This Week in Psychoactives - 2.28.20

Cannabis

• Marijuana use is rising sharply among seniors over 65, study says, and there are serious risks (CNN)

• Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Officially Passes Vermont House Of Representatives (Marijuana Moment)

• Mexican Senate Committees Meeting This Week To Finalize Marijuana Legalization Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• Luxembourg’s government reportedly weighs plan to legalize recreational marijuana (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Presidential Candidates Clash Over Marijuana Legalization At Democratic Debate (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis for pain: Does medicating with marijuana increase abuse risk? (Leafly)

• Israel's Prime Minister To Explore Marijuana Legalization (Reason)

• Moldy, Yeasty Legal Weed Products Prompt Health Advisory in Nevada (MERRY JANE)

• Elizabeth Warren Has A New Plan For Legalizing Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Labor unions flex their muscle in fight with California cannabis industry (Los Angeles Times)

• Cannabis excellence: LSSU launches new chemistry facility (The Mining Journal)

• More Than 80% of Denver Teens Don’t Smoke Weed, New Study Says (MERRY JANE)

• Henderson marijuana dispensary hosts cannabis-based blood drive (KTNV)

• Ohio Marijuana Legalization Measure To Be Filed For November Ballot This Week (Marijuana Moment)

• Weed Is Better at Preventing Cavities Than Most Toothpaste Brands, Study Says (MERRY JANE)

• Mississippi Lawmakers Attempt To ‘Kill’ Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative With New Strategy (Marijuana Moment)

• Capitol Confidential: THC bill would kill Arizona’s medical marijuana system (Leafly)

LSD

• This Is What Happens When You Take 550 Doses of LSD At Once (VICE)

• Microdosed LSD: Finally A Breakthrough For Alzheimer’s Disease? (Forbes)

Magic Mushrooms

• Could CBD and Psilocybin Treat Brain Injuries? This University Plans to Find Out (MERRY JANE)

MDMA

• Israel Makes A Big Move Toward The Acceptance Of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy For PTSD (Forbes)

• Belgian woman dies after taking sip of MDMA-laced wine (The Guardian)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• The Unintended Consequences of Prohibitionist Policies - Mephedrone (Drug Science)

Ketamine

• Lawsuit: Ketamine clinic caused psychosis (Albuquerque Journal)

Opioids

• In 2019 speech, Bloomberg mocked Brooklyn father and son who died from heroin as ‘not a good family’ (NY Daily News)

• Inside the Middlesbrough clinic where heroin users get a 'last chance' (BBC)

• Teaching Children How to Reverse an Overdose (The New York Times)

• Mother of dead heroin addict to Chicago Police Department: ‘Enforce the law’ (Chicago Sun-Times)

• What happens when naloxone expires (KUSA)

• Enhancing Rates Of Opioid Overdose Education And Naloxone Distribution In Emergency Departments (Health Affairs)

Cocaine

• The World's Biggest Legal Coca Industry Might Get Shut Down (VICE)

• Why the FDA Approval Process Is Under Scrutiny Following Approval of ‘Numbrino’, a Cocaine-Based Nasal Spray (Grit Daily)

• U.S. drug deaths dipped in 2018, but cocaine and meth overdoses rose (Science News)

Methamphetamine

• Meth Still a Missouri Problem, but Now It Comes From Mexico (The New York Times)

• DEA labels North Texas a 'meth hub' after spike in drug seizures (WFAA)

Nicotine

• Inside the Philip Morris campaign to 'normalize' a tobacco device (Reuters)

• New Juul patent application hints at AI-powered vape to help users quit nicotine (The Verge)

• House tobacco bill revives talk of nicotine limits (Politico)

• A New Bill Would Ban The Sale of All Flavored Nicotine Products (Colorado Public Radio)

• Governor Cuomo pushing ban of flavored nicotine vaping products, restricting ads aimed at youth (INFORMNNY)

Benzodiazepines

• Understanding the link between nicotine use and misuse of 'benzos' (EurekAlert!)

