This Year in Psychedelics - 2021

Before we get into this recap of the biggest psychedelic news stories from 2021, I’d like to address the fact that this blog post is coming out a month late. Normally I strive to publish my yearly recaps on New Year’s Eve, but things have been really hectic on my end lately and I’ve been barely keeping up with putting out the weekly link roundups, much less creating monthly and yearly recaps or other types of content.

So I apologize for not getting this out into the world sooner. I’ve started to realize that I bit off way more than I can chew over the last year and fell behind on things here at Think Wilder. Here’s hoping 2022 will be a little more focused so I can meet my deadlines and get my work out in a timely manner for y’all to enjoy!

Just like last month’s recap, there is no video recap of this year’s psychedelic news recap up on YouTube. I’ll have another update about some changes coming to my YouTube channel that should hopefully be out later this week on my channel, so make sure you subscribe there if you’d like to be informed about things on that front.

Moving on to the main show, there was a ton of huge news in 2021. Without further ado, let’s jump into the news.

Policy

Wins

Nine U.S. cities decriminalized psychedelics:

• Somerville, MA

• Cambridge, MA

• Washington, D.C.

• Northampton, MA

• Seattle, WA

• Arcata, CA

• Easthampton, MA

• Detroit, MI

• Port Townsend, WA

When it comes to cannabis policies there were several successes at the state level, even though attempts to change things at the federal level were unsuccessful. Four states legalized weed:

• New Jersey

• New York

• Virginia

• New Mexico

• Connecticut

In addition, Alabama legalized medical marijuana and New Jersey and Louisiana decriminalized cannabis.

Taking things a bit further, Baltimore, MD and Scotland decriminalized the use of all drugs.

The governors of Connecticut and Texas signed legislation that will enable the states to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. And New Zealand legalized drug checking, becoming the world’s first country to do so.

Industry

One of the biggest stories in the psychedelic industry involved the fight over patenting various aspects involving psychedelics. The one that probably stirred up the most discontent was when COMPASS Pathways submitted a patent application that attempted to claim the right to common, preexisting psychedelic therapy techniques. This prompted a discussion about patents in psychedelia, with many people wondering if companies should own the future of the field. COMPASS Pathways has five U.S. patents and a total of ten worldwide, so they are quickly claiming rights to a lot of intellectual property in the space. But not without a fight—last month a non-profit known as Freedom to Operate submitted a new legal filing that argues against COMPASS Pathways’ patent on its form of synthetic psilocybin based on the idea that it is not a novel invention. The results from this case will set a precedent for not just COMPASS Pathways but for other psychedelic companies as well.

Psychedelic companies started making waves on the stock markets around the world, with five companies joining the Nasdaq (Mindmed, atai Life Sciences, Field Trip Health, Enveric Biosciences, and Bright Minds Biosciences) and Cybin joining the New York Stock Exchange.

Psychedelic companies secured a historic amount of funding, estimated at a cool $2 billion.

A few other interesting stories in the realm of psychedelic industry from 2021:

• A failed attempt at rolling out a legal snortable marijuana product dubbed Canna Bumps

• An above-ground “LSD shop” in Berlin that was opened by a relative of Donald Trump

• Wearable psychedelics that will give patients the ability to fine-tune their dose or automatically administer doses to the wearer

• Hamilton Morris ended his show and joined COMPASS Pathways

Research

Published Studies

Several studies came out:

• MAPS Phase 3 MDMA trial indicated the drug may be effective at treating PTSD

• The largest psilocybin trial to date yielded mixed results

• There seems to be a correlation with microdosing and mental health benefits

• However, Imperial College London found that the reported benefits from microdosing may come down to the placebo effect

• The world’s first trial studying MDMA for alcohol addiction was promising

• A study showed that psilocybin has the potential to induce new neural connections

• Psychonauts should remain skeptical of at-home genetic testing to identify whether someone will have a bad trip

• Classical music may not be as superior for psychedelic therapy as was once thought

• MDMA therapy could be less effective for people who take antidepressants

• SSRIs can be used safely with psilocybin to treat depression

• And psilocybin was found to be as effective at treating depression while producing fewer side effects

