This Week in Psychedelics - 11.23.18

Cannabis

• Massachusetts mayor first in line as recreational marijuana sales begin (CBS News)

• Federal Marijuana Action Is An ‘Inevitability,’ Trump FDA Chief Says (Marijuana Moment)

• Joe Kennedy III calls for legalizing marijuana at the federal level (The Hill)

• Here’s When Michigan’s Marijuana Legalization Law Goes Into Effect (Marijuana Moment)

• US Senate: Leading Marijuana Prohibitionist Out As Senate Judiciary Chair (NORML)

• Two New Studies Reveal How Marijuana Can Treat Different Kinds Of Pain (Marijuana Moment)

• Weed and Pregnancy: How Cannabis Laws Are Hurting Mothers (Rolling Stone)

• Hemp Will Be A Top 10 Product In 2019, Whole Foods Predicts (Marijuana Moment)

• The 'Hypocritical' Loophole in New York's Pledge to Stop Prosecuting Marijuana (The Appeal)

• Canada’s Grand Cannabis Experiment Has Set Scientists Free (The New York Times)

• Missouri’s Largest County Stops Prosecuting Marijuana Possession (NORML)

• Here's how N.J. is likely to legalize marijuana under new bill just unveiled by top Democrats (NJ.com)

• Feds To Discuss Drug Testing Programs In Era Of Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Antigua and Barbuda Set to Pass Inclusive Cannabis Regulation Law (Talking Drugs)

• Artisanal Edible Cannabis Honey Causes A Buzz (Forbes)

• Go Ahead and Pack Your Weed This Thanksgiving—the TSA Probably Won't Find It (Reason)

• FGCU to offer cannabis studies program 2019 (Wink News)

• 'Blow themselves up:' Police worried about butane hash oil extractions at home (The Daily Courier)

• Ontario Cannabis Store aware of mouldy products shipped to customers (Daily Hive)

• How Canada marijuana legalization impacts on Latin American drug policy? (openDemocracy)

• New Poll Says Cannabis Prohibition Doesn't Work And Americans Don't Want It To (Civilized)

• Three Incoming House Committee Chairs Call For Marijuana Reform In Next Congress (Marijuana Moment)

• Teens are trying marijuana before alcohol and tobacco (The Verge)

• South Africa Cannabis Ruling Leads to Pot-Themed Products (Voice of America)

• Totally Unchill NASA Orders SpaceX Safety Probe Because Elon Musk Legally Smoked Weed (Reason)

• What's the deal with cannabis capsules? (The GrowthOp)

• Do We Need Roadside Marijuana Tests? (The Crime Report)

• Hope for cannabis as treatment for opioid addiction (The Conversation)

• Greece eyes pot of gold as medicinal cannabis licensed (Reuters)

• 6 Ways American Colonists Used Cannabis (Civilized)

• How medical marijuana made me a better mom (The Washington Post)

• ‘Outliers’ Author Malcolm Gladwell Is Himself An Outlier On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• How Much Weed Should Someone Try If It's Their First Time? (WIRED)

• Legalizing Marijuana Is One Of New Connecticut Governor’s ‘Priorities’ (Marijuana Moment)

• What You Need To Know About Microdosing Cannabis, The New Wellness Trend (Psychedelics Daily)

LSD

• 'Open-minded, immersive and fun': a review of 'All You need is LSD' (The Boar)

• News Focus - Dangers of LSD consumption among children (ANTARA News)

• Yale, Zurich scientists find why LSD makes people trip (Psychedelics Daily)

• REVEALED: The eerie conspiracy that connects JFK, Charles Manson and Britney Spears (Daily Star)

• To avoid a bad trip, be prepared before trying LSD (Psychedelics Daily)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• High Dose of Psilocybin in a HIV+ Homeless Shelter (Chacruna)

• Denver, Colorado Might Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms As Soon As May 2019 (IVN.us)

• The FDA Has Acknowledged Psilocybin As A Potential Treatment For Depression (Psychedelics Daily)

• Psychedelic healing: could magic mushrooms help reboot the brain? (Science Focus)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• People on love drug MDMA still know who to trust (ResearchGate)

• MDMA is now proven to help those with trauma – so let’s decriminalise it and put it back in the medicine cabinet (The Independent)

• ‘It can rewire people’s brains’: how traumatised veterans turned to underground MDMA therapy (The Guardian)

• Horrfying moment mother ‘high on ecstasy’ drops her baby and cracks his skull (Metro)

• Boy, 16, died after taking ecstasy when pal’s mum didn’t call his parents in case they got into trouble (The Sun)

• What is MDMA and why have there been so many deaths in the West Country? (ITV News)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Controversial hallucinogenic drug use explored in 'Kentucky Ayahuasca,' TV series (Lexington Herald Leader)

• Everything You Need to Know about Choosing an Ayahuasca Retreat (Kahpi)

• Welcome to the jungle: experiencing the Amazon in psychedelic virtual reality (The Guardian)

• A Punch In The Soul: HighExistence Founder Jordan Lejuwaan’s First Ayahuasca Journey (HighExistence)

• What ayahuasca — Silicon Valleys latest drug of choice — does to your brain and body (Psychedelics Daily)

• DMT: Learning Science from our Ancestors (in-Training)

• Ayahuasca Research Boosts Brazilian Psychedelic Science (Psychedelics Daily)

• What Ayahuasca Is, and What You Should Know About It (Psychedelics Daily)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine: One Mans Journey To Mexico For Psychedelic Addiction Treatment (Psychedelics Daily)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• 'Legal highs': Street dealers now main source of supply after ban (BBC)

Opiates/Opioids

• The Radical New Fentanyl Trend That Could Save Lives and Screw Dealers (VICE)

• Sackler family members face mass litigation and criminal investigations over opioids crisis (The Guardian)

• UN: Afghan Opium Cultivation Down 20 Percent (Voice of America)

• AMA Decries the Impact of the CDC's Opioid Guidelines on Pain Treatment (Reason)

• Multiple vials of naloxone now required to resuscitate Metro Vancouver opioid users (Standard-Freeholder)

• Understanding Naloxone Standing Orders Is Vital (Pharmacy Times)

• Saving your child from an opioid overdose (CBS News)

• Opioid Series: 'Naloxone saved my life' (ABC 4)

• Naloxone: The life-saving drug more Americans Need (CBS News)

Cocaine

• Mental health hospital admissions linked to cocaine use treble in 10 years (The Guardian)

• Mother at large after 2-year-old daughter ingests cocaine (KPRC)

Kratom

• Scientists Identify the Lethal Dose of Kratom's Active Ingredients (Inverse)

• Converting Animal Doses to Human Doses (Kratom) (Medium)

• Federal Authorities Tight-Lipped on When Kratom’s Future Will Be Revealed (Inverse)

• Is FDA ‘Shadow Ban’ Causing Kratom Shortages? (Pain News Network)

• American Kratom Association Announces Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Standards for Vendors (PR Newswire)

• Kratom Erowid – Which Types of Kratom Information You Will See On This Website? (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom: The leafy green plant that could help with opiate withdrawals (KFMB)

• Green Bali Kratom: Effects, Dosage, And User Reviews (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Grant awarded to further study effects of kava (Radio New Zealand)

• Pacific countries to promote kava as food product (Radio New Zealand)

Khat

• Little-known banned drug is becoming worryingly popular in Liverpool (Liverpool Echo)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Take Part in the World's Biggest Anonymous Drugs Survey (VICE)

• A Brief History of Swedish Psychedelia (The Oak Tree Review)

• I Survived Sexual Abuse In The Amazon And Victim Blame At Home (Psymposia)

• Let’s Talk About Compass And Psychedelic Capitalism: Interview with Rick Doblin (Psychedelic Times)

• A Brief History of Psychedelics in the Western World (Psychedelics Today)

• A Vermont needle exchange isn’t just giving out syringes. It’s offering treatment on the spot. (Vox)

• El Chapo Witness Details Brutal Drug War Murders (The New York Times)

• Denver City Council will OK supervised drug use to save people from overdosing (Denverite)

• Drugs and alcohol complicate sexual consent, but context can make things clearer (The Conversation)

• Radical Risk Reduction For Event And Community Organizers (Chacruna)

• Opioids Are In the Spotlight. But Meth Hospitalizations Are Surging (TIME)

• Time’s Up For “Silencing” Tactics (Psymposia)

• Joe Biden’s Ideal Drug War (Drug WarRant)

• Harm reduction is the right way to treat drug abuse (The Economist)

• How 'fixing rooms' are saving the lives of drug addicts (The Guardian)

• We need harm reduction drug education, not drug prevention education (AOD MEDIA WATCH)

• Exploring Consciousness with Psychedelics (Psychedelics Daily)

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.

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.28.18

Cannabis

• Canadians Involved In Marijuana Industry Not Welcome In US, Feds Confirm (Marijuana Moment)

• DEA Reclassifies Plant-Derived Marijuana Medicine To Schedule V (NORML)

• FBI: Marijuana Arrests Spike For Second Straight Year, Far Outpace Arrests For All Violent Crimes (NORML)

• Youth Marijuana Use Isn’t Increasing After States Legalize, Meta-Analysis Of 55 Studies Concludes (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Looks Like An Alien World Under An Electron Microscope (Marijuana Moment)

• Maine Officials Investigating Restaurant That Calmed Lobsters With Marijuana (TIME)

• Lawmaker Pushes For Marijuana Legalization In Kenya (Marijuana Moment)

• Coca-Cola Is Eyeing a Possible Entry Into the Cannabis Market (TIME)

• Brooklyn DA erases 56 marijuana convictions, vacates over 3,000 pot warrants (New York Daily News)

• Seattle judges throw out 15 years of marijuana convictions (BBC)

• Amsterdam’s Marijuana Strategy Means Cops Don’t Have Much To Do, Comedy Central Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Molson Coors Plans To Sell Marijuana-Infused Teas, Seltzers And Beer (Marijuana Moment)

• Wall Street’s Marijuana Madness: ‘It’s Like the Internet in 1997’ (The Wall Street Journal)

• Republicans in a US territory just legalized marijuana (Vox)

• Cannabis Stocks Had A Roller Coaster Of A Week (NPR)

• Are Police Breaking The Law To Campaign Against Marijuana Legalization? (Marijuana Moment)

• How EMTs and Doctors Treat Cannabis Overconsumption (Leafly)

• House GOP Blocks Marijuana Tax Fairness Vote (Marijuana Moment)

• TSA Will Report Weed at LAX to Cops, Who Can't Do Anything About It (Reason)

• Researchers Injected People With THC To Test Their Motor Skills (Marijuana Moment)

• It's Not Just Cannabis Stocks -- Salaries And Jobs In Legal Weed Are Climbing Too (Forbes)

• Why millennials prefer cannabis to booze: ‘Zero enjoyment out of drinking’ (and it’s cheaper) (MarketWatch)

• Willie Nelson Wants To Smoke Marijuana With Trump And Putin (Marijuana Moment)

• Kindergartner can take cannabis drug to school, judge says (Los Angeles Times)

• O’Rourke And Cruz Clash On Marijuana And Drugs At Senate Debate (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot Faux Pas: A Cannabis Club Owner Weighs In On Marijuana Etiquette (WBUR)

• Here’s Where Maine’s US Senate Candidates Stand On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Legal marijuana: Vote for it, even if you aren't going to smoke it (Detroit Free Press)

• Leading Congressional Marijuana Opponent In Danger Of Losing Seat, Polls Find (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Gubernatorial Candidates Disagree On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• What Happens When You Give L.S.D. to an Elephant? (The New York Times)

• Silicon Valley figures remember Steve Jobs's death — and debate the rumor that he was 'tripping' when he died (Business Insider)

• Could LSD Microdosing Be Beneficial? (Labmate Online)

• Sofia Boutella on Playing a Character Spiked with LSD in Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ (Collider)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Reclassification recommendations for drug in 'magic mushrooms' (ScienceDaily)

• Could "Magic Mushrooms" Help You Stop Smoking? (The Fix)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Pilot Study Finds MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Significantly Reduces Social Anxiety in Autistic Adults (Psychedelic Times)

• Scientists Dosed an Octopus With MDMA and It Engaged In Some Serious Heavy Petting (The Inertia)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• 'Psychedelic Indiana Jones' claims he can 'predict FUTURE' with shamanic drug (Daily Star)

Morning Glory Seeds

• Children eating flower seeds to get high (Click 2 Houston)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine gives hope to patients with severe depression. But some clinics stray from the science and hype its benefits (STAT)

• Party drug used for depression at UW Health amid research on psychedelics (Wisconsin State Journal)

Opiates/Opioids

• A major study questioned the evidence for safe injection sites. It’s now been retracted. (Vox)

• Fentanyl crisis: Is China a major source of illegal drugs? (BBC)

• The Health 202: Congress reaches deal on major opioids' package (The Washington Post)

• Solving America’s painkiller paradox (Vox)

• DEA launches '360 Strategy' to combat heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic in Baltimore (Baltimore Sun)

• Pulitzer Prize winner Terry DeMio on life as a heroin beat reporter (Psymposia)

Kratom

• FDA Death Data On Kratom Linked To Adulterated Products, Not The Kratom Plant Itself (Benzinga)

• Kratom Dosage In Powder And Capsules (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom In Missouri: Legality And Where To Find Locally (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Price of kava fluctuates (The Fiji Times)

Khat

• New drug ‘khat’ finds way into Bangladesh (The Independent)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Capitalism on Psychedelics: The Mainstreaming of an Underground (Chacruna)

• For $1000, These ‘Sitters’ Will Save You from a Bad Acid Trip (VICE)

• The Risks of Long-Term Microdosing (The Third Wave)

• Why I regret my war on drugs (UnHerd)

• When supplies of drugs run low, drug prices mysteriously rise, data shows (Ars Technica)

• Psychedelic Film and Music Festival to feature trippy entertainment ‘for healing’ (AM New York)

• Get Ready for Your Psychedelic Voyage by Reading Experience Reports (Psychedelic Times)

• ‘Without drug traffickers, we’d have peace’: Colombian villagers flee new killings (The Guardian)

• Some 129 countries sign up to Trump's pledge at U.N. to fight drugs (Reuters)

• Making amyl nitrite an illegal drug would be ineffective, warns former AFP chief (The Guardian)

• The Invisible Majority: People Whose Drug Use Is Not Problematic (Filter)

• It's time we walked the talk on treating drugs as a health issue (Stuff.co.nz)

• $18 Million Worth of Cocaine Found in Bananas Donated to Texas Prison, Authorities Say (TIME)

• Does Donald Trump Want To Ban Chocolate, Or Is He Just Confused? (Marijuana Moment)

• Integrating Huichol and Mazatec Wisdom Without Doing Harm: Interview with Mario Gómez Mayorga (Psychedelic Times)

• Sheffield University criticised over 'never inject alone' drug advice (The Telegraph)

• Why doctors should support regulated markets in illicit drugs (The BMJ)

• Drug Tolerance Explained (Psychedelic Heaven)

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.

420: Cannabis Celebration Day

Image by Jurassic Blueberries, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

April 20th (also known as “420” in cannabis counterculture) is considered a day of reverence and celebration for people who have a relationship with cannabis. 420 has other meanings, including the times of day that cannabis consumers often imbibe the plant during the day (4:20 AM or PM), the act of smoking cannabis, etc. The origin story of 420 is controversial, with several opposing groups claiming that they originally founded the holiday.

Perhaps the most accepted story is that of the Waldos, a group of high school students in San Rafael, California in the early 1970s. The story is that the group chose to meet at a wall (hence the “Waldos”) outside their school at 4:20 PM each day after school in order to toke up and search for a rumored nearby cannabis crop.

Other stories include the number originating as a police code that announces cannabis use is taking place, April 20th being the primo day to plant an outdoor cannabis grow before the summer, or that there are 420 active chemicals in cannabis. However, criminal codes (both federal and Californian) do not correlate with cannabis-related crimes, gardening schedules can vary by location, and there are approximately 315 active chemicals in cannabis. Besides, the term “420” supposedly originated as a time, not a signifier of anything in particular or a date.

Regardless of the term's true origin story, 420 is now synonymous with cannabis and is well-known even outside of the cannabis community. If you are looking for a way to celebrate today, I would suggest learning more about cannabis from sites like Erowid and NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). Arming oneself with knowledge is always a great use of time! If you do choose to imbibe today, please be safe and smart—although the plant has very little negative effects compared to most psychoactive substances, it is still important to make good decisions while journeying with cannabis.

This Week in Psychedelics - 3.11.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Legalizing Weed Has Done What 1 Trillion Dollars and a 40 Year War Couldn't (Disinfo)
• Federal Agents Seizing Far Less Marijuana At Southern Border (NORML)
• 'Erowid' Analysis Finds People Like Cannabis No Matter What Other Drug They Take (Inverse)
• These Cannabis Activists Want To Get Arrested In Front Of The White House (ThinkProgress)
• FDA Sends Warning Letters To Cannabis Companies Over False Claims (Forbes)
• 5 Rare Disorders That Can Be Treated With Marijuana (ATTN:)
• This Ivy League doctor believes in medical cannabis' potential (The Cannabist)
• Study: Cannabis' Influence On Driving Performance Differs Significantly From That Of Alcohol (NORML)
• Signature Snafu May Doom Maine Marijuana Measure (Reason)
• Cannabis legalisation in UK 'would raise £1bn a year in taxes' (The Independent)
• Doctor Destroys Cannabis Myths Once And For All (Illegally Healed)
• Passage Of State Medical Marijuana Laws Don't Influence Youth Use (NORML)
• Cannabis Grower, Dispensaries To Donate One-Tenth Of Sales To Bernie Sanders' Campaign (Inquisitr)
• US Senators' Views On Medical Cannabis and DEA (NORML)
• Is "kosher" cannabis Israel's next big export? (KRON4)
• Wikileaf makes finding the best weed, at the best prices, easy (Boing Boing)
• 9 Problems With the Marijuana Rules Proposed by Massachusetts Legislators (Reason)
• Cannabis providers discuss future at private meeting in Missoula (NBC Montana)
• Meet the Man Who Hopes To Stop Marijuana Legalization in California (Reason)
• Colorado Springs Shuts Down Its Cannabis Clubs...in Eight Years (Reason)
• Cannabis and Sleep: 10 Things to Know About Your Herbal Nightcap (Leafly)
• New Jersey 'Weedman' Says Closing Pot Temple Violates Religious Freedom (TIME)
• 'Uncle Spliffy' Seeks To Change Negative Perceptions About Cannabis And Sports (The Weed Blog)
• Cannabis Science 101: The Physics and Chemistry of the Joint (Leafly)
• It's Time To Get Over the Prejudice Against Marijuana! (NORML)
• Cannapics: 7 Stunning Images of Cannabis Joints (Leafly)
• Police recover 9000 cannabis plants in Nelson-Marlborough aerial operation (Stuff.co.nz)
• Cannabis in First-Episode Psychosis Linked to Poor Outcomes (Medscape)
• Couple accused of murdering their 21-month old daughter kept skunk cannabis in the toddler's Tommy Tippee drinking cup, court hears (Daily Mail)
• Cannabis should be legalised and regulated, Lib Dems say (BBC)

LSD

• Could cuddling and LSD become the norm at work? (The Vancouver Sun)
• Star Wars animator took LSD during production: 'I got to the green screen and it was like 'Aaagh, I took way too much' (The Independent)
• What are the Benefits of LSD? Rethinking Acid as a Therapeutic Medicine (Psychedelic Times)
• Some People Swear That 'Microdosing' LSD on the Job Makes You a Better Worker (TIME)
• An LSD trip story: "Went to a Donald Trump speech on acid SUPER BAD VIBES" (Boing Boing)
• Student arrested for LSD in City Hall (The GW Hatchet)
• N.J. woman skipped court on LSD charge, prosecutor says (NJ.com)
• Man pleads not guilty to selling LSD (Daily Citizen)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Researchers seek spiritual leaders for magic mushroom study (Extract)
• Chicago man with psychedelic mushrooms arrested Friday (The News-Gazette)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• What It Was Like to Be Part of a Major Ecstasy Ring in the 90s (VICE)
• The Disturbing Truth About How Ecstasy Affects the Brain (Mic)
• Thames Valley Policeman Ryan Sproat dismissed for taking MDMA at nightclub (Metro)
• UC Santa Cruz MDMA Ring Busted; Sorority, Fraternity Members Jailed (CBS)
• Narcotics Agency Chief: Islamic school students mistaking ecstasy for vitamins to make them pray longer (Coconuts Jakarta)
• Ecstasy caused death of UC Irvine student who went to rave in San Bernardino County, coroner says (Los Angeles Times)
• Former Canberra doctor who used MDMA suspended for two years (The Canberra Times)
• New Research Aims To Reveal Cognitive Deficiencies In MDMA Users (Your EDM)
• MDMA Use May Damage Serotonin Receptors In The Brain, Risk Cognitive Impairment (Medical Daily)
• Ever taken MDMA? Then this news might concern you (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• High in the Amazon - Aurianna Joy's quest for peace in the jungle (The National Student)
• The DMT experience - Terence McKenna (Disinfo)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Finding Psycho Spiritual Healing with a Huachuma Healing Ceremony (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• DOB and 2C-B: The Controversial Legacy of Alexander Shulgin's Research (Psychedelic Times)
• Three schoolboys aged 15 fighting for life in hospital after taking legal highs 'similar to LSD' (The Sun)
• Father Of Round Rock Man Accused Of Choking Nurse While On K2 Disputes Police Account (Patch)
• College student from Salem admits peddling synthetic hallucinogen (The Salem News)
• Minnesota man gets 9 years for selling synthetic LSD (La Crosse Tribune)

Dissociatives

• What It's Like to Treat Severe Depression With Ketamine (New York Magazine)
• Paramedics to give ketamine to patients high on flakka (EMS1)
• 'I was shocked': Man arrested at customs after friend's ashes test positive for illegal drug (CTV News)
• Police Cripple 'Chinese Connection', Seize Ketamine Worth RM1.3 Million (Bernama)
• West Haven man on PCP arrested after trying to smother baby (Fox 61)
• Man high on PCP assaults women at Glen Burnie Target, police say (WBAL)
• Prosecutor: Driver in Crash That Killed Teens Was on PCP (ABC)

Opiates/Opioids

• Afghanistan Taliban War: Opium Fuels Conflict As Farmers Pray For A Prosperous Harvest (International Business Times)
• Heroin Epidemic Increasingly Seeps Into Public View (The New York Times)
• Medication maintenance: Methadone, Suboxone can cause more problems than they solve (Hartford City News Times)
• Senate poised to pass bill to combat heroin use and prescription drug abuse (USA Today)
• Naloxone Prescribed With Every Opioid? (Medscape)
• CVS Health to offer naloxone without prescription in 23 states by month's end (Drug Store News)
• Frank Bures: Non-medical prescription opioids and heroin use (Winona Daily News)
• Opium bounces back, enriching Taliban and Afghan officials (IRIN)
• Five myths about heroin (Culpeper Star-Exponent)

Absinthe

• Of Absinthe and Garden Laws (Patheos)

Kratom

• Shelby Co. officials want stores to stop selling Kratom (WBRC)
• Five men arrested for growing 'kratom' trees in Bangkok (The Nation)
• Group working to keep Kratom legal says it's a harmless herb when used properly (WBRC)
• Kratom: Opiate Withdrawal Help or Another Barrier to Addiction Treatment? (GroundReport)
• Parents and lawmakers call for Kratom ban (ABC33/40)
• Red Vein Thai Kratom Effects and Benefits (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Fiji kava growers forced to sell early in bulk (Radio New Zealand)
• Kava and kava drinking (Vanuatu Daily Post)
• Winston results in flood of kava onto Fiji market (Radio New Zealand)
• A tasty sip of anti-anxiety: MeloMelo Kava Bar (The Daily Californian)

Khat

• How a mild stimulant generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year (GlobalPost)
• Third arrest made at O R Tambo in suspected drug syndicate (News24)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Do Psychedelic Drug Laws Violate Human Rights? (The Atlantic)
• Iran Is About to Execute Another 100 Prisoners for Drug Offenses (VICE News)
• How 5 Common Drugs Affect Sex (ATTN:)
• Mexican Drug Lord 'El Chapo' Launches PR Blitz for Better Conditions (TIME)
• The 5 Pills You Definitely Shouldn't Mix With Alcohol (ATTN:)

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 (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Year in Psychedelics - 2015

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy New Year's Eve! 2015 has been yet another interesting year to follow psychedelic news—both the factual representations and wildly inaccurate media "reports" have brought a lot to the table. This article will present the major themes and trends that were found in the latter half of the year, beginning on the June 5th, which corresponds with this year's first This Week in Psychedelics article.

First, I want to provide a bit of background on what it took to get here. I have been an avid Reality Sandwich reader since 2007, and I looked forward to each new edition of Neşe Devenot's This Week in Psychedelics column. Every week, she posted links to news articles from the mass media that referenced psychedelics and other similar psychoactive substances.

Each week's collection of links attempted to be as unbiased as possible, demonstrating how various forms of mass media represent psychedelic culture and psychoactive substance use. This always included articles that shed psychedelics in a positive light as well as articles that demonized their use (including many articles that are factually incorrect and/or misguided representations of psychedelics).

Devenot gave up "This Week in Psychedelics" more than two years ago to pursue what has proved to be an extremely successful career in academia. This year I was able to successfully bring the column back—first on Think Wilder, and then on Reality Sandwich as well. The following is my analysis of this year's coverage of psychedelics and similar psychoactive substances.

Cannabis

Cannabis was in the news a lot this year, with articles being published on topics including drug policies, newly-discovered medical applications, cannabis scientific research, the fledging cannabis industry, a slew of hilarious poorly-executed drug delivery attempts, and more.

To begin, there were pro-cannabis drug policy movements at the state level across the United States of America, as well as on the international stage in countries like Italy, Australia, Mexico, Iran, and Colombia. Canada legalized cannabis oils and edibles, and its new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proudly announced plans to completely legalize the plant.

Stories about cannabis oils and their affinity for helping young children with a variety of needs were aplenty. The medical uses for cannabis expanded even further, with focuses on cannabis benefits for ailments such as epilepsy, colon and kidney cancers, low sex drives, broken bones, social anxieties, celiac disease, insomnia, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Cannabis was also found to help with weight loss, pain management, and drug addiction treatment. Cannabis research included studies on cannabis-involved driving and an upcoming study that will look into cannabis for assisting military veterans that have PTSD.

In the area of cannabis-related crime, London police were astonished to find a cannabis "forest" as big as a soccer field. Cannabis dealers missed the mark at least three times this year, including the time that $10,000 of cannabis fell out of the sky onto a family's home, when 50 pounds of pot were accidentally mailed to the incorrect address, and when a man found cannabis stashed in an Arizona Iced Tea can that he purchased at Walmart. The FBI released data showing that there is a cannabis-related arrest every 45 seconds in the U.S.

Candidates involved with the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election have had to confront the cannabis issue several times, and this will most likely continue into next year as the election cycle continues. The cannabis industry was covered thoroughly, with topics including how women are finding success in the industry, cannabis-themed vacation resorts, and tons of cannabis expos. Cannabis churches began popping up to encourage and celebrate the spiritual use of (and argue for the religious right to use) cannabis. Hemp began to once again make its way as a popular building material. Russia threatened to block Wikipedia over a specific cannabis article. And finally, Australia's pitiful anti-cannabis "stoner sloth" campaign backfired terribly and was ridiculed on social media.

LSD

The main story about LSD throughout the year involved the concept of microdosing, which is not exclusive to LSD but usually involves one of the classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline-containing cacti). The media seemingly could not get enough of headlines comparing tiny doses of LSD to cups of coffee, and the topic was covered in a generally-favorable manner.

A man died after being left hogtied for an hour by police following a Widespread Panic show, and there have been conflicting evidence found by various autopsies performed as to whether he died from LSD toxicity (which would literally be the first occurrence of a lethal LSD dose) or from rough treatment by the police officers. In fact, LSD was blamed for several fatal "overdoses" this year, although those deaths would likely be more accurately attributed to psychoactive research chemicals like 25i-NBOMe.

Scientific studies showed that LSD can enhance the emotional response to music. Other studies looking at  the potential efficacy of LSD that are currently ongoing focus on the treatment of depression, cluster headaches, and smoking cessation.

This year also birthed the creation and performance of LSD: The Opera, and a fascinating history of the connection between the CIA and LSD.

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

Compared to cannabis and LSD, there wasn't as much media coverage of psilocybin mushrooms (or "magic mushrooms" in general) this year, but two highlights include Russia banning Reddit over a single 'shroom thread and a lot of articles detailing the connection between amanita muscaria mushrooms and the origins of Christmas, including one I published last week.

Current research studies are looking into the application of psilocybin to treat depression, general anxieties, cluster headaches, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), smoking cessation, end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients, schizophrenia, and the effect of psilocybin on longterm meditators.

MDMA/Ecstasy

MDMA and ecstasy experienced a bit of both sides this year, with a lot of negative media coverage focused on things like overdoses and deaths as well as positive reports concerning the findings of ongoing MDMA scientific research studies.

There were many articles covering MDMA-related overdoses and deaths, although it is not certain that MDMA was the actual substance involved in every one of these articles. The media tends to over-report deaths that might possibly be related to MDMA, which are actually few and far between, while ignoring the deaths and other issues caused by alcohol. Due to these incidents, there were many efforts made by authorities to ban raves entirely, which is a bit odd because that seems a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water. There were also warning about ecstasy tablets being "too pure", which sounds confusing at first but ultimately makes sense within the full context. Although drug users would most likely appreciate receiving extremely-pure drugs, if they are accustomed to taking a large dose because all they have been acquiring in the past is not actually the drug they thought it to be, then when they receive the real thing and take the same dose, it can be too large and cause several issues. As happens every year, parents were warned in October that their children may be given ecstasy tablets disguised as candy, an assertion that doesn't make any sense, as drug dealers sell drugs to make profit, not to give away for free to children.

Regarding MDMA-related scientific studies, the DEA approved a study that will look at treating anxiety with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and ongoing studies include MDMA's potential role in helping people on the autism spectrum and sufferers of PTSD. There was definitely more negative coverage of MDMA than positive coverage, but the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is well on its way to legitimizing MDMA in the eyes of the FDA due to its it's decades-long dedication to psychedelic research, and is still on target to legalize MDMA to be used for psychotherapeutic use by 2021.

Ayahuasca/DMT

A Hebrew professor set forth an argument that Moses was under the influence of DMT when he saw the "burning bush". There have been claims of a legal ayahuasca church in the U.S., but the church's actual legal standing has been called into question.

Sadly, as has been the case for the past few years, ayahuasca was involved in the death of at least two people this year. One man died in Peru as a result of a tobacco purge ceremony, but ayahuasca was mentioned in the story because he was also in Peru to experience the medicine. And another man was stabbed to death by a fellow ayahuasca ceremony participant in a rare display of ayahuasca-related violence.

Ongoing scientific studies regarding ayahuasca include the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. A study also found that ayahuasca drinkers regularly have improved mental health.

Iboga/Ibogaine

Iboga and ibogaine were mainly presented as detox treatments for opiate and methamphetamine addictions, which has been found to be extremely successful for many. There was also a powerful account of how iboga helped a schizophrenic drug addict reclaim his life.

Salvia Divinorum

Aside from being announced as another potential plant useful for treating substance abuse and addictions, salvia divinorum didn't show up much in the media at all this year.

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

There was quite a bit of media coverage earlier in the year a scourge of the synthetic cannabinoid blend called "spice" (also known as "K2") in the northeast, but that story has mostly died off as of late. There has been a lot of negative coverage of the compound 25i-NBOMe (also known as "N-Bomb") and there was an interview with the man who originally synthesized it. "Legal highs" have been making their way into jails and prisons by being soaked into letters and pages of books. And a homeopathy conference ended terribly after attendees erupted in panic after being dosed with 2C-E.

Dissociatives

Protesters in the United Kingdom staged a demonstration against the Psychoactive Substances bill by inhaling nitrous oxide in front of the Parliament building. Basically every PCP story was framed in a negative light and played up an illegal act performed by someone high on the substance.

Ketamine had a lot of favorable coverage due to studies showing that it is helpful in treating depression. And due to the increased media coverage, governments around the world began considering placing ketamine under a stricter class of illegal drugs, which has worried veterinarians, pharmacists and medical health professionals because that may prevent them from being able to access the drug, even for legitimate medical reasons. Finally, a lot of time was spent arguing about whether or not a man fed ketamine to a seagull, even though he denied having done so.

Opiates/Opioids

Heroin use is in America is way up and so are overdoses—in fact, heroin usage has been widely described as an “epidemic”. Since it is mainly affecting white and middle class folks, this year's victims of heroin addiction have been mostly pitied, rather than lambasted as in years past. Still, the heroin issue has thrust the horrors of the drug war into even more people's faces, and it may prove to have a positive effect on drug policies overall.

Fentanyl found in heroin has led to an increase in overdoses, and research is showing that legal prescription drugs are leading people to become addicted to heroin and in many cases, die from overdose. The overdose drug naloxone has been in the media spotlight—information about it has spread fairly rapidly, and the FDA approved a nasal spray version for easier application.

Kratom/Kava/Khat

There has been a series of back-and-forth debates on the issues of safety and efficacy with regard to these plants, and kava in particular has been focused on recently with research into the effects of driving under the influence of the plant. Other than those topics the majority of coverage on these plants has been related to seizures by law enforcement.

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

Psychedelics have made their way into mainstream entertainment, being talked discussed in songs written by musicians like A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and Miley Cyrus. Many celebrities and other well-known people came out of the psychedelic closet, admitting to past usage of psychedelics. These include John Cusack, musician Brian Wilson, Lindsay Lohan, the late neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, radio personality Robin Quivers, CNN reporter Lisa Ling, musician Vanessa Carlton, former Apple employee Daniel Kottke, and Star Wars animator Phil Tippet. Many others have come out publicly against the drug war, including a strong assertion from David Nutt about why banning psychedelics has been the greatest censorship of medicine in human history.

Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder of the Silk Road, was convicted and received two life sentences plus an additional 40 years. I encourage everyone to check out the website Free Ross Ulbricht, which has plenty of information about how his trial was mishandled and how he may have even been framed by the U.S. government. Even though the Silk Road is no longer in operation, purchasing illegal substances on the dark web continues to be in fashion and shows no sign of slowing down.

The DEA had an incredibly rough year in 2015. Current DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg claimed that cannabis is "probably" not as bad as heroin and later corrected himself by admitting that it in fact is definitely not as bad as heroin. Later, he called medical marijuana a "joke", leading medical marijuana patients around the country to officially call for his resignation. DEA agents at JFK airport stole $44,000 from a legitimate nail salon owner who hadn't committed any crimes whatsoever. The two primary agents involved with the Silk Road investigation have been accused of stealing more than $700,000 in Bitcoin from the dark web site. Amtrak passengers have been routinely harassed by DEA agents. The DEA was sued by Human Rights Watch and Electronic Frontier Foundation over the illegal bulk collection of America’s telephone records and lost the case. The U.S. Senate voted to force the DEA to butt out of medical marijuana states. The DEA spent undisclosed millions of dollars the past ten years on cell phone tracking and has refused to release the acquisition documents. Agents were caught soliciting Colombian prostitutes that were supplied by the drug cartels that they are supposedly fighting. And finally, the daughter of a DEA head was busted for selling illegal drugs. So yeah, how long are we going to keep these bozos around, exactly?

Harm reduction has made headlines this year, with an emphasis on the need for drug users to test their substances before consuming them. NASA released a bunch of cool psychedelic images and videos from space. Google took it one step further and developed its "Deep Dream" code, which mimics the visual perception of a machine and resulted in some mind-blowing psychedelic videos. Oddly enough, the sale of Janis Joplin's "psychedelic Porsche" showed up in the news time and time again.  Buddhism and psychedelics showed up quite a bit. It seemed to me that there was a moment in the year where there was almost nothing but positive articles about psychedelics, mostly in regard to the current state and findings of psychedelic research studies. The New Yorker published a fantastic interview with Earth and Fire, the creators of the drug education website Erowid. Perhaps most strikingly, Richard Branson leaked the news that the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was expected to publish documents advising for the reversal of the drug war, and then it never did, allegedly because it received pressure from a country heavily involved in the drug war.

All in all, it has been quite a year! I am greatly looking forward to bringing you more news related to psychedelics and psychoactive substances in 2016. I hope that you will join me. Until next time, keep thinking wilder!