Alcohol

• 27,000 Mass. drunken-driving convictions may be tossed out due to faulty breathalyzer machines, lawyer says (The Boston Globe)

• Alcohol-Linked Deaths Soaring in U.S., Women Hit Hardest (U.S. News and World Report)

• Chicago Approves Earlier Start for Sunday Alcohol Sales (Eater)

GHB

• New report shows illicit drug GHB deaths could be prevented (Medical Xpress)

• Call for 'date rape' drug GHB to be reclassified (BBC)

Kratom

• Kratom at Risk in Colorado Without Legislation, Activists Say (Westword)

• Drug Tests Show Kratom Use Doubled in U.S. (Pain News Network)

Kava

• Utah's Attorney General hosts a kava ceremony in the Capitol (Fox 13 Now)

Miscellaneous

• Supervised-injection site in Philadelphia gets final green light from federal judge (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• South Philadelphia to become site of nation’s first supervised-injection facility next week, organizers say (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• DEA agent accused of conspiring with cartel (Associated Press)

• Europe’s psychedelic science renaissance has started (Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research)

• Beyond Mushrooms: The Mysterious, Magical World of African Plant Medicine (DoubleBlind)

• Should Breakthrough Psychedelic Research Make Us Question Our Assumptions About Mental Illness? (Psychedelics Today)

• End-to-end solution in psychedelic therapies establishes Numinus as leader in emerging space (Investing News)

• Scotland's drug death crisis in six charts (BBC)

• Psychedelics May Aid in Deprogramming Addiction (Psychedelic Science Review)

• They Fell In Love Helping Drug Users. But Fear Kept Him From Helping Himself (NPR)

• Podcast Host Joe Rogan Is Steadily Documenting A Psychedelic Record Of The 21st Century (Forbes)

• Vans Adds Psychedelic Tie-Dye To Their Iconic Checkerboard Print (Sneaker News)

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

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

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 2.21.20

Cannabis

• Leafly investigation: Vape lung injuries date back to 2007 (Leafly)

• New Hampshire House Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Study Claims Americans See Marijuana as the “Safest” Party Drug (EDMTunes)

• Mike Bloomberg Attacks Marijuana Legalization In Controversial Resurfaced Recording (Marijuana Moment)

• Everyone Scared of Legal Weed Was Freaking Out Over Nothing: Report (VICE)

• Kentucky House Approves Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Marijuana Money Funds Cleaner Highways And Anti-Bullying Programs (Marijuana Moment)

• There's a New Synthetic Weed Drug Coming That's Basically Marinol Chewing Gum (MERRY JANE)

• Medical Marijuana Patients With ADHD Use Fewer Prescription Drugs, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Alabama Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Utah marijuana bill clarifies that private employers don’t need to allow its use (Deseret News)

• NFL Would End Marijuana Suspensions In Deal Approved By Team Owners (Forbes)

• Marijuana May Have Caused 12-Hour Erection, Doctors Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Pregnant Women with Anxiety or Depression More Likely to Smoke Weed, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• Flying high: Are cannabis drone deliveries the future or merely fantasy? (Leafly)

• Mike Bloomberg Calls For Marijuana Decriminalization And Expungements In New Plan (Marijuana Moment)

• The cannabis industry's next big threat: Hacks and fraud (CNN)

• New Arizona Bill Attempting to Limit Medical Marijuana to 2% THC (Arizona Marijuana)

• Hemp Is For Horses? New Study Examines CBD’s Calming And Painkilling Effects In Animals (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• Mushroom Advocates Eyeing Boulder As Next Decriminalization Target (Westword)

• Man Magically Regains His Sense of Smell Using Psilocybin Mushrooms (DoubleBlind)

• DC mom leads effort to decriminalize magic mushrooms after treating postpartum depression (WJLA)

• Can A Legal Magic Mushroom Industry Avoid the Pitfalls of Recreational Weed? (East Bay Express)

• Therapists Are Fighting for Psilocybin Mushroom Legalization in Canada (Euro Weekly News)

DMT

• DMT and the Psychedelic Underground in Mainland China—An Insider’s Story (Kahpi)

Ketamine

• Use of ketamine among partygoers could be underreported (UPI)

• Ketamine Could Be Useful Alternative for Pain Relief, Sedation in ICU (MD Magazine)

• Ketamine use can prevent postanesthetic shivering without severe side effects (Medical Dialogues)

Opioids

• Insurance companies can’t penalize people with prescriptions for life-saving opioid overdose medication, state says (The Denver Post)

• Opioid vending machine opens in Vancouver (The Guardian)

• Johns Hopkins Will Test Epidiolex to See If It Can Help with Opioid Withdrawal (MERRY JANE)

• Naloxone Administration to Be Used as “Probable Cause” for Drug Charges in Indiana (Filter)

• Progress Slows In Massachusetts: Death Rates Flat In Opioid Crisis (WBUR)