Future Studies

Looking ahead:

• A study looking to treat tobacco addiction with psilocybin will receive federal funding

• The NIH granted Yale nearly $200k to fund the studying of psilocybin for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder

• The Australian government earmarked $15 million for psychedelic research

• The DEA has proposed a dramatic increase in the production of cannabis and psychedelics for research in 2022

Research Centers

A record-breaking number of psychedelic research centers were announced or opened:

• The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research at Mount Sinai

• Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics

• COMPASS Pathways’ Drug Discovery Center

• New York University’s Center for Psychedelic Medicine

• Aion Therapeutic’s Aion International Center for Psychedelic Psychiatry in Jamaica

• Usona Institute’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances

• A first-of-its-kind psychedelic therapy research center in Melbourne, Australia

• Canada’s first psychedelic therapy research center under Toronto’s University Health Network

• The Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy at the University of Texas at Austin

In addition to these new psychedelic research centers, Harvard Law School’s Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation will contribute to the effort to create evidence-based laws and policies involving psychedelics.

Harm Reduction

The FDA and CDC issued warnings to consumers about potential risks involving delta-8 THC, a relatively new psychoactive cannabinoid that has grown in popularity due to its widespread legality but remains essentially unregulated at this time. Apparently there has been a significant increase in reported adverse health effects from people using this drug.

However, before you go ahead and toss any of these products you may already own out of the window, it may be helpful to know that it’s not like people are getting poisoned. In fact, it’s far more likely that they are unintentionally getting high after using delta-8 THC because of misunderstandings, bad labeling, and a lack of experience.

The Fireside Project has been helping people process psychedelic experiences via its free peer support phone line since it launched last April, but the organization took things to the next level by releasing a psychedelic peer support app. Now psychonauts in need of support can find help on either the phone or via chat, which may be helpful for people who prefer one form of communication over another.

Drug checking is an essential practice for any responsible psychonaut, and new technologies are coming out that will ensure more innovative and accurate results than ever before. The popular harm reduction organization known as DanceSafe released a new ketamine test kit (called the Morris reagent) that was engineered to identify the difference between ketamine and common analogues like DCK and 2FDCK. And a startup called Miraculix took things one step further by creating rapid at-home test kits that can assess the potency of various psychoactive drugs, including MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin.

Harm reductionists have yet another tool that can be used to help psychonauts use drugs as safely as possible; a new app called Pill-iD lets users scan pills to see what they contain.

However, it’s not a perfect option because rather than find out what’s actually inside a pill, the app instead uses machine learning to cross-check the user’s image against a large database of scanned pills to provide details about what drug is actually contained within, the risk level from taking it, and any potential side effects.

So while it’s not advisable to rely solely on this new app to find out what’s inside your pill, it could help inform naïve users that there is a possibility they might have bought an adulterated drug. As I’ve tried to hammer home over and over again, it’s always advisable to use a reagent test kit to further rule out the possibility that your pills contain unwanted drugs and to properly weigh your substances before you take them.

Miscellaneous

• More people started talking about sexual abuse in psychedelic therapy

• A self-appointed psychedelic guru known as the “QAnon Shaman” joined a group of insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol

• There were significant updates to the Elijah McClain case, with an independent investigation leading to a new Colorado law and the criminally-negligent homicide and manslaughter charges given to the officers and paramedics involved in McClain’s death

• U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from an Olympic race because she failed a drug test

• Activists in Washington, D.C. and a Michigan dispensary gave out free cannabis to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine

• A man injected magic mushrooms into his veins and developed a life-threatening infection that resulted in a month-long hospital stay

• President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, published a memoir in which he detailed an account of how he worked with psychedelics to help him abstain from alcohol and crack cocaine

• A former Latter-day Saint politician with some impressive cajones formed a psilocybin church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dubbed “The Divine Assembly”, the church serves magic mushrooms as a sacrament that enables its members to commune with the divine

• Causing a bit of a stir in the global psychedelic community, a publication known as Psychedelic Invest published a list of the 100 most influential people in psychedelics ranking candidates based on the following factors: social reach, scientific accomplishments, legislative initiatives, and value creation/contribution

• Three new psychedelic holidays: Tram Day and World Psychedelics Day in June, and Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month in August

  Conclusion

What a year! Tons of new psychedelic research studies, a streak of drug policy reform wins, the growing psychedelic industry, and several important developments in psychedelic culture… last year was certainly a lot to take in.

