This Week in Psychedelics - 12.24.21

Cannabis

• Analysis: Unregulated Delta-8 Vape Products Frequently Mislabeled, May Contain Heavy Metals (NORML)

• Malta Officially Legalizes Marijuana With President’s Signature, Becoming First In Europe To End Cannabis Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Several States to Usher In the New Year with Cannabis Liberalization Laws (NORML)

• The Next States to Legalize Recreational Marijuana (MSN)

• Pfizer Bets On Medical Cannabis With $6.7 Billion Acquisition (Forbes)

• Scientists are (finally) studying how weed affects athletic performance and recovery (Leafly)

• New York Senator Files Bill To Extend Marijuana Equity Benefits To Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual People (Marijuana Moment)

• Cartels Ditch Pot and Opium Fields for Synthetic Drugs, Mexico Defense Secretary Says (High Times)

• Ohio: Citizens’ Petition Seeks to Compel Lawmakers to Hold Marijuana Legalization Vote (NORML)

• Senator Calls For Federal Marijuana Standard To Measure Impaired Driving (Marijuana Moment)

• Top Maryland Lawmaker Files Marijuana Legalization Referendum For 2022 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• Iowa Democrats Announce Plan To Let Voters Decide On Marijuana Legalization Amid GOP Resistance (Marijuana Moment)

• Whole-Plant Cannabis Extract Reduces Epileptic Seizures By 86% in Small Study (High Times)

• Researcher Uses Reddit To Learn What Kinds Of Marijuana Posts Influenced Legalization Attitudes (Marijuana Moment)

• Pair of Cops Booked After Being Caught Smoking Pot in Mississippi (High Times)

• Marijuana Group Releases ‘Robbery Preparedness Guide’ For Dispensaries Amid Spike In Thefts (Marijuana Moment)

• Dr. Sanjay Gupta adds to chorus of cannabis research on autism in 2021 (Leafly)

• Legal Cannabis Outsells Ontario Illicit Market for First Time (High Times)

• These were the weirdest weed news stories of 2021 (Leafly)

LSD

• U.S. FDA puts plans to test LSD in anxiety patients in clinical study on hold (Reuters)

Magic Mushrooms

• Canada’s Psilocybin Policy Reform Movement Continues to Make Progress Federally (Truffle Report)

• FDA Approves Psilocybin For Binge Eating Study By Tryp Therapeutics (Benzinga)

Ayahuasca

• Global ayahuasca trend drives deforestation in Brazil’s Acre state (Mongabay)

Morning Glory Seeds

• Study shows common flower species holds promise for beneficial psychedelic drugs (Newswise)

Ketamine

• Ketamine Therapy Quickly Reduces Depression and Suicidal Thoughts (SciTechDaily)

DXM

• Cough medicine creates dangerous interaction (The Seattle Times)

Miscellaneous

• Port Townsend Becomes 13th City to Decriminalize Psychedelics (DoubleBlind)

• Psychedelics: The newest tool in nuclear negotiations? (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

• How Should Psychedelic Medicine Handle “Flashbacks”? (Mad in America)

• New center to study psychedelics pops up at University of Texas at Austin (My San Antonio)

• The Dumbest Drug Scare Stories of 2021 (VICE)

• DEA Wants To Help Parents Decode The Emojis Young People Use To Discuss Marijuana And Other ‘Bomb Ass’ Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• GOP Lawmakers File Bills To Streamline Research Into Marijuana, Psychedelics And Other Schedule I Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Ballot Initiatives Filed to Legalize Psychedelics (Truffle Report)

• Two Leaders in Psychedelics Industry and the Harm Reduction Approach (Nasdaq)

• How Do Hallucinogenic Drugs Change Our Personality? (Psychology Today)

• Microdosing companion app Houston wants to be your guide to 'inner space' (Mashable)

• Why Psychedelic Research May Bring the Next Big Breakthrough in Dementia Treatment (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• MYND Life Sciences Acquires Rights for the Use of Psychedelics to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease and other Dementias (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 Psychoactives - 9.27.19

CANNABIS

• Canberra becomes the first city in Australia to legalize marijuana (CNN)

• House Passes Cannabis Banking Bill in Historic Vote (Leafly)

• Cannabis Delivery Wins Final Approval in Massachusetts (Leafly)

• Twice as Many Americans Use Cannabis for Medicine Over Recreation, Study Says (MERRY JANE)

• Cannabis-based drug for childhood epilepsy approved for use in UK (The Guardian)

• Brain activity 'dampened' by vaped THC, similar to those with schizophrenia: study (CBC)

• Lower Doses Of Marijuana May Be More Effective For Improving Libido, Review Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• New Washington DC Law Allows Students to Use Medical Marijuana in Schools (MERRY JANE)

• Marijuana use higher among white New Yorkers, though 94% of pot busts are people of color (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

• The DEA Joins the FDA in THC Vapes Crackdown (Filter)

• Illinois Governor Will Pardon Thousands of Former Cannabis Offenders (MERRY JANE)

• Wisconsin and South Dakota Are Preparing 2020 Legalization Measures (Leafly)

• Senior Marijuana Use Increases, But Where Is The Research? (The Fix)

LSD

• The FBI Just Arrested a 'Psychedelic Nazi' on LSD After Tapping His Wild Text Chats (VICE)

• Disneyland Paris visitor on bad LSD trip falls into Adventureland lake, turns up naked after 130-person search (The Orange County Register)

• Syracuse Man Arrested After Punching Officer While On Apparent LSD Trip (Times-Union Newspaper)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Why the Magic Mushroom Story Could be as Big as the Cannabis Boom (PR Newswire)

• Mixing Meditation and Magic Mushrooms? (Mindful)

MDMA

• New research shows MDMA can be comedown-free (Mixmag)

AYAHUASCA

• My 30 Years of Providing Shamanic Healing with Ayahuasca (Kahpi)

• Stopping Veteran Suicide with Ayahuasca: Interview with Wyly Gray of Veterans of War (Psychedelic Times)

• Ayahuasca Has a Special Connection with My People, the Shipibo (Kahpi)

• One man’s journey with ayahuasca (GQ)

• Ayahuasca: tradition versus tourism (The Mancunion)

IBOGA

• Opioid addicts seek alternative treatment in Mexico (10News)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• Ben Westhoff on the Origins of Deadly Party Drugs in Fentanyl, Inc. (Westword)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Older adults with COPD more likely to use synthetic cannabinoids, study finds (Medical Xpress)

OPIOIDS

• Pennsylvania Giving Away Free Naloxone To Combat Overdoses (The Fix)

• Should Heroin Be Used to Treat Addiction? (Pain News Network)

• The White Van Prescribing Buprenorphine Outside a Baltimore Jail (Filter)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• SAMHSA’s “Meth Monster” Video Is Pure Fear-Mongering Propaganda (Filter)

• Their unborn baby tested positive for meth. Then they learned their house was once a meth lab. (CBS News)

• Mexican drug cartels fueling meth comeback in US, with seizures at 'historically high levels' (Fox News)

CAFFEINE

• Study says too much caffeine can trigger migraines (WKRC)

• Coffee May Lower Risