This Week in Psychedelics - 10.15.21

Cannabis

• Man to be Hanged in Singapore for Importing About Two Pounds of Pot (High Times)

• Activists seek to legalise marijuana in hippie haven of Nepal (The Times)

• Companies are selling saliva kits so customers can figure out the best marijuana strain and get HIGH (Today UK News)

• Republican Ohio Lawmakers Announce Marijuana Legalization Bill, Reflecting Recent Bipartisan Shift On Issue (Marijuana Moment)

• New NORML Report Highlights Concerns Regarding Sale of Unregulated Delta-8 THC, Similar Products (NORML)

• Marijuana legalization used to right wrongs from drug war (UPI)

• Virginia Medical Marijuana Patients See High Prices And Long Waits For Approvals (Marijuana Moment)

• Harborside Announces Planned Commercial-Scale Renewable Energy Microgrid Project at Salinas Production Campus (PR Newswire)

• South Dakota Activists Launch Marijuana Legalization Signature Drive To Get On 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Survey: 60% of cannabis users want to get high with a grandparent (Leafly)

• Mississippi ‘Not Quite Ready’ to Implement Medical Cannabis (High Times)

LSD

• Is LSD Addictive? Is It Safe To Use For Mental Health Issues? We Provide Guidance (Healing Maps)

Magic Mushrooms

• A Strategy for Rescheduling Psilocybin (Scientific American)

• Denver City Panel Pushes To Expand Psilocybin Decriminalization With Gifting And Communal Use (Marijuana Moment)

San Pedro

• What is San Pedro? Facts about the Psychoactive Plant (The Third Wave)

Ketamine

• FDA Backs Ketamine to Treat This Rare and Debilitating Pain Syndrome (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Miscellaneous

• Voters Across The U.S. Will Decide On Marijuana And Psychedelics Ballot Measures Next Month (Marijuana Moment)

• How COVID-19 Opened the Door to a New Era in Psychedelic Medicine (TIME)

• No, Psychedelic Treatment Doesn't Look Like 'Nine Perfect Strangers' (Verywell Health)

• On Sacred Reciprocity: Giving Back to our Indigenous Predecessors in the Psychedelic Movement (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Trying Psychedelics Just Once Might Reduce Your Chances Of Cardiometabolic Disease, Study Finds (IFLScience)

• Is Mysticism Becoming A Problem For Psychedelic Medicine? (Forbes)

• Is There a Dependable Way to Induce an Ego Death Experience with Psychedelics? (Lucid News)

• Ego Death: Is This The Most Important Result From Psychedelic Therapy? (Healing Maps)

• Why Psychedelic Stocks Have Crashed in the Last 3 Months (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Navigating a Double-Edged Sword: Toward Psychedelic Apprenticeship (Chacruna)

• Psychedelic Reciprocity: Patents and Indigenous Knowledge (Truffle Report)

• Stewarding Psychedelic and Ecological Biospheric Wisdom with Deborah Parrish Snyder (Chacruna)

• Numinus Upgrades Psychedelics Lab to Increase Research Service Capabilities (Psilocybin Alpha)

• The Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics: 2A or Not 2A?-Part 2 (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Exploring Creepy Psychedelic Art (Reality Sandwich)

• Mindset Pharma Expands Benchmarking Data for First Generation Psychedelics Through the COPE Program with InterVivo Solutions (Psilocybin Alpha)

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

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.24.21

Cannabis

• Switzerland’s Zurich to Begin Recreational Cannabis Trial in 2022 (High Times)

• U.S. House Approves SAFE Banking Act as Part of Military Spending Bill in Historic Vote (High Times)

• Green Party in Finland Calls for End of Prohibition (High Times)

• This company is smuggling tons of legal cannabis into streets, whistleblower alleges (Leafly)

• California State Fair Will Host Marijuana Competition For The First Time At 2022 Event, Officials Announce (Marijuana Moment)

• Connecticut: Qualified Patients Can Begin Home Cultivating Cannabis Next Week (NORML)

• Rhode Island Lawmakers Are ‘Very Close’ On Marijuana Legalization Deal Ahead Of Possible Special Session, Top Senator Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Lessons the Psychedelics Industry Can Learn From the Cannabis Market Bubble (Lucid News)

• Pennsylvania Senators Discuss Bill To Provide DUI Protections For Medical Marijuana Patients (Marijuana Moment)

• VA sending mixed messages for vets about cannabis use to treat PTSD (Arizona Mirror)

• Delaware: Governor Signs Measure Amending Cannabis Penalties for Minors (NORML)

• FBI Clarifies That Using Marijuana More Than 24 Times Disqualifies Would-Be Agents (Marijuana Moment)

• Former Massachusetts Mayor Sentenced for Extortion (High Times)

• Controlling cannabis and the classification of Delta-8 THC (Reuters)

• Eaze launches California program to bring free medical cannabis to low-income patients (Greenway Magazine)

• Mississippi Lawmakers Reach Deal On Medical Marijuana Legalization, Plan To Request Special Session (Marijuana Moment)

• For Chronic Pain Sufferers, Cannabis "May Be a Source of Hope" (Green Entrepreneur)

• Full-Page Washington Post Ad Calls For Marijuana Prisoner’s Freedom While Celebs Make Money In Industry (Marijuana Moment)

• Can Cannabis Help Your Gut? (TIME)

• Florida Marijuana Activists File New Legalization Initiative For 2022 Ballot Following Supreme Court Defeats (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma Activists Finalize Language For Two 2022 Marijuana Ballot Initiatives (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraska Cannabis Association launches as state's first lobbying group for marijuana-based businesses (York News-Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin Study for Tobacco Gets Federal Funding (Truffle Report)

• Thousands attend first-ever psychedelic shroom festival in Ann Arbor (MLive.com)

• Canadian Coalition Submits Draft for Legal Psilocybin Therapy (Truffle Report)

• Happy Global Magic Mushroom Day (9/20) for Psilocybin Fans (CelebStoner)

• Nine Perfect Strangers's Portrayal of Psilocybin Could Derail Progress in Researching Psychedelic Use for Mental Health (Teen Vogue)

• Shroom Delivery is Now a Thing (DoubleBlind)

• Magic Mushrooms May Be the Biggest Advance in Treating Depression Since Prozac (Newsweek)

• Former GOP Congresswoman Touts Psilocybin As Treatment For Alcoholism (Marijuana Moment)

• Psyched Wellness Initiates a Clinical Sleep Study on Humans for a Structure/Function Claim For AME-1 (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Amanita muscaria – A Fresh Look at An Iconic Mushroom (Psychedelic Science Review)

• The 25 Best U.S. Counties for Mushroom Foragers (moveBuddha)

• MindMed and Liechti Lab Provide Results from their Psilocybin R&D Collaboration (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Eversio Wellness Harvests Its First Legally Grown Psychoactive Mushrooms (Yahoo! Finance)

MDMA

• Awakn Life Sciences Acquires Exclusive Rights to MDMA Research from Imperial College London (Psilocybin Alpha)

DMT

• Small Pharma Successfully Completes Phase I Clinical Trial of DMT in Combination with Supportive Psychotherapy (Psilocybin Alpha)

5-MeO-DMT

• I Wanted Ego Death. This Powerful Psychedelic Gave It To Me. (BuzzFeed News)

• Lexston Initiates Research and Development Project Using Psychedelic Compound 5-Me0-DMT (TheNewswire)

Mescaline

• Mescaline, Veganism, and Schopenhauer’s Philosophy (Sam Woolfe)

Iboga

• DemeRx Doses First Subject in Phase 1/2a Study of DMX-1002 (Ibogaine) in Opioid Use Disorder (Psilocybin Alpha)

Salvia Divinorum

• Salvia Divinorum and Kratom Combination – What You Must Know About It (IRN Post)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Are Prodrugs the Next Wave of Psychedelic Drug Development? (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Mindset Pharma Announces Further Preclinical Results Demonstrating Strong Efficacy and Improved Safety Profile for its 5-MeO-DMT-Inspired Drug Candidate, MSP-4018 (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Tryp Therapeutics Submits IND Application for Phase 2a Clinical Trial in Eating Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Clearmind Medicine Partners with The Hebrew University to Develop Novel Psychedelic Drug (Yahoo! Finance)

• Mydecine Files MYCO-003 Final Patent Application and Reports Positive Preclinical Data (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Spice is significantly more harmful than marijuana (International Business Times)

• New Study Comparing Plant-Derived and Synthetic CBD Efficacy Opens Door to Exciting Medical Uses of Cannabidiol (Yahoo! Finance)

Nitrous Oxide

• TikTok Is Hosting Ads for ‘Whipped Cream’. But It’s Actually Nitrous Oxide (VICE)

Ketamine

• Delic signs US$10 million merger deal to become top psychedelic wellness chain in the U.S. (Canadian Lawyer)

• Turning Everyday Therapist Offices into Ketamine Clinics (Lucid News)

• Statistical model defines ketamine anesthesia’s effects on the brain (MIT News)

• Is A Ketamine Infusion Covered By Insurance? (Healing Maps)

Miscellaneous

• Companies are Getting Rid of Drug Tests Because They Can’t Find Enough Workers (VICE)

• Class A drug possession ‘effectively decriminalised’ in Scotland (The Times)

• Hamilton Morris Hired by Psilocybin Startup COMPASS Pathways, Ends "Hamilton's Pharmacopeia" On Vice (Psymposia)

• Italian Advocates Collect 500,000 Signatures for Decriminalization of Cannabis and Psychoactive Substances (High Times)

• Psychedelics Are a Billion-Dollar Business, and No One Can Agree Who Should Control It (VICE)

• Meet Microdosing TikTok—And Why the Community Matters (Psychedelics Today)

• More Michigan Cities Look to Decriminalize Psychedelics (Truffle Report)

• The Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center issues notification about effects and risks of using psychedelic substances (Today@Wayne)

• Criticism of Awakn Treatment Model as Second Clinic Opens for Treating Addiction (TalkingDrugs)

• Psychedelic Patents: Nature, IP Law, & Exclusion (Truffle Report)

• How To Come Down From A High: Navigating the Downslope of a Trip (DoubleBlind)

• Armed With Two Patents, Psycheceutical Plans To Transform Psychedelic Drug Delivery (Forbes)

• Psychedelic Water founder looks to new legal era for powerful drugs (The Washington Times)

• Mycrodose Therapeutics Successfully Completes Oversubscribed Private Placement to Expand Existing Patent Portfolio of Breakthrough Advanced Drug Delivery Technologies (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Why Bristol Uni is taking a more progressive stance on drugs (The Bristol Cable)

• Numinus Completes Acquisition of Neurology Centre of Toronto (Psilocybin Alpha)

• The Removal of the Ecuadorian Drug Possession Table: A Major Government Mistake (TalkingDrugs)

• ATMA Journey Centers Offer Regulated Health Care Professionals a Means to Incorporate Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy Into Their Practice (Psilocybin Alpha)

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

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 7.9.21

Cannabis

• First Full-Service Marijuana Delivery App Launches On Apple Store Following Policy Change (Marijuana Moment)

• Delta-8-THC craze concerns chemists (Chemical and Engineering News)

• Federal Marijuana Trafficking Convictions Have Fallen Dramatically Following Enactment of Statewide Legalization Laws (NORML)

• Study: Cannabis farms not as thirsty as previously thought (Eureka Times-Standard)

• FBI Loosens Marijuana Employment Policy For Would-Be Agents (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Use Associated With Increased Decision Making Skills (Green Entrepreneur)

• Sioux Tribe Is Opening South Dakota's First and Only Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MERRY JANE)

• Brazil Gains Ground on Medical Marijuana, in Defiance of Bolsonaro (Filter)

• Temple research finds that tweaking CBD may help it curb pain and opioid use in mice (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• South Dakota Marijuana Activists Unveil Four Legalization Initiatives For 2022 Ballot, Pending Supreme Court Decision (Marijuana Moment)

• Study: Cannabis use may be associated with suicidality in young adults (The Highland County Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Just One Dose of Magic Mushroom Compound Regrows Lost Brain Connections in Mice (ScienceAlert)

• Is This Peter Thiel–Backed Startup Trying to Monopolize the Astral Plane? (Mother Jones)

MDMA

• Director James Cameron was high on MDMA when he came up with key Terminator 2 character (Metro)

• One-third of MDMA tested at festivals actually 'dangerous' drug eutylone - KnowYourStuff (Newshub)

• My summer of love: ‘Under the spell of ecstasy, strangers went straight to limitless intimacy’ (The Guardian)

DMT

• Tripping On Your Lunch Break: Inside the Rise of Casual DMT Use (VICE)

• Microdosing DMT… Wait, That’s a Thing? (EntheoNation)

Ayahuasca

• A Brief Heritage of Ayahuasca Art (DoubleBlind)

Mescaline

• Mescaline Could Help Fight Addiction, Depression, PTSD, and Anxiety, Study Suggests (MERRY JANE)

• Mescaline is Resurgent (Yet Again) As a Potential Medicine (Lucid News)

• Is Mescaline A Key Component In The Future Of Medicine? XPhyto Aims To Find Out (Forbes)

Peyote

• Inside a Peyote Pilgrimage (The New York Times)

• Two Projects Seek to Change the Legal Status of Peyote and Mushrooms in Mexico (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Twenty Two Plus One: Sunrise αMT at Huangshan (Maps of the Mind)

• NSW Health issues urgent alert over 'potent hallucinogen' found in MDMA (Sky News)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Warning over dangerous synthetic cannabis batch as death probed (Radio New Zealand)

Ketamine

• Colorado ketamine bill signed into law, limits police influence on sedative’s use (KDVR)

• Portrayed As Date Rape Drug, Ketamine Is Removed from California Decrim Bill (Lucid News)

Miscellaneous

• Rhode Island Governor Signs Historic Bill Legalizing Safe Consumption Sites For Illicit Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Study suggests psychedelic users reframe “bad trips” into positive experiences through detailed narratives (PsyPost)

• Michael Pollan is Back with Mind-Bending Thoughts on Drugs, Ego Death, and the Healing Power of Plants (GQ)

• Third California City Seeks To Decriminalize Psychedelics (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic Drugs Are Moving From The Fringes Of Medicine To The Mainstream (Forbes)

• Best Practices for Serious Psychonauts (Maps of the Mind)

• Psychedelic Motherhood: The Altered States of Birth (Chacruna)

• Tryptamine Patents: Explaining Deuterated Drug Analogs (Truffle Report)

• The Ritual: A Framework for Psychedelic Journeys (Maps of the Mind)

• Real-World Research in Psychedelic Science (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Keeping a Drug Journal (Maps of the Mind)

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 Month in Psychedelics - June 2020

Today marks the end of the first half of 2020. It’s crazy to think that so much happened in just six months, but here we are. Between a global pandemic and worldwide protests for racial justice, it might seem like nothing else has been going on. But we can’t forget the murder hornets, toilet paper shortages, Australian bushfires, the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, and so much more that has already happened this year. If the last six months are a reliable indicator of what’s to come, we definitely need to strap in before the ride really gets going.

The psychedelic world has been busy too. This month there was a ton of psychedelic news, including scientific research findings, innovations in the psychedelic industry, and some small wins on the drug policy reform front.

Here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:

Without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

A Follow-Up Study Demonstrates Long-Term Benefits of Treating PTSD with MDMA

First up is a story about a new follow-up study that observed impressive long-term benefits that came from treating people who had PTSD with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Compiling followup data from six clinical trials, the researchers found that not only do the positive effects of the therapy hold up for more than a year after the completion of the treatment, but patients also continue to improve as time passes following the active MDMA sessions.

This study just adds more evidence to the ever-growing pile of data backing up the idea that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy is an effective treatment for PTSD.

The World’s First Psychedelic Stock Index

Although the emerging psychedelic industry is still fairly new, several businesses have gone public, which means they can actually be traded on the stock market. But for a while it has been difficult for investors, bankers, analysts, journalists, and other market participants to find out which companies are selling shares.

However, this month CFN Enterprises launched PsyIndex, a new psychedelic stock index that aggregates and tracks the market performance of the multi-billion dollar industry. If you’d like to invest in psychedelic companies, I advise you to check out PsyIndex to become familiar with the overall landscape and read The Trip Report for constructive analysis about the various players in the industry.

A Phase 2 Clinical Trial of LSD for Suicide Headaches Begins Treating Patients

Cluster headaches, also known as “suicide headaches”, are said to be one of the most painful conditions that a human can experience. The pain typically occurs on one side of the head—or above an eye—and a single attack can range from 15 minutes to 3 hours. These attacks often occur in clusters which usually last for weeks or months, and occasionally they go on for more than a year.

Anecdotal reports suggest that LSD can halt an attack in its tracks in addition to decreasing their overall frequency and intensity, but until recently there hasn’t been much modern research into using psychedelics to treat cluster headaches. However, this month a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating whether LSD is an effective treatment for the condition started treating patients.

MindMed and University Hospital Basel’s Liechti Lab are collaborating on that research in addition to other LSD studies: a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating microdosing LSD for adult ADHD and an initiative named “Project Lucy” which is going to focus on LSD experiential therapy for anxiety disorders.

Can DMT Be Used Therapeutically?

MindMed and the Liechti Lab aren’t stopping with LSD. In the final quarter of 2020 they plan to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial that will test various intravenous dosing regimens of DMT to see if the drug can be used therapeutically, with a focus on its efficacy for treating addiction. MindMed hopes that the Phase 1 study will set the stage for future potential Phase 2a proof-of-concept trials.

These two organizations aren’t the only ones interested in exploring the healing potential of DMT. The Yield Growth Corporation announced this month that its subsidiary NeonMind has filed a patent application for the therapeutic use of DMT. The company is planning to investigate whether DMT can be successfully used to treat compulsive eating disorder and other illnesses.

Spanish Porn Star Charged with Manslaughter Following 5-MeO-DMT Ritual

A Spanish porn star named Nacho Vidal was arrested and charged with manslaughter for his connection with a mysterious death following a 5-MeO-DMT ritual. Vidal was one of three people who were arrested due to their involvement with the July 2019 death of Jose Luis Abad, a Spanish fashion photographer.

Abad died after smoking the dehydrated toad venom from Colorado River toad, with contains the psychedelic compound 5-MeO-DMT. At this point we still don’t know exactly what caused the death, but it may have been due to physiological issues like respiratory depression or convulsions related to the ingestion of the venom, rather than any foul play on the behalf of Vidal or the other two people involved.

Drug Policy Activists Are Still Collecting Signatures Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic

Although some drug policy reform efforts had to put an end to their signature collection due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, not every initiative has shared the same fate.

Activists in Montana submitted 130,000 signatures to legalize cannabis and the George Floyd protests actually helped the psychedelic decriminalization campaign in Washington, D.C. It seems that the racial justice protests may have actually counteracted the loss of potential signatures caused by the pandemic.

Psilocybin and the Human Ego

A breakthrough psilocybin study uncovered a new neurochemical mechanism that enables the drug to generate psychedelic effects and dissolve the ego. The study found that psilocybin can change levels of glutamate in the human brain, which in turn determines which type of ego dissolution the patient will experience—positive or negative.

Positively-experienced ego loss is related with heightened mood and euphoria whereas negatively-experienced ego dissolution involves a loss of autonomy and self-control of thought processes. The researchers were able to predict which type of experience the patient was going through by reading the levels of glutamate in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

And a meta-analysis of four prior studies found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy can engender large reductions in anxiety and depression after the completion of treatment. These benefits were also present at the six-month follow-up.

Ketamine Can Temporarily Shut Down the Brain

Another study found that high doses of ketamine are capable of temporarily shutting down the brain, which may help explain why some people report getting stuck in a “k-hole” after using the drug.

The study didn’t originally set out to study ketamine’s effects; the researchers initially wanted to find a cure for Huntington’s disease, which is a progressive disease that causes a progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. And it wasn’t conducted with humans, either. Sheep were given injections of ketamine and hooked up to an EEG machine, which found that brain activity in the animals shut down entirely following the administration of ketamine. After the effects wore off, brain activity resumed, indicating that the brain can be effectively turned on and off (like a light switch) with ketamine.

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 - 11.16.18

Cannabis

• Will 2019 be the Year of Federal Marijuana Law Reform? (The Marijuana Times)

• Thai lawmakers back legalizing medical marijuana (Associated Press)

• Study Finds CBD Alleviates Psychotic Disorder Symptoms (Psychedelic Times)

• Pot approved for research, medical use (Bangkok Post)

• Medical cannabis: Death sentence prompts Malaysia to re-think harsh laws (BBC)

• Why Women Support Legal Marijuana Less Than Men, According To A New Study (Marijuana Moment)

• The Complicated Relationship Between IP Law & Cannabis (IPWatchdog)

• Marijuana Use Doesn’t Affect Outcome Of Kidney Transplants, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Will Michigan law push Indiana toward cannabis? (South Bend Tribune)

• Mitch McConnell Guarantees Industrial Hemp Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Why people love CBD — the cannabis product that won't get you high (CNBC)

• If Chris Christie Becomes Attorney General, Pot Advocacy Could be Set Ablaze (Reason)

• VA Will Explore Medical Marijuana, But Only If Federal Law Changes, Secretary Says (Marijuana Moment)

• A cannabis Coke and a smile? Colorado companies hoping to tap infused beverage craze (The Denver Post)

