’s Disease (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Alberta to be 1st province to regulate psychedelics for therapy, government says (CBC)

• DEA Admits ‘Racial, Ethnic and Class Prejudice’ Led To Drug Criminalization And The Agency’s Own Founding (Marijuana Moment)

• New York Lawmakers File Amended Psychedelics Legalization Bill, With New Regulations And Protections (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelics may flatten your brain’s landscape, but in a good way (Leafly)

• Inflammation Nation: How Psychedelics Could Combat Widespread Chronic Pain (Psychedelics Today)

• Psychedelics: Will Policy Liberalization and Lower Barriers to Access Lead to Future Legalization? (Lexpert)

• Psychedelics are exploding in the startup community as founders say it makes them better leaders (Fortune)

• Timothy Leary’s psychedelic eugenics (Medium)

• Eleusis Holdings Plans To Be Acquired By Beckley Psytech (Lucid News)

• ‘Bad’ Psychedelic Trips Don’t Have To Be Bad (VICE)

10.14.22

Cannabis

• Colombian Chamber Of Representatives Passes Marijuana Legalization Bill In Initial Vote, With Support From Cabinet Ministers (Marijuana Moment)

• U.S. Air Force to Allow Applicants to Retest After Positive THC Test (High Times)

• Why bees love weed — and why it might even be good for them (Salon)

• Cannabis Stock’s Post Pardon Depression Could Be Cured By Lame Duck Legislation (Forbes)

• New Study Shows Cannabis Users More Likely To Have Overactive Bladders (High Times)

• Federal Reserve Bank Says Marijuana Legalization Drives Tax Revenue, Job Creation And Real Estate Sales (Marijuana Moment)

• Spliff Vape: New Tech Allows Cannabis, Nicotine To Be Vaped Simultaneously (High Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Flight Passenger on Mushrooms Causes Chaos Mid-Flight (High Times)

• Can Psilocybin Challenge Our Pharmaceutical Dependence? (Vogue)

MDMA

• Eels Living Near Music Festivals Test Positive For MDMA And Cocaine (IFLScience)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Synthetic Marijuana In Florida Tainted With Rat Poison, 52 Sick, 4 Dead (Forbes)

• Five-Year-Old Missouri Child Gets Delta-8 Edibles in Halloween Bag (High Times)

Nitrous Oxide

• Nitrous Oxide: Harm Reduction and the Muslim Community (VolteFace)

Miscellaneous

• These States Are Voting On Marijuana And Psychedelics Legalization On Their November Ballots (Marijuana Moment)

• Elon Musk reportedly goes on 'exploratory journeys' and likes to show friends a chart of the benefits of MDMA and mushrooms over alcohol (Business Insider)

• To Standardize Psychedelic Therapy, A New Organization Launches (Forbes)

• Horizons Conference Returns to NYC for Its 15th Year (Lucid News)

• Treating postpartum depression with psychedelics (The Print)

• A Santo Daime Church’s Legal Success Paved a Path Towards Psychedelic Legalization (Lucid News)

• Instagram’s Page-Deletions of Black Women in Psychedelic Advocacy (Filter)

• Math Over Myth: These Psychedelic Stocks Made Confirmed Bottoms in Q3 (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• What Made María Sabina Unique (DoubleBlind)

• The Politics of Psychedelics: Legalisation vs Decriminalisation (Sam Woolfe)

10.21.22

Cannabis

• German cannabis legalisation plans LEAKED (VolteFace)

• Washington DC lets tourists self-certify for medical cannabis (Leafly)

• Poll: Two-Thirds of Voters Say “Nobody Should Be in Jail” for Marijuana Possession (NORML)

• States With the Most Arrests for Marijuana Possession (U.S. News and World Report)

• Why does marijuana make it hard to remember stuff? (Salon)

• NBA Won’t Test Players For Marijuana For Third Season In A Row, Report Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Nearly Four Out of Five Patients Drop or Reduce Opioids After Using Medical Weed (High Times)

• Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine Bans CBD Prescriptions for Adult Patients (TalkingDrugs)

• Cannabis Had Highest Tax Revenue in Colorado and Washington Over Alcohol, Cigarettes (High Times)

• Marijuana was illegal 4 years ago. Now, Uber Eats delivers it in Toronto (CBC)

• Missouri Police Object To New Ad For Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative That Shows Officers (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma Governor Sets March Special Election for Weed Legalization Initiative (High Times)

• Texas Activists Unveil Marijuana Decriminalization, Police Reform And Abortion Rights Initiative For San Antonio 2023 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Puerto Rico Bill Would Expunge Low-Level Weed Possession Convictions (High Times)

LSD

• Acid for Anxiety: Fast and Lasting Anxiolytic Effects of LSD (Psychedelic Science Review)

• A Communist LSD Trip: The Story of Czechoslovak Acid (Prague Morning)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon is voting on medical psilocybin, again (Leafly)

• NYC smoke shops are selling magic mushroom candy bars (New York Post)

• Study To Examine Why Shrooms Evolved with Psychedelic Properties (High Times)

• Why Everyone Cares So Much About Colorado’s Psilocybin Bill (DoubleBlind)

MDMA

• MDMA-assisted psychotherapy shows promise in the treatment of eating disorder symptoms (PsyPost)

5-MeO-DMT

• The toad boom: the false narrative of ancestral 5-MeO-DMT use (Points)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Scientists Discover ‘Disconcerting’ New Imitation Ketamine on the Market (VICE)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• New novel drug test can identify latest synthetic cannabinoids (Cannabis Health News)

Ketamine

• Ketamine May Reduce Suicidal Ideation in Treatment-Resistant Depression (Psychiatry Advisor)

Miscellaneous

• Australian Lawmakers Approve Drug Decriminalization Bill For Federal Territory That Includes Nation’s Capital (Marijuana Moment)

• DEA Proposes Dramatic Increases In Marijuana And Psychedelics Production In 2023 For Research (Marijuana Moment)

• Large national survey suggests that the use of psychedelics is not associated with lifetime cancer development (PsyPost)

• Will Medical Insurers Agree to Cover Psychedelic Trips? (Bloomberg)

• Why is the American right suddenly so interested in psychedelic drugs? (The Guardian)

• Second United States Patent Granted for Small Pharma’s Psychedelics Portfolio (Psychedelic Alpha)

10.28.22

Cannabis

• Germany’s Government Approves Marijuana Legalization Plan, But Reform Depends On European Union Sign-Off (Marijuana Moment)

• Russian court upholds Brittney Griner’s sentence (Leafly)

• Biden's Marijuana Pardons Did Not Free a Single Federal Prisoner or Deliver the Expungement He Promised (Reason)

• Activist Arrested At White House Protest Pushing Biden To Release Marijuana Prisoners (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri’s legalization measure is drawing unexpected opposition (Leafly)

• Five States To Vote on Recreational Cannabis This Election Season (High Times)

• Most Americans Say Alcohol And Tobacco Are More Dangerous Than Marijuana, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• California Lawsuit Alleges Weed Didn't Get Plaintiffs High Enough (VICE)

• Research: Does Cannabis Really Make You More Creative? (Harvard Business Review)

• Israeli Company Clones Cannabis Cells—Not Plants—With Up to 12 Times the Potency (High Times)

• It's not a myth: Marijuana really is more potent than it used to be (Salon)

• Study: Cannabis Use Not A Risk Factor in Liver Transplants (High Times)

• Strange Bedfellows Team Up To Oppose Missouri Marijuana Legalization Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• Research Shows Cannabis Users Experience More Pain After Surgery (High Times)

• Support For Arkansas Marijuana Legalization Initiative Falls To Slim Majority As GOP Lawmakers Urge Opposition, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• How does THC affect prenatal development? (Leafly)

Magic Mushrooms

• The world's first Phase 3 psilocybin clinical trial is about to commence (New Atlas)

• DEA Faces New Legal Challenges Over Denying Psilocybin Rescheduling Petition And Doctor’s Federal Waiver Request (Marijuana Moment)

• New Study Will Explore Psilocybin as a Treatment To Stop Smoking (High Times)

• N.S. company launching clinical trial to examine magic mushrooms as treatment for PTSD (CBC)

• The Potential Health Benefits of Microdosing Psilocybin With Chocolate (Psychology Today)

• Psilocybin Common Denominator in Several Recent Albums (High Times)

DMT

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Enters into a Clinical Trial Agreement with Yale University for a DMT Phase 2 Depression Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Couple Sentenced to Eight Years for Czech Ayahuasca Ceremonies (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• A Legal Ayahuasca Church Thrives in Southern California (Lucid News)

Peyote

• Native American Church Asks Congress for Peyote Funding (DoubleBlind)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• WTF is 3-MMC, Berlin’s Weird New Club Drug? (DoubleBlind)

• Electric Picnic drug testing finds 'new psychoactive substances' never seen before in Ireland (The Irish Mirror)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Utah Medical Cannabis Flooded With Synthetic Cannabinoids From Hot Hemp (Forbes)

Ketamine

• Electroconvulsive Therapy Could Be Better Than Ketamine At Treating Depression (IFLScience)

Miscellaneous

• Beckley Psytech Strengthens Pipeline and Development Team With Acquisition of Eleusis Therapeutics Limited (Psychedelic Alpha)

• People Who Use Psychedelics Are More Connected To Nature And Knowledgeable About Climate Change, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Use of Psychedelic Therapies for Treatment Resistant Patients Again Rejected by Government, Despite Strong Supporting Safety and Efficacy Data and Australia’s Worsening Mental Health Crisis (Mind Medicine Australia)

• With Promise of Legalization, Psychedelic Companies Joust Over Future Profits (The New York Times)

• Manipulating light can induce psychedelic experiences – and scientists aren’t quite sure why (The Conversation)

• The ideological war at the heart of the psychedelic renaissance (New Atlas)

• Research, remedy and regulation: the changing dynamics of psychedelic therapy in Alberta (CBC)

• An Exploration of Psychedelics and Creativity (Drug Science)

• Variants in 5-HT2A Receptor Gene Alter Psychedelic Pharmacology (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Guidelines for Ethical Sponsorship and Transparency in Psychedelic Conferences (Chacruna)

• Terence McKenna's secret bad trip (Ecstatic Integration)

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.

Weekly Psychedelic Links - August 2022

8.5.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison for drug possession and smuggling (Leafly)

• Another American Caught With Weed in Russia Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison (High Times)

• Cannabis no more of a risk than tobacco and alcohol – study (Cannabis Health News)

• Federal Marijuana Records Would Be Expunged Under New Bipartisan Congressional Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Study Says Legalization Hasn’t Caused More Teens To Try Cannabis (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Cafes Emerge in Post-Legalization Thailand (High Times)

• Study Shows Cannabis Users 55% Less Likely to Develop Common Liver Cancer (High Times)

• Arkansas Marijuana Campaign Files Lawsuit To Put Legalization Measure On Ballot After State Board’s Rejection (Marijuana Moment)

• US weed homegrowers produce 8x more than Colorado legal market, says new report (Leafly)

• Feds Seek Contractor To Help Test Marijuana Compounds In People’s Breath (Marijuana Moment)

• New 3D Structures of Cannabinoid Receptor Inform Safer Drug Design (Psychedelic Science Review)

• New Report Recommends Tips for Successful Cannabis-Impaired Driving Campaigns (High Times)

• Colleges In States That Legalize Marijuana See A Boost In Application Numbers, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Brazilian Government’s Selective Blindness to Cannabis Evidence (TalkingDrugs)

• Largest Federal Workers Union Calls For Ending Marijuana Tests For Most Government Employees In Legal States (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Medidosing LSD: The Middle Way (Lucid News)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin Microdosing Shows No Benefit to Creativity, Cognition, Perception in New Scientific Study (Willamette Week)

• Oregon Psilocybin Rules Set To Be Finalized in December (High Times)

• Lead Plaintiff in Canadian Right To Try Lawsuit Shares His Psilocybin Story (Lucid News)

• The Rise of Casual Shrooms (VICE)

MDMA

• It’s Festival Season! How Should We Group Dose MDMA? (Lucid News)

DMT

• The Real Reason Cybin Bought Entheon’s DMT Clinical Trial (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Ayahuasca

• Study to Analyze Ayahuasca for Refugee Trauma (DoubleBlind)

• Aaron Rodgers Opens Up About Use of Psychedelics, Mental Health (Sports Illustrated)

Mescaline

• Mescaline: A Neglected Tool for Psychotherapy (Sam Woolfe)

Peyote

• The Peyote Plot: The Indigenous Fight to Conserve the Sacred Plant and the Spiritual Medicine it Contains (DoubleBlind)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Drug testers warn of new synthetic cannabinoid being sold as MDMA (The New Zealand Herald)

Ketamine

• Double-action mechanism found that makes ketamine less addictive (New Atlas)

• How ketamine chic became the new heroin chic (Dazed)

Miscellaneous

• Poll States 28% of Americans Have Tried At Least One Psychedelic Substance (High Times)

• The Need for 100,000 Psychedelic Facilitators is Real (LA Weekly)

• Morgan Stanley Publishes Optimistic Report on Psychedelics (Psychedelic Alpha)

• California Bills To Legalize Psychedelics Possession, Allow Interstate Marijuana Commerce And More Teed Up For Key Hurdle Next Week (Marijuana Moment)

• MindMed Board of Directors Approves Reverse Share Split (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Majority Of Americans Support Psychedelics Research For Military Members, New Poll Finds As Bipartisan Reform Advances In Congress (Marijuana Moment)

8.12.22

Cannabis

• Report: Spike in Marijuana Positives Fueling Truck Driver Shortage, Supply Chain Disruptions (NORML)

• Ottawa on track to spend $200M per year on cannabis for veterans (CBC)

• Wisconsin Governor Pardons Several for Cannabis Offenses (High Times)

• Missouri will vote on marijuana legalization in November (Leafly)

• Arkansas Supreme Court Orders State To Put Marijuana Legalization Initiative On Ballot, But Votes May Not Be Counted (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Marijuana Shops Are 98 Percent Compliant With ID Checks To Prevent Underage Sales, State Regulators Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis And Lower COVID Hospitalizations: Is There A Connection? Here’s What A New Study Found (The Fresh Toast)

• Biden DOJ Says Medical Marijuana Patients Are Too ‘Dangerous To Trust’ In Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit On Gun Rights (Marijuana Moment)

• Voters Across Wisconsin Will See Marijuana Questions On Their Ballots In November (Marijuana Moment)

• ‘Very good for tourists’: Thailand aims for high season with U-turn on cannabis (The Guardian)

• The (Possibly) Best and Worst Countries To Get Caught With Pot (Benzinga)

• New Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative Filed For 2024 Ballot, With Backing Of State’s Largest Medical Cannabis Company (Marijuana Moment)

• Can memory loss be good? How cannabis can help with PTSD (Leafly)

• Arresting illicit weed sellers repeats our drug war mistakes (NJ.com)

LSD

• Neuroscience research suggests LSD might enhance learning and memory by promoting brain plasticity (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin therapy is prompting states to reconsider laws about magic mushrooms (USA Today)

• Many Oregonians will have to vote again on psilocybin (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• Buried Treasure: How Does Psilocybin Reduce Compulsivity? (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Can Psilocybin Treat Obesity? New Evidence, Future Directions (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Inside the lab that's creating enough psilocybin for everyone on Earth (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• Phase 2 clinical trial to examine efficacy of psilocybin for anorexia nervosa (Healio)

• Coos County cities move to ban psilocybin for medical use in their communities (KCBY)

• Optimi Health To Launch Therapeutic Psilocybin Product In Partnership With Patient Advocate Thomas Hartle (Psychedelic Alpha)

MDMA

• Las Vegas Wastewater Study Finds Absolutely Bonkers Spike In MDMA Levels During EDC (BroBible)

• Where Ecstasy Meets Power: The Unique Risks of MDMA Therapy (Sam Woolfe)

Ayahuasca

• Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Won’t Be Disciplined for Using Psychedelic Drug (Sports Illustrated)

• Aaron Rodgers’ former Packers QB coach reacts to psychedelic drug revelation (New York Post)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Psilera’s New Compounds Show Potential for Significant Treatment Improvement in Depression and Neurodegenerative Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Majority of 'Bath Salt' Deaths Concentrated in Just Two States (Medpage Today)

• Woman likely drowned after taking hallucinogenic drugs, coroner finds (Stuff.co.nz)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• States That Legalize Marijuana See ‘Significant Reductions’ In Synthetic Cannabinoid Poisonings, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• A 'very unpleasant time' - new synthetic drug in NZ (Radio New Zealand)

Nitrous Oxide

• Urgent warning to parents over teens inhaling nitrous oxide after canisters found across Dublin (The Irish Sun)

Ketamine

• How The Brain Changes In People With Chronic PTSD Following Ketamine Treatment (Healing Maps)

Miscellaneous

• VR is as good as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence (Technology Review)

• The DARE Program Is Back in Some School Districts — Here’s What to Know (Teen Vogue)

• Compass Pathways Sued for Stealing Trade Secrets (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• An initiative to decriminalize most plant-based psychedelics is likely to fall short on signatures (Colorado Public Radio)

• Colombia’s New President Wants to End the Drug War. Can He Succeed? (Filter)

• Bear high on hallucinogenic 'mad honey' rescued in Turkey (Irish Mirror)

• How Do We End the ‘War on Drugs’? Perhaps Scandinavia Has the Answer.. (Volteface)

• Psychedelics are having a moment and women could be the ones to benefit (MIT Technology Review)

• Over the counter culture: Are psychedelics coming to the corner shop? (The Independent)

• Psychedelics researchers and investors should focus on delivering therapy, not drugs (STAT)

• Muslims on Drugs: Psychedelics, Queerness, and Identity in the Post-9/11 Era (DoubleBlind)

• What Role does Philosophy Play in the Future of Psychedelics? (TalkingDrugs)

• First Reddit Community-Led Scientific Study to Launch on Quantified Citizen (Yahoo!)

• Red Wall Voters Want Drug Law Reform – New Polling Shows (Volteface)

• Psychedelic Clinical Trials and the Michael Pollan Effect (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Young Psychedelic Philanthropist Blazes Path for the Psychedelic Future (Lucid News)

• Rediscovering Our Ancestral Roots of Exploration (Chacruna)

• What Happens when Psychedelics Meets Video Games? (Lucid News)

8.19.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner Appeals Conviction in Russian Drug Case (High Times)

• North Dakota will vote on cannabis legalization in November (Leafly)

• Arkansas court orders recreational cannabis amendment put back on ballot (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Pot-smoking tourists not welcome in Thailand, says health minister (Reuters)

• South Dakota Reservation Bans Alcohol, Allows Cannabis (High Times)

• Analysis: Racial Disparities in Marijuana Possession Arrests Becoming More Pronounced in Prohibition States (NORML)

• ‘Clean weed’ is about to be everywhere in California. Here’s what you need to know (Los Angeles Times)

• Ohio Voters In Seven More Cities Will Decide On Marijuana Decriminalization At The Ballot This November (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Activists Launch Medical Marijuana Ballot Push For 2024 (Marijuana Moment)

• Alberta cannabis sales slow to grow as online identity verification deters consumers, say retailers (CBC)

• Gallup: Those with First-Hand Experience with Cannabis Likely to Perceive It Positively (NORML)

• Majority Of Texas Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Most Wisconsin Voters—Including Republicans—Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Shows (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• Is Oregon Ready for the Coming Psilocybin-Fueled Mushroom Tourism Boom? (Portland Monthly)

• Optimi Health Unveils Canada’s First Natural Therapeutic Psilocybin Product For Approved Patients (Psychedelic Alpha)

MDMA

• Warnings over dangerously high-strength MDMA pills found at Boardmasters (Mixmag)

DMT

• Small Pharma Receives Approval for DMT-Assisted Psychotherapy and SSRI Drug Interaction Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• The Misfortune of “Right Wing” Psychedelia” in Brazil (Chacruna)

• Anonymous Letter to Conservative Masters of the UDV (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• MindMed Shelves 18-MC for Opioid Use Disorder and Further Cuts Pipeline (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Nitrous Oxide

• Atlanta neighbors frustrated by nitrous oxide use outside Widespread Panic show (KMIZ)

Ketamine

• We Asked the Experts: What Exactly is in Ketamine? (TalkingDrugs)

Miscellaneous

• Video of a forester who found a drunken bear gorged on hallucinogenic honey became a hit on the Internet (The Saxon)

• California Psychedelics Legalization Bill Gutted by Key Committee (DoubleBlind)

• Psychedelics as a sacrament? Lawsuit says drugs are a religious right. (The Washington Post)

• Integration of psychedelic experiences linked to self-actualization via improvements in personal development and self-insight (PsyPost)

• Two In Five Americans Say They’ve Changed Their Mind On Drug Policy, With Most Becoming “More Liberal,” Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

8.26.22

Cannabis

• Federal Trade Commission issues refunds to CBD buyers, here’s why (Leafly)

• Nebraska Officials Will Take A Second Look At Signatures For Rejected Medical Marijuana Ballot Measures (Marijuana Moment)

• New medical marijuana campaign launches in Idaho for 2024 ballot (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Study Shows 20% Increase in Frequency of Cannabis Consumption in Recreational States (High Times)

• FBI Says CBD Use Is An ‘Automatic Disqualifier’ For Employment Despite Federal Hemp Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma’s legalization initiative at risk due to state delay (Leafly)

• The casualties of California legalizing pot: Growers who went legal (The Washington Post)

• U.S. Forest Service Reminds Workers Of Federal Marijuana Ban And Warns Against CBD Use (Marijuana Moment)

• Dennis Rodman Proposes To Negotiate Russia Brittney Griner Release (High Times)

• Why The Legal Cannabis Industry Needs The Black Market (Forbes)

• Legalization Opponents Sue To Block Initiative From Missouri Ballot (High Times)

• Cannabis for Chronic Pain Linked to Slightly Increased Risk of Arrhythmia (Healthline)

LSD

• First Patient Dosed in Trial of LSD for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Psychiatric Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin May Help Treat Alcohol Addiction, Study Shows (TIME)

• Three Out Of Four Oregon Counties Will Vote On Banning Or Postponing Psilocybin Services This November (Marijuana Moment)

• Inside Paul Stamets’ Massive Microdosing Study (DoubleBlind)

Ayahuasca

• Mormon Bishop And Former GOP Utah Rep. Champions Ayahuasca After Faith-Affirming Psychedelic Experience (Marijuana Moment)

5-MeO-DMT

• Trip Advisors: Group Promotes 5-MeO-DMT Harm Reduction By Exposing Shamanic Hustlers (Forbes)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• The DEA is Attempting to Ban Two New Psychedelic Drugs (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Clearmind Medicine Announces Additional Positive Pre-Clinical Results for its Cocaine Addiction Treatment (Psychedelic Alpha)

• BetterLife Lead Drug (BETR-001) Promotes Structural Neural Plasticity with Possible Nootropic Effects Similar to That of LSD Without Hallucinogenic Side Effects (Psychedelic Alpha)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing Gas During Labor Is Becoming More Popular Among Women in the United States (People)

Ketamine

• Ketamine’s upgrade to an employee benefit in US may hasten the legitimacy of psychedelics in SA (BizNews)

DXM

• FDA Approves First, Only NMDA Receptor Antagonist for Major Depressive Disorder (Pharmacy Times)

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelic Stocks: MindMed and atai Slash their Pipelines, Mydecine Collapses (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psychedelics Use Increasing Among Adults, But Decreasing For Teens, New Federally Funded Studies Find (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences linked to increased pro-environmental behaviors (PsyPost)

• How near-death experiences and psychedelics alter attitudes about death (EurekAlert!)

• Does Microdosing Actually Work? The Science Is Still Conflicted (VICE)

• Issues of Patient Safety and Ethical Violations in Psychedelic Therapy (Psychedelic Science Review)

• As Plant-Medicine Churches Grow, Legal Questions Linger (Lucid News)

• This Psychedelic Theater Troupe Has Been Quietly Changing the World for Decades (DoubleBlind)

• Do Psychedelic Trips Actually Start In The Gut Instead Of The Brain? (Healing Maps)

• The Psychedelic Community Takes Itself Too Seriously (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Ethics in Psychedelic Therapy: The Promises and Pitfalls of Increased Suggestibility (Sam Woolfe)

• Do You Even Trip, Bro? On Psychedelic Masculinity (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• How Long Can the Psychedelic Renaissance Last? (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• The Legal Risks of Psychedelic Therapy and Coaching (EntheoNation)

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.

Weekly Psychedelic Links - July 2022

7.1.22

Cannabis

• Fentanyl-laced marijuana is a myth. It’s time to end the hype (Leafly)

• Medical Weed Cards No Longer Required in Virginia Starting July 1 (High Times)

• Hemp, CBD get permanent legal status in NC after 11th-hour rescue (MSN.com)

• Scientists find THC in over 60% of CBD products they tested — and that may be a huge problem (ZME Science)

• UN Report Dramatizes Uptick in Global Cannabis Use (High Times)

• Louisiana Governor Signs Bill Providing Medical Marijuana Workplace Protections For State Employees (Marijuana Moment)

• Maryland Court: Cops Can Stop, Question Someone Who Smells of Pot (High Times)

• Nevada Cannabis Consumption Lounges Could Go Live By End Of 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

• Edibles, beverages infused with cannabis ingredient THC become legal Friday in Minnesota (Star Tribune)

• Inside The Process To Legalize Recreational Cannabis In Germany (Forbes)

• California Bill to Require Cannabis Warnings About Mental Disorder Risks Advances (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Lawmakers Advance Medical Marijuana DUI Protections And Cannabis Banking Reform Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• Texas Supreme Court Bans Smokable Hemp Production, Sales (High Times)

• Montana Lawsuit Challenges Marijuana Ban In State’s Third-Largest City (Marijuana Moment)

• House Panel Approves Amendment to Protect State Legal Cannabis Programs (High Times)

• Feds Fund Development Of Hemp-Based, 3D-Printed Materials To Build Affordable Housing (Marijuana Moment)

• New Vermont Guidance Looks to Eliminate Plastic Waste From State’s Cannabis Industry (High Times)

• Cannabis users are at greater risk for emergency and inpatient care: study (Fox News)

Magic Mushrooms

• These Mormons Have Found a New Faith — in Magic Mushrooms (Rolling Stone)

• New Jersey Senate President Files Psilocybin Legalization Bill That Includes Home Grow Option, Unlike Current Marijuana Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Tryp Therapeutics Strengthens IP Portfolio with Provisional Patent Application for Binge Eating Disorder Treatment (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Digging Up Druggable Targets: Psilocybin Efficacy in a Model of OCD (Psychedelic Science Review)

MDMA

• First-of-its-kind MDMA group therapy trial set to commence (New Atlas)

• Over One Hundred Years of MDMA Research (Drug Science)

Ayahuasca

• How the Shipibo Came to Be the Most Common Group Serving Ayahuasca to Foreigners (DoubleBlind)

Peyote

• Decriminalize Nature Targets Peyote: Drug Reform or Settler Colonialism? (Chacruna)

• Big business could wipe out Mexico’s sacred psychedelic peyote cactus (openDemocracy)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• How Did A Minnesota Honor Roll Student Die As Her Parents Were Sleeping Upstairs? (Oxygen)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• A Loophole in Japan’s Weed Laws Is Getting Tens of Thousands High (VICE)

Miscellaneous

• Colorado Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Psychedelics Legalization And Therapeutic Psilocybin Program On Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• War on drugs prolonged Colombia’s decades-long civil war, landmark report finds (The Guardian)

• Is there a future for psychedelic treatment in Saudi Arabia? (Arab News)

• Do Bad Psychedelic Patents Matter? (Lucid News)

• 4 Recommendations for Disability Inclusion in Psychedelic Therapy Research (Psychiatric Times)

7.8.22

Cannabis

• WNBA Star Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty To Cannabis Charge As Russia Calls Out U.S. Hypocrisy In Maintaining Criminalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Make no mistake, marijuana edibles are legal now in Minnesota (Leafly)

• Washington, D.C. Mayor Signs Medical Cannabis Self-Certification Bill (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Bill Gives Medical Cannabis Patients DUI Protection (High Times)

• Oklahoma: Advocates Turn in Signatures to Place Adult-Use Legalization Measure on November Ballot (NORML)

• Study Shows Flower Still Reigns Supreme in U.S., Canada as Consumer Favorite (High Times)

• Arkansas Activists Set To Turn In Double The Signatures Needed To Put Marijuana Legalization On Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraska Medical Marijuana Activists Turn In Ballot Signatures After Campaign Suffers Legal Setback (Marijuana Moment)

• Albania Prompted to Implement Medical Cannabis Reform After U.N. Criticism (High Times)

• U.S. Army Wants To Make Sniper Uniforms Out Of Hemp (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• A man whose daily headaches felt like an ice pick in his eyes says he tried 12 treatments but only found relief after taking LSD (Insider)

Magic Mushrooms

• New Study Shows Mood, Mental Health Improved by Microdosing Psilocybin (High Times)

• Indiana Nurse Faces Ten Years in Prison for Microdosing Psilocybin Mushrooms (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Two Cancer Patients Battle to Make Psilocybin Accessible for Palliative Care (Scientific American)

• Rural Oregon counties are lining up against psilocybin launch (OPB)

MDMA

• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Pushes for Psychedelic Reform in Congress (DoubleBlind)

• GOP Congressman’s Amendment Would Direct Military To Study Psilocybin And MDMA Benefits For Service Members (Marijuana Moment)

DMT

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Provides Update on Its Phase 1 DMT Stroke Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Iboga

• ‘To Heal and to Care for’: Protecting Iboga and Indigenous Voices in the Face of Corporatisation (Volteface)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• DEA Announces Hearing On Proposed Ban Of Five Psychedelic Compounds Following Significant Pushback (Marijuana Moment)

• Mindset Pharma Receives Allowance for Patent Application Covering its Short-Duration Novel Psychedelic Medications for The Treatment of Central Nervous System Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• PharmaTher Announces Positive Results from Study For Ketamine Microneedle Patch (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• The Never-Ending Psychedelic Trip of Michael Pollan (Rolling Stone)

• Journey Colab scores $12M to move psychedelics-based addiction treatment into clinic (Fierce Biotech)

• User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study (Drug Science)

• Tripping the Reward Circuit: Psychedelics for Substance Use Disorders (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psychedelics Give a Glimpse of Enlightenment (Psychology Today)

7.15.22

Cannabis

• Feds Must Defend Historical Rationale Of Banning Guns For Medical Marijuana Patients, Revised Lawsuit Argues After SCOTUS Ruling (Marijuana Moment)

• ‘Green way of life’: Thailand sees cannabis boom after law change (Al Jazeera)

• Washington DC just legalized weed for all adults—but it’s locals only (Leafly)

• Oklahoma, North Dakota, Arkansas, and Nebraska submit signatures to put cannabis on November ballot (Leafly)

• Study Shows Decrease in Heavy Truck Crash Rates Since Cannabis Legalization (High Times)

• NYPD Will Keep Testing Officers For Marijuana, Reversing Course Hours After Announcing Policy Change Mandated By City (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Laws in France Have Disproportionately Affected Muslims (High Times)