Now that you’ve read my recap of the biggest psychedelic news from 2021, I’d like to recommend the following highlights from other publications that you might enjoy:

• Psychedelic Spotlight: “2021: A Year in Review for the Psychedelics Business”

• Marijuana Moment: “Here Are The Biggest Marijuana, Psychedelics And Drug Policy News Stories Of 2021”

• Truffle Report: “Looking Back at 2021’s Psychedelics Milestones”

• New Atlas: “Highlights from a landmark year in psychedelic science”

• Psilocybin Alpha: “Psychedelics 2021: A Year in Review”

• The Microdose: “The Year in Psychedelic News”

And lastly, I will leave you with the links to the annual psychedelic news recaps I’ve published over the last six years. I hope you have a wonderful 2022 and make sure you subscribe to my monthly newsletter to keep up-to-date with all the latest psychedelic news.

Previous Years in Psychedelics

• 2020

• 2019

• 2018

• 2017

• 2016

• 2015

That’s all for this year’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 year’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 Month in Psychedelics - September 2021

September was another busy month in the world of psychedelics. Some of the highlights include Hamilton Morris ending his show and joining a notorious psychedelic company, the FDA and CDC issuing scary warnings about delta-8 THC products, Scotland decriminalizing all drugs, the looming threat that nitrous oxide might become illegal in the UK soon, and a study finding that young adults are using a lot of psychedelics during the pandemic.

Here’s a video version of this month’s recap if you’d prefer to watch the update instead:

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Every month activists and politicians work feverishly toward reforming drug policies all over the world, and this month was no exception. Among some of the victories, the possession of Class A drugs is now set to be effectively decriminalized in Scotland, which means people who are caught with substances like MDMA and LSD will be given a warning instead of facing prosecution.

A recreational cannabis trial in Zurich is slated to begin in 2022. The Swiss pilot program will run for three-and-a-half years and may influence other European countries to follow suit.

Future

There are several drug policy bills and initiatives coming down the pike. Michigan has multiple efforts to decriminalize psychedelics, including Senate Bill 631, which would decriminalize the possession and use of many psychedelics across the state, and there are also local efforts to decriminalize psychedelics in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Hazel Park.

Meanwhile, authorities in the UK are so concerned about the trash that is generated from public nitrous oxide use that they’re pushing to ban the drug outright.

Just a couple months after the suspension of runner Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the Olympics due to a positive THC test, the World Anti-Doping Agency is going to conduct a scientific review of cannabis next year to figure out whether to continue the international ban of marijuana use by athletes.

Industry

If you haven’t already heard of him, Hamilton Morris is a very well-known figure in the world of psychedelics. He’s a research scientist, journalist, and filmmaker who gave the world the brilliant TV show Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, which explores the chemistry, history, and cultural impact of various psychoactive drugs.

However, his show is coming to an end after three seasons, as he has been hired as a full-time consultant for COMPASS Pathways, the mental healthcare company notoriously attempting to profit off of medicalizing psilocybin.

Research

Published Studies

The annual Monitoring the Future survey looked at the recreational use of psychedelics by young people and found that it is on the rise in the United States. This increase in psychedelic exploration by U.S. college students and other young adults has risen in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic but also because psychedelics are more accepted today than they used to be.

Yale researchers found that a single dose of psilocybin can promote structural changes in the brains of mice that fight against symptoms of depression. The scientists discovered that psilocybin triggered a 10% increase in neuron size and density in the animals’ frontal cortex, which occurred within 24 hours and lasted for one month, indicating that psilocybin engendered long-lasting changes in the brain.

A first-of-its-kind study published in Psychopharmacology found that synthetic cannabinoid users experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than traditional cannabis users. During a period of abstinence, adverse side effects like insomnia, irritation, moodiness, heart palpitations, and appetite were significantly worse in the synthetic cannabis-using group.

Future Studies

Looking ahead, a study looking to treat tobacco addiction with psilocybin will receive federal funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, making this the first time an investigation into the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics has received funds from the federal government since the War on Drugs began in the 1970s.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco will determine how effective Fireside Project’s psychedelic hotline and app actually are at helping people navigate their psychedelic experiences.

A study has been given the fitting name of “Desire Project” because it will look at treating female hypoactive sexual desire disorder with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

The first participant in a psilocybin trial for a rare headache disorder named short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks (SUNHA) received an initial low dose of the drug to kick off the study. The disorder involves short, incredibly painful headaches that can occur many times a day, and there are not currently any approved treatments for it. This proof-of-concept Phase 1B trial will enroll 12 patients and is expected to generate results in early 2022.

The Heroic Hearts Project UK announced a study with Imperial College London that will investigate the physiological and psychological effects of psilocybin on veterans with traumatic brain injury. The researchers hope to add additional weight to the mostly anecdotal body of evidence suggesting that the drug may help people heal from this sort of ailment.

Harm Reduction

The FDA and CDC issued warnings to consumers about potential risks involving delta-8 THC, a relatively new psychoactive cannabinoid that has grown in popularity due to its widespread legality but remains essentially unregulated at this time. Apparently there has been a significant increase in reported adverse health effects from people using this drug.

However, before you go ahead and toss any of these products you may already own out of the window, it may be helpful to know that it’s not like people are getting poisoned. In fact, it’s far more likely that they are unintentionally getting high after using delta-8 THC because of misunderstandings, bad labeling, and a lack of experience.

Miscellaneous

Following up on the case involving the death of unarmed 23 year-old Elijah McClain after being administered a fatal dose of ketamine by first responders in Aurora, Colorado back in 2019, the police officers and paramedics involved have all been charged with criminally-negligent homicide and manslaughter.

New forensic science techniques have been developed that will enable law enforcement agencies to recover human DNA from the surfaces of pills and capsules, which authorities hope will help them identify who has handled illicit substances that are seized by police. This means that anyone touching an MDMA capsule or ecstasy pill for as little as 15 seconds during their production, assembly,  or distribution could be identified using this new technology.

A new Hulu show called Nine Perfect Strangers is the latest mainstream production to feature psychedelic use, and apparently it’s fairly problematic. I haven’t watched it yet myself but from what I’ve read, the plot involves a wellness guru who runs a retreat where she gives attendees microdoses of psilocybin without their knowledge or consent. It should go without saying that this is not cool and dosing others without them knowing it is unethical and potentially extremely dangerous. I’m going to reserve any judgment on this show until I make time to check it out myself, but now you’ll have at least a little bit of an idea about it in case anyone you know mentions it to you.

There is an update on the story involving Jake Angeli, AKA the “QAnon Shaman” who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th of this year. Earlier this month Angeli plead guilty to one of the most serious of his six charges and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison, although his lack of a criminal record will likely mean he will serve much less time.

The ongoing global labor shortage means that employers around the world are finding it difficult to hire employees, and screening them for drug use is making things even harder. As a result, many companies are getting rid of drug tests in an effort to attract more applicants, fill vacancies, and keep their existing workers.

Hiring wasn’t the only thing that was impacted during the pandemic—it turns out that cannabis arrests in the U.S. declined significantly during 2020, according to data released by the FBI. Still, more than 350k marijuana-related arrests were made last year, mostly in states that have not yet decriminalized or legalized possession and use of the plant.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is a story out of Canada where a group of drug users and drug policy reformers are so fed up with the drug war that they are suing the government. The non-profit organization is known as the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs and they are claiming that the Canadian government is responsible for fatal overdoses because it requires users to go to the illegal market and purchase unsafe drugs from a toxic drug supply.

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 - 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 - 9.10.21

Cannabis

• The Mysterious Ingredients in Your Cannabis Vaporizer — and the Health Risks They May Pose (Discover Magazine)

• Ecuador Takes Giant Steps Towards Cannabis Legalisation (TalkingDrugs)

• The cannabis industry is booming, but for many Black Americans the price of entry is steep (The Guardian)

• California Will Use Marijuana Tax Dollars To Support Cultivator Environmental Clean-Up, State Announces (Marijuana Moment)

• South Dakota: Lawmakers Seek to Repeal Vote Permitting Home Cultivation of Medical Cannabis (NORML)

• Marijuana Legalization Doesn’t Lead To Increased Youth Use, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Possession Arrests Plunge in NYC Post-Legalization (Filter)

• Daily marijuana use among US college students reaches new 40-year high (University of Michigan)

• Drones to Deploy in California County to Detect Illicit Pot Operations (High Times)

• Texas: Expansions to Medical Cannabis Access Law Take Effect (NORML)

• Medical cannabis unlikely to benefit most chronic pain patients, international researchers say (STAT)

• Young adult cannabis consumers nearly twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack, research shows (CNN)

• Maryland Lawmakers Take First Step Toward Putting Marijuana Legalization On 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraska Activists Submit Two Medical Marijuana Initiatives For 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Wyoming Activists Jumpstart Signature Gathering For 2022 Marijuana Ballot Initiatives (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri voters might see two adult-use cannabis measures in 2022 (Marijuana Business Daily)

LSD

• Shia LaBeouf Filmed Himself On LSD For This Role (TheThings)

• Kacey Musgraves says she was on LSD listening to Bach when she came up with the idea for her new album 'Star-crossed' (INSIDER)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon Psilocybin Panel Teams Up With Harvard To Research Psychedelic History And Impacts Of Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Amanita Muscaria, the Real Life Mushroom We Know From Disney Movies (Literary Hub)

• Coldplay’s Chris Martin recounted his hallucinogenic experience with mushrooms (Vegan News)

• Nova Mentis Expands Psilocybin Research Program Targets Obesity and Diabetes (Psilocybin Alpha)

MDMA

• Lorde reveals she was on MDMA while making 'Melodrama' and says each of her albums can be distinguished by drugs she was using at the time (Yahoo! News)

• MDMA-assisted couples therapy may help maximize recovery among patients with PTSD (PsyPost)

DMT

• Joe Rogan Test Positive for Covid, Says He Is Smoking Ivermectin-DMT Hybrid for Treatment (ValueWalk)

• DMT vs. Mushrooms: Are We All Tripping On The Same Thing? (DoubleBlind)

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Confirms DMT Increased Growth of Neurons by 40% in Preclinical Study at Sub Hallucinogenic Dose (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Your Grandma’s Guide to Ayahuasca (Lucid News)

San Pedro

• Consuming San Pedro: Everything You Need To Know (The Third Wave)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Here's Why There's So Much Fake MDMA in the UK Right Now (VICE)

• Mydecine Innovations Group Announces MYCO-001 Seamless Phase 2/3 Smoking Cessation Clinical Trial (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Mindset Pharma Selects Treatment-Resistant Depression and End of Life Cancer Angst as Indications for MSP-1014, its Novel Psilocybin-Inspired Clinical Candidate (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Field Trip Health Ltd. to Pursue Treatment Resistant Depression and Postpartum Depression as Indications for FT-104 (Psilocybin Alpha)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing Gas Could Become Illegal Because the UK Can’t Stand the Sight of Rubbish (VICE)

Ketamine

• Researchers develop statistical model to characterize how ketamine anesthesia affects the brain (News-Medical.net)

• Intranasal ketamine could effectively treat phantom pain (Pharmaceutical Technology)

• Comparing the impacts of propofol and ketamine on the brain (Medical Xpress)

• atai Life Sciences and Introspect Digital Therapeutics to test novel digital therapeutic approach in patients receiving ketamine for treatment resistant depression (Psilocybin Alpha)

Miscellaneous

• Possessing And Cultivating Psychedelics Would Be Legalized In Michigan Under New Senate Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• The worldview-changing drugs poised to go mainstream (BBC)

• Why investors are turning toward psychedelic health care companies (Fortune)

• No, VR Will Not Give You A Psychedelic Trip (Psychedelics Today)

• Field Trip Health opens Europe's first psychedelic therapy healthcare facility (PR Newswire)

• Hamilton Morris joins COMPASS Pathways to research new psychedelic compounds (Psilocybin Alpha)

• SoundMind opens a psychedelic clinic in West Philly as momentum builds for treatment of depression, PTSD with mind-altering drugs (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• CaaMTech Raises $22 Million for Psychedelic Drug Discovery and Development (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Mount Sinai’s Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research Receives $5 Million Grant From The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation (Mount Sinai)

• Wesana Health Announces Closing of PsyTech Acquisition (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Researchers Debate the Role of Mysticism in Psychedelic Science (Lucid News)

• Glutamate’s Role in Rapidly-Acting Antidepressants (Psychedelic Science Review)

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 - January 2021

We’re only one month into the new year but it’s safe to say that January is already the craziest month of 2021. And judging from last year, it’s pretty likely that this trend will continue well on into the rest of the year, so we need to properly set our expectations, buckle our seat belts, and enjoy the ride as much as we possibly can.

In this month’s recap we’ll be taking a look at the biggest psychedelic news stories that took place, including a cautionary tale about magic mushrooms, the psychedelic guru who stormed the U.S. Capitol, a city in Massachusetts that decriminalized natural psychedelics, a new psilocybin church in Salt Lake City, and much more.

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

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Magic Mushrooms Grew in a Man’s Veins After He Injected Psilocybin Mushroom Tea

If you’ve ever thought about injecting magic mushrooms into your veins, you might want to give up on that idea after finding out what happened to a man who did just that.

A new case report published this month shared a frightening story about an opioid user who attempted to self-medicate his depression and drug dependence by injecting homemade mushroom tea into his body. The experiment caused a life-threatening infection that prompted psilocybin to grow inside of him and resulted in a month-long hospital stay.

Fortunately he survived, but this should serve as a cautionary tale for others to avoid this route of administration for magic mushrooms. After all, simply eating them or drinking mushroom tea has already stood the test of time for psychonauts all around the world.

A Self-Proclaimed Psychedelic Guru Known as the “QAnon Shaman” Stormed the Capitol

The United States underwent a traumatic event on January 6th when a diverse group of insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election, resulting in five deaths and the evacuation of Congress.

Among them was a self-appointed psychedelic guru who goes by the name “QAnon Shaman.”

Advocating for psychedelic shamanism to heal the world while also taking part in a violent act, Jake Angeli is a living example of the wide spectrum of psychedelic users that includes not only left-leaning hippies but also alt-right conspiracy theorists.

Angeli has a long strange history in the psychedelic community, offering courses and consultations on woo-woo topics like ascension and ESP, protesting against the Black Lives Matter movement, and supporting conspiracy theories like the idea that COVID-19 is a hoax and the far right QAnon hogwash.

If you’re interested in learning more about the mysterious symbols tattooed on Angeli’s chest, be sure to check out Psymposia’s guide explaining what each one means in context.

Somerville, Massachusetts Decriminalized Natural Psychedelics

Somerville, Massachusetts hopped on the psychedelic policy reform bandwagon by decriminalizing natural psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, and iboga.

A coalition including Bay Staters for Natural Medicine and Decriminalize Nature Massachusetts presented the legislation to the Somerville City Council which unanimously voted 9-0 to approve the decriminalization bill.

The resolution will prompt the city’s legal department to work with community activists to finalize an ordinance and asks the local police and district attorney to deprioritize the enforcement of use and possession charges.

A Former Mormon Politician Started A Psilocybin Church Called “The Divine Assembly”

A former Latter-day Saint politician with some impressive cajones formed a psilocybin church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dubbed “The Divine Assembly”, the church serves magic mushrooms as a sacrament that enables its members to commune with the divine.