• Here’s Where The Next House Speaker Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Canada: officials urge action to keep edible marijuana away from children (The Guardian)

• Legal Marijuana Would Generate Hundreds Of Millions For Illinois, New Analysis Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Congress: New House Rules Chairman Pledges To Allow Floor Votes On Marijuana-Related Amendments (NORML)

• The Feds Want Researchers To Study ‘Minor’ Cannabinoids And Terpenes In Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• If This Bill Passes, Possessing Pot in Texas Will Be Treated Less Harshly Than Distributing Straws in San Francisco (Reason)

• Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce Three Medical Marijuana Bills For Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

• Local Officials From Across US Call For Federal Marijuana Rescheduling (Marijuana Moment)

• Police drugs lead 'impressed' by cannabis clubs (BBC)

• The DEA Just Got Scolded Over Its Marijuana Eradication Program (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis and the brain: Recent studies shed new light (Medical News Today)

• The Feds Are Hiring Professional Marijuana Joint Rollers…Kind Of (Marijuana Moment)

• For a Buck and Sometimes a Buzz, Brewers Are Putting Cannabis Into Cans (The New York Times)

• Feds Seek New Growers To Produce Thousands Of Kilograms Of Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Texas NORML: Midterm Elections and the 86th Texas Legislature (NORML)

• Indiana NORML: Midterm Elections Shakeup State Legislature (NORML)

• Here’s How Much Legal Marijuana Supporters And Opponents Spent Per Vote In Last Week’s Election (Marijuana Moment)

• Could Pot Help Solve The Opioid Crisis? (BuzzFeed News)

• Michelle Obama Talks Smoking Marijuana In New Memoir (Marijuana Moment)

• The UK's Biggest Legal Weed Producer Has Ignited Fresh Criticism (VICE)

• Cali judge protects right to grow cannabis (The Leaf Online)

• Holiday Gift Guide 2018: The Ultimate Luxury List For Cannabis Connoisseurs (Forbes)

• American cannabis expert warns UK government ‘relax laws or be left behind’ (Metro)

• ‘Walking Dead’ Actor Raises Money For Kids Who Use Medical Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Alfie Dingley: Mum's fresh medicinal cannabis campaign (BBC)

• Texas Lawmaker Files Marijuana Decriminalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Is the stigma of cannabis preventing more seniors from using it? (WTVF)

• Mormon Church Faces Potential Lawsuit Over Medical Marijuana Opposition (Marijuana Moment)

• NORML Chapters Participate in Las Vegas’ First Business-to-Consumer Cannabis Conference (NORML)

• TV Stations Pulled Anti-Legalization Ads Ahead Of Midterm Marijuana Votes, Advocates Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Here's What Marijuana Stock Aurora Cannabis Is Saying About Its Future (The Motley Fool)

• Colorado Governor Touts Marijuana Legalization’s Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Throwback Thursday: Understanding “South Pacific” With a Little Help from LSD (Dope Magazine)

• Man ‘gouged’ PCSO’s face while on LSD at Bexhill party (Bexhill-on-Sea Observer)

• Navy Sailors Dealing LSD in Nuclear Reactor Department of Aircraft Carrier (Citizen Truth)

• Drug with therapeutic effect: How LSD affects the brain (Infosurhoy)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin Could Be Legal for Therapy by 2021 (Rolling Stone)

• FDA Gives Stamp of Approval for Clinical Psilocybin Trials (Psychedelic Times)

• Driver on psychedelic mushrooms crashed vehicle on Beltine, walked into traffic, police say (Channel 3000)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• How long will it be until we see the legalisation of MDMA? (The Student)

• Teenage boy with epilepsy died after secretly taking MDMA on night out (Metro)

• Girl, 18, died 'after taking "double-strength" ecstasy at Mutiny music festival' (Mirror)

• Woman, 29, died after taking heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in strip club (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Can Toad Venom Unlock The Mystery Of Neurogenesis? New Insights on 5-MeO-DMT (Psychedelic Times)

• How I drank my way from the Amazon to the Himalayas (Condé Nast Traveller)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• In The Only State Where Selling Peyote Is Legal, The Cactus Is Threatened And Still Controversial (Texas Public Radio)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Holy War – A Tale of Bwiti Iboga Initiation, Part 2 (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• ‘Testing prisoners for cannabis led to the Spice epidemic,’ says former government adviser (talkRADIO)

Dissociatives

• Hospital Injected Intoxicated Woman with Ketamine, Enrolled Her in Clinical Trial Without Consent, Lawsuit Says (Newsweek)