• New York Firefighters Won’t Be Tested For Marijuana, Department Says Following NYPD Leak (Marijuana Moment)

• Argentine Supreme Court Endorses Medical Cannabis Home Grow (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Governor Signs Marijuana Banking And Insurance Reform Bill Into Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Portland Weed Demand Hits Three-Year Low (High Times)

• Pennsylvania Police Arrested Over 13,000 People for Marijuana Possession in 2021 (NORML)

• The Fight for Medical Cannabis in Indonesia (High Times)

• Weed, Like Change, Nourishes The Soil To Regenerate The Cannabis Industry (Forbes)

LSD

• Why David Bowie wasn’t a fan of LSD (Far Out)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA May Find Itself In Federal Court Again Over Refusal To Provide Psilocybin Access To Terminally Ill Patients (Marijuana Moment)

• Oregon therapeutic psilocybin program sparks some confusion (OPB)

MDMA

• World's first ecstasy 'shop' set to trial in the Netherlands (Mixmag)

• Luxury Champagne Recalled Again Over Ecstacy Contamination (Newsweek)

• MDMA: Rolling from Counterculture to the Clinic Counter (Psychedelic Science Review)

Ayahuasca

• Study suggests ayahuasca users tend to eat healthier, get more exercise, and experience physical and mental health benefits (PsyPost)

Ketamine

• PharmaTher Announces Notice of Allowance for U.S. Patent Covering Ketamine for the Potential Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and Motor Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Ann Shulgin, Forerunner of Today's Psychedelic Re-Emergence, Dies at 91 (Transform Press)

• House Approves Marijuana And Psychedelics Amendments As Part Of Must-Pass Defense Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• What Ethnographers Have Learned from People Who Use Drugs (Undark)

• Inside the Chemistry Lab Where the MDMA Godfather Synthesized Novel Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

• The Tory Leadership Candidates on Drugs (Volteface)

• Filament Health Issued Third Patent By United States Patent and Trademark Office (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Doctors Urge Access to Psychedelic Therapies in New Mexico (TIME)

• Can Psychedelics Treat Inflammation and Eye Disease? Eleusis Thinks So. (Lucid News)

• Villain Or Victim? Understanding The Role of Women In The Latin American Drug Trade (TalkingDrugs)

• San Francisco’s New DA Vows to Ramp Up City’s Drug War (Filter)

• The Battle for Psychedelic Patents (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• How To Become a Psychedelic Therapist (DoubleBlind)

• 5 Countries Where Psychedelics are Legal (Psychedelic Spotlight)

7.22.22

Cannabis

• Senate Leadership Introduces Legislation to End Federal Marijuana Prohibition (NORML)

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

• Legal cannabis is producing more plastic waste than pot (Leafly)

• Colorado Company To Research Cannabis As A Treatment For Parkinson’s Disease (Forbes)

• Biden Says He’s ‘Working On’ Bill To Release Cannabis Inmates (High Times)

• Germany, Luxembourg, Malta And The Netherlands Discuss Marijuana Legalization At Historic Joint Meeting (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Springs Recreational Cannabis Initiative Qualifies for November Ballot (High Times)

• Minnesota Is Home To America's First Cannabis Disc Golf Course (MIX 108)

• House Passes Bill Permitting Weed Ads on TV and Radio (High Times)

• Colorado's New Lead Marijuana Monitor Treks Through Heavy Issues (Westword)

• Cannabis Telemedicine Launches in Montana (High Times)

• Montana Marijuana Businesses Face Seemingly Endless Cycle Of Local Votes On Allowing Them To Operate (Marijuana Moment)

• People Busted for Weed in the U.K. Could Lose Passports Under Proposed Rules (High Times)

• Missouri Marijuana Legalization Measure In Danger Of Not Qualifying For Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Denver officials want to save struggling cannabis delivery businesses (The Denver Post)

• Study Finds Australians Support Cannabis Use Over Smoking Tobacco (High Times)

• House Will Not Vote On Marijuana Amendments For Veterans And Public Housing Residents After Committee Snag (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana use is higher among US states that have legalized recreational cannabis use (News-Medical)

LSD

• The Doors of Expression: LSD Alters Epigenetics and Protein Induction (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Science Feature: MindMed’s LSD Trial for ADHD (Microdose)

• Watch John Lennon explain that 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' was not about LSD (Far Out)

Magic Mushrooms

• The Sloppy Science of Psilocybin Microdosing Surveys (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• A single dose of psilocybin has long-lasting antidepressant-like effects in fruit flies (PsyPost)

• Restrictions on Psilocybin ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Are Easing as Research Ramps Up (Scientific American)

MDMA

• Patient safety issues halt trial for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy during Health Canada review (CBC)

• 'Corrective' measures ordered, but Health Canada says 2nd MDMA trial can continue (CBC)

DMT

• Teenager Used LSD And DMT To Help Overcome Trauma, Case Report Says (IFLScience)

Ayahuasca

• Churches sue to use hallucinogenic tea in religious practice (UPI)

• The Global Ayahuasca Boom: What About the Conservation of the Ayahuasca Vine? (Chacruna)

5-MeO-DMT

• The Story Behind a 1984 Hallucinogenic Pamphlet From Denton Is Just as Trippy as Its Subject (Dallas Observer)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Mydecine Files Full Patent Application Covering MYCO-006 Family of Novel Short-Acting MDMA Analogs (Psychedelic Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Weed vapes probably sending a toxic gas to your lungs, study finds (Salon)