• Police Scotland officers set to trial drug overdose spray (BBC)

• U.S. states reject $18 billion proposal to settle opioid lawsuits, discussions ongoing: sources (Reuters)

Methamphetamine

• Meth is back and flooding the streets of Ohio and Kentucky, and it's uglier than ever (Cincinnati.com)

Caffeine

• From khat to coffee: revitalising an age-old Yemeni crop (The Guardian)

• How natural caffeine compares to synthetic caffeine, according to health experts (MSN)

Nicotine

• Journal Retracts Study That Falsely Associated E-Cigarettes With Heart Attacks (Filter)

• Could tobacco cure coronavirus? Don’t laugh. (Politico)

• The great vape debate: are e-cigarettes saving smokers or creating new addicts? (The Guardian)

• Study Researches Whether Nicotine Patch Can Help People With Memory Loss (NBC4 Washington)

• Governor Cuomo Launches Campaign to Ban Flavored Nicotine Vaping Products and Restrict Vaping Ads Aimed at Youth (NY.gov)

• Why One of the World’s Largest Tobacco Companies Is Struggling (The Wall Street Journal)

• Teen vaping is bad. Nicotine makes it worse, says researcher (Science)

• Foods That Flush Nicotine Out of Your Body (Thrive Global)

Alcohol

• Higher alcohol taxes to fund NHS would benefit poor – study (The Guardian)

• Beer goggles: the truth about alcohol and romantic judgment (The Guardian)

• A Utah bill could prevent offenders from buying alcohol at state stores (The Salt Lake Tribune)

GHB

• New report shows illicit drug GHB deaths could be prevented (UNSW Newsroom)

Kratom

• Missouri House passes bill requiring more kratom regulation (KSDK)

• Michigan debates future of kratom, an herbal remedy linked to 9 state deaths (Bridge Michigan)

• Oregon House Moves to Ban Underage Sales Of Kratom, A Botanical Used For Pain Or Fun (The Lund Report)

• Popular Kratom Vendor Shows How Kratom Is Manufactured (Benzinga)

• Reports of Kratom Causing Acne: Is That True? (Kratom Guides)

Miscellaneous

• Ballot Language Approved For Washington, D.C. Psychedelics Decriminalization Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• A quarter of street drugs are fake and dangerous to users (The Guardian)

• Drug use will change significantly in the 2020s – here’s how (Dazed)

• #ThankYouPlantMedicine Creates Wave of Gratitude for Ayahuasca, LSD, and Mushrooms (The Third Wave)

• Business gets ready to trip: How psychedelic drugs may revolutionize mental health care (Fortune)

• Virtual Reality Can Replicate Mystical Psychedelic Experiences, Study Says (MERRY JANE)

• The influence of drugs on murder rates is being overstated (TalkingDrugs)

• Psychedelic drugs have lost their cool. Blame Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop (The Guardian)

• Rampaging Vikings were fuelled by hallucinogenic herbal tea that made them feel less pain and become 'highly aggressive' say scientists (Daily Mail)

• First Psychedelics-Centered PR Agency Launches In Toronto (Benzinga)

• Psychedelics for systems change: could drugs help us save the planet? (openDemocracy)

• The Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group: driving reform in the UK (Health Europa)

• Study shows Dublin hospital has third highest number of drug-related medical emergencies (Irish Examiner)

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

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

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 12.6.19

Cannabis

• Michigan celebrates first legal cannabis purchases (Leafly)

• DEA Finalizes Plan To Grow 3.2 Million Grams Of Marijuana In 2020 (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Stocks Are Scrambling to Conserve Cash (Nasdaq)

• Illinois City Will Use Weed Taxes to Pay Reparations for Black Residents (MERRY JANE)

• Field test kits will help police distinguish between marijuana and hemp (Richmond-Times Dispatch)

• CBD could help doctors use lower doses of chemotherapy (Israel21c)

• Brazil approves medical marijuana rules, blocks cannabis cultivation (Reuters)

• Shoppers Drug Mart expands online medical cannabis retail into Saskatchewan (Saskatoon Star Phoenix)

• Minnesota OKs medical cannabis for chronic pain, eye disease (Minnesota Public Radio News)

• New Zealand Government Unveils Marijuana Legalization Bill Ahead Of 2020 Referendum (Marijuana Moment)

• Harborside got around a regulatory ban to open SoCal’s first drive-thru cannabis shop in Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs Desert Sun)

• Clinical Trial: Transdermal Application of CBD Effective in Patients with Myofascial Pain (NORML)

• Willie Nelson Quit Smoking Weed, But He’s Still Eating It (MERRY JANE)

• Cannabis on the Tickets in the Coming UK Elections (New Frontier Data)

• North Dakota Activists Submit Measure To Legalize Marijuana In 2020 (Marijuana Moment)

• L.A.’s Cannabis Cafe Is Rebranding and Parting Ways with Lowell Herb Co. (LA Magazine)

• Men who regularly smoke cannabis have increased risk of developing testicular cancer, study claims (Yahoo! News)

• Michael Bloomberg Backs Decriminalization As Marijuana Views Evolve Amid Presidential Run (Marijuana Moment)

• Lil Wayne Just Launched His Own Cannabis Brand (Forbes)

LSD

• NASA prepped for alien communication with 'LSD dolphin sex' experiment (Daily Star)

Magic Mushrooms

• World’s first magic mushroom nasal spray for PTSD and depression (Health Europa)

• Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Magic Mushrooms Turn Blue (MERRY JANE)

• A Glimpse of Life After Magic Mushroom Legalization (Forbes)

• The Keys To Understanding Psilocybin's Medical Value, Market Potential (Benzinga)

MDMA

• How to Legalize MDMA, With the Help of Pharmacies and Nightlife Spaces (Filter)

Ketamine

• 'Bad' ketamine and ecstasy warning after Liverpool clubbers hospitalised (BBC)

Opioids

• Drugs Used to Replace Opioids Linked With Increase in Suicide Attempts Across U.S. (Newsweek)

• 7 Heroin Users Die From Flesh-Eating Bacteria in San Diego (The New York Times)

• MLB Wants Rehab Rather Than Suspension for Players Who Use Opioids (MERRY JANE)

• Congressman calls on airlines to carry naloxone, NARCAN to help fight opioid epidemic (NBC Montana)

• Iowa Organization Offers Free Access to Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug (WHO TV)

Cocaine

• Cocaine deaths in Wales 'quadruple in five years' (BBC)

• Europe becomes cocaine exporter as countries overflow with drug (The Telegraph)

Methamphetamine

• Meth is killing more Utahns than ever before (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Caffeine

• You're Using Caffeine the Wrong Way (Psychology Today)

• What Are Caffeine Pills—And Are They Safe? (Health.com)

Nicotine

• E-cigarettes do NOT increase pneumonia risks: Study suggests vapor does not weaken the immune system in the same way as cigarette smoke (Daily Mail)

• More than 6 million US middle and high schoolers used tobacco products in 2019, report says (CNN)

• Minnesota Is the Latest State to Sue E-Cigarette Maker Juul Over Youth Vaping (TIME)

• Marijuana and Nicotine Are Trading Places as Prohibitionists’ Target (Filter)

• Tobacco Companies Win Temporary Reprieve on Low-Nicotine Cigarettes (The Motley Fool)

Alcohol

• Prescription Alcohol Can Help Problem Drinkers (Elemental)

• A nimbler way to track alcohol use—by mining Twitter and Google searches (Medical Xpress)

• Alcohol death rates dropping in Scotland (BBC)

• Alcohol tolerance may have saved our ancestors from extinction (Phys.org)

Kratom

• Flying With Kratom – Can You Take Mitragyna Speciosa On A Plane? (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom vs. Nutmeg: Which Is More Dangerous? (Pain News Network)

Miscellaneous

• Scientist Talks Benefits Of Psychedelics At Federal Health Agency Event (Marijuana Moment)

• Renewed push for pill-testing in more Australian states following latest festival death (The Music Network)

• Study outlines concerns around natural psychoactive substances (Medical News Today)

• Orthogonal Thinker Launches First Psychedelics Lifestyle Brand PsillyLife to Promote Psychedelic Culture and Proprietary Research (Yahoo! Finance)

• Andrew Yang Calls For Investments In Safe Injection Sites For Illegal Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Julián Castro Open To Decriminalizing Drugs And Endorses Safe Consumption Sites (Marijuana Moment)

• The Ethical Quagmire of Conducting Drug Trials With Incarcerated People (Filter)

• Successful Alcohol And Drug Recovery Still Hindered By Stigma (Forbes)

• At Penn, people in recovery are helping more patients with addiction enter treatment (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• The nautical beginnings of America’s war on drugs (NavyTimes)

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

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

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.