• ‘It’s the PCP’: Man wearing only a towel arrested at shopping center (FOX2Now.com)

• Ketamine For Depression (Healthy Magazine)

• Man accused of causing deadly crash was high on PCP, officials say (KOCO)

• Judge rules woman accused of setting fatal Springfield fire was too high on PCP to confess (MassLive.com)

Opiates/Opioids

• As if heroin weren’t dangerous enough, it may come with lead poisoning (Ars Technica)

• 'Dozens' of underground heroin-injection sites operating now in King County (KIRO)

• Some pharmacies fail to offer easy access to naloxone, or to stock it, despite anti-opioid initiatives (STAT)

• The Hell of Getting Methadone When You’re Away from Home (Tonic)

• Philly may require all pharmacies to stock overdose-reversal drug naloxone (WHYY)

• Growing concern for 'pink death' drug and pure fentanyl (KMSP)

• Why Some Pharmacies Still Fail To Carry Naloxone (The Fix)

• Life After Heroin Is Beautiful and Boring (VICE)

• Find Out the Rate of Opioid-Related Overdoses in Your Town (NBC Chicago)

• Toronto man sounds alarm about 'drastic need' for naloxone training to battle opioid overdoses (CBC)

• Viewpoint: Big Pharma didn't drive up the cost of naloxone, 'opportunity has' (Becker's Hospital Review)

Kratom

• Kratom herbal supplement may cause withdrawal symptoms in newborns (MyNDNow.com)

• HHS recommended that the DEA make kratom a Schedule I drug, like LSD or heroin (STAT)

• The U.S. May Ban Kratom. But Are its Effects Deadly or Lifesaving? (Discover Magazine)

• A ruling is imminent on the legality of a controversial drug that's used to treat addiction — but some have called it a 'dangerous opioid' (Business Insider)

• Kratom for Fitness, Pre-Workout & Bodybuilding (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom Plants & Kratom Seeds for Sale Online (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Vanuatu continues push for quality standard for kava (Radio New Zealand)

• The New Criterion: say 'bula' to the world's first listed kava producer (Livewire Markets)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• The DEA and ICE are hiding surveillance cameras in streetlights (Quartz)

• Egypt MP Proposes Law to Decriminalise All Drug Use (Talking Drugs)

• Teenagers boil sanitary pads to get high (The Jakarta Post)

• My Relationships With Drugs Vary Wildly: We Must Recognize Spectrums (Filter)

• Drug-Law Violations Account for Over a Quarter of Women Incarcerated in the US (Filter)

• Greece Health Ministry Plans Drug Consumption Rooms (Talking Drugs)

• Secret CIA Document Shows Plan to Test Drugs on Prisoners (ACLU)

• Psychedelic Ethics: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Psymposia)

• Is Psychedelic Science Reaching A Breaking Point? (The Third Wave)

• Microdosers Are More Creative With Happier Emotions, Study Finds (VICE)

• The Psychedelic Renaissance Will Be Decided By Access (Chacruna)

• Get Up, Stand Up, Speak Up (Psymposia)

• What It's Like to Run the Biggest Drug Encyclopedia in the World (VICE)

• A New Documentary Shows How Vets Are Using Weed and Ayahuasca to Treat PTSD (Tonic)

• Ayahuasca for PTSD: Interview with "From Shock to Awe" Producer Janine Sagert (Reality Sandwich)

• This comedian tried to explain what drugs feel like and it went strangely (Rooster Magazine)

• Competitive Psychedelic Users Are Chasing 'Ego Death' and Losing Their Sense of Self (VICE)

• The Global Drug Survey wants to have an honest conversation about your drug habits (Time Out)

• Can Psychedelics “Cure” Gay People? (Chacruna)

• The Life and High Times of Psychedelic Bard, Terence McKenna (Kahpi)

• Oiling the Hinges of the Doors of Perception – Microdosing with Psychedelics (Beckley Foundation)

• Service workers say supervised injection facilities could cut restroom overdoses (Business Insider)

• The Island: Recovering Self, Culture and Place through Plant Medicine (Chacruna)

• Personal drug use should be decriminalized, addictions expert says (CBC)

• Chris Selley: On safe injection sites, why can't conservatives just let people not die? (National Post)

• Confirmation Bias And Misreporting Plague Psychedelic Research (The Ticker)

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

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.