Since The Divine Assembly provides an illicit substance to its congregation, the church’s faith may eventually be tested in court to see if its members have a “sincerely-held religious belief” as required by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act if they want to continue using psychedelics as a religious group.

Until then, the church plans to continue serving its psilocybin sacrament without the federal government’s blessing.

Will Marijuana Be Legalized This Year?

Now that there is a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate, stoners all over the country are asking whether we’ll see weed get legalized this year. Combined with Joe Biden’s recent presidential victory, the new Congress means that federal cannabis reform might finally be a possibility within the next two years.

When it comes to statewide reforms, several states have the potential to legalize cannabis this year: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin. And to sweeten the pot, Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina might legalize medical marijuana.

It’s too early to tell how many of these reform efforts will succeed, but one thing’s for sure—it’s shaping up to be a progressive year for cannabis policy.

New Psychedelic Reform Group Sets Its Sights on Federal Decriminalization

A new psychedelic reform group known as the Plant Medicine Coalition has set its sights on lobbying Congress to federally decriminalize natural psychedelic medicines. The group is a women-led, non-profit, grassroots advocacy organization, showing that women are leading the charge in this area of drug policy reform.

The Plant Medicine Coalition’s leader also founded the campaign that got psychedelic decriminalization passed in Washington, D.C. during last November’s election, so they are certainly experienced enough to make significant waves toward decriminalizing natural psychedelics across the United States.

Florida and Hawaii Could Legalize Psilocybin Therapy

A lawmaker in Florida is planning to introduce a psilocybin therapy legalization bill that could put the state on the map as the first in the Southeast—and the first red state—to approve a non-cannabis-related psychedelic reform bill. The legislation is modeled after the recently-approved voter initiative that passed in Oregon during last November’s election, so it would not allow recreational users to possess or consume magic mushrooms but would instead set up a legal framework for psilocybin therapy.

Hawaii's Senate is one step ahead of Florida because it already filed a new bill that would establish designated treatment centers and deschedule the psychedelic from the state's list of Schedule I controlled substances.

Meanwhile, recreational users in Colorado might have the option to trip on shrooms from the comfort of their own home in the near future. Kevin Matthews, who led Decriminalize Denver’s successful 2019 campaign to decriminalize psilocybin in the city, is beginning work on an effort to decriminalize magic mushrooms all across Colorado.

The Third (and Likely Final) Season of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia Is Out

Fans of the show Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, where host Hamilton Morris explores the history, chemistry, and social impact of psychoactive substances, have a reason to rejoice because the third season of the popular docuseries is out now.

The new season’s reception has been favorable, with the first four episodes that have been released so far focusing on 5-MeO-DMT, methamphetamine, Xenon, and the extraordinary alkaloids of Africa. This is likely to be the show’s final season, so be sure to soak it all up while you can.

Mount Sinai Launched a New Center for Psychedelic Research

There still aren’t a whole lot of centers that are dedicated to researching psychedelics in the world, but a new one opened up this month. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai launched a new center that is going to explore using psychedelics for PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other stress-related conditions.

And Mount Sinai isn’t wasting any time—they’ve already published a study that found that repeated IV injections of ketamine significantly reduced the severity of symptoms in people with chronic PTSD.

Hopefully we’ll eventually get to a point where there are such a plethora of psychedelic research centers that it’s not big news when a new one opens, but until that happens I’m going to keep highlighting new ones in these updates.

Additional Top Stories

• Iceland is considering decriminalizing all drugs.

• UFC and Johns Hopkins to study using psychedelics to help fighters’ brains heal.

• Lawmakers and medical organizations in South Dakota, Montana, and Mississippi are trying to overturn voter-approved cannabis policy reforms.

• A new method capable of analyzing drug residue found in tooth tartar could uncover the drug habits of ancient people.

• The mayor of Amsterdam is trying to ban tourists from the city’s famous coffeeshops.

• A new study found that classical music may not be as superior for psychedelic therapy as was once thought.

• Activists in Washington, D.C. and a Michigan dispensary are giving out free cannabis to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

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.