• Cannabis getting stronger with synthetic versions added leading to psychosis, report warns (Independent.ie)

Ketamine

• Largest-ever clinical study of ketamine therapy shows that at-home model can be a safe, effective treatment for anxiety and depression; 62% fewer patients report suicidal ideation after four sessions (PR Newswire)

• Ketamine Beneficial For Treating Neonatal, And Pediatric Epilepsy: Study (Medical Dialogues)

Miscellaneous

• The Long, Strange Relationship Between Psychedelics and Telepathy (VICE)

• DEA Sued Over ‘Unlawful’ Delays On Psychedelic And Marijuana Public Records Requests Through FOIA (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Psychedelics Legalization Measure Qualifies for November Ballot (DoubleBlind)

• Keeping the Hippie Dream Alive (The New York Times)

• Accessibility Is Key for the Psychedelic Revolution (Pharmacy Times)

• Podcast aims to raise awareness about future of psychedelic treatments (CBC)

• Skip the trip – does the world need non-hallucinogenic psychedelics? (leafie)

• New Regulations for Psychedelics? Here's What Investors Need to Know (The Motley Fool)

7.29.22

Cannabis

• Weedmaps again advertising illegal marijuana retailers and products, complaints allege (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Singapore Executes Man for Cannabis Trafficking (High Times)

• House Passes Bipartisan Marijuana Research Bill, With Senate Expected To Send It To President Soon (Marijuana Moment)

• Zimbabwe OKs First Medicinal Cannabis Sales (High Times)

• Secret Australian marijuana facility exposes location after turning sky pink (The Washington Post)

• Biden Administration Proposes Prisoner Swap To Free Brittney Griner (High Times)

• Over 850 Doctors in Thailand Protest Pot Legalization (High Times)

• Senator Files Bill To Allow Marijuana Advertising On TV And Radio In Legal States (Marijuana Moment)

• The 'World's Biggest Cannabis Scam' Is Totally Unravelling (VICE)

• Bronx Cannabis Hub Fosters Opportunity in Communities Hit Hard by Arrests (Filter)

• Cannabis Users Less Likely to Face Complications After Spinal Fusion Surgery (High Times)

• 15 State Attorneys General File Brief Opposing Lawsuit To Help Put Medical Marijuana On Nebraska Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Thai businesses cash in on cannabis, from milk tea to toothpaste (Reuters)

• Missouri Marijuana Legalization Initiative Short Of Signatures Needed For Ballot In County Reviews (Marijuana Moment)

• New Hampshire stands alone in New England as only state without legal marijuana (WMUR)

LSD

• New Zealand Government Grants $650K For LSD Microdosing Trials (Benzinga)

• Operation Julie: Rural Wales LSD bust becomes a musical (BBC)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA Sued Again Over Refusal To Allow Psilocybin Access For Patients Despite Federal Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Why some of Colorado’s foremost shrooms advocates won’t be voting to legalize psilocybin (The Denver Post)

• Legal psilocybin prescriptions in Canada (Drug Science)

• Project Solace: The World’s Largest Medical Psilocybin Access and Data Project (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• COMPASS Pathways launches phase II clinical trial of psilocybin therapy in anorexia nervosa (Psychedelic Alpha)

DMT

• U.S. Patent Grant to Strengthen Small Pharma’s DMT Patent Strategy With Injectable Formulation (Psychedelic Alpha)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• DEA Cancels Proposed Ban Of Five Psychedelics, Giving Scientists More Time To Research Therapeutic Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

• Working with Indigenous allies is the ethical way to develop psychedelic-based pharmaceuticals (STAT News)

• Festival drugs: Warning over 'imposter' substances threat (BBC)

• Ecstasy for the 21st Century: Designer Drugs to Improve MDMA Therapy (Psychedelic Science Review)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Easy On The Eyes — This Company Reports Using a Unique Synthetic Cannabinoid Derivative To Treat Glaucoma (Benzinga)

Nitrous Oxide

• Doctors warn ‘dangerous’ laughing gas is becoming an ‘epidemic’ amid rise in hospitalisations (The Independent)

• A Law will Prohibit the Sale of Nitrous Oxide or “Laughing Gas” to Minors in Bulgaria (Novinite.com)

Ketamine

• At Home Sublingual Ketamine Exhibits Rapid And Significant Antidepressant And Anxiolytic Effects (Medical Dialogues)

• Ketamine found to be unlikely to lead to addiction (Medical Xpress)

• Silo Pharma Announces Positive Results from its Topically Administered Formulation of Ketamine (Psychedelic Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Biden Administration Plans For Legal Psychedelic Therapies Within Two Years (The Intercept)

• San Francisco Launches Bid to Decriminalize Psychedelics (Filter)

• Your Genes May Determine How You React To Psychedelic Drugs (IFLScience)

• The Psychoactive Substances Act on Trial (Volteface)

• The High-Stakes Race to Engineer New Psychedelic Drugs (WIRED)

• Trump Urges ‘Very Quick Trial’ and Death Penalty for Drug Dealers (High Times)

• The Psychedelics Industry’s Next Hurdle Is How to Go Mainstream (Bloomberg)

• One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug (YouGov)

• Microdosing: Scientists tackle psychedelic trend becoming ‘creative enhancer of choice’ (The Sydney Morning Herald)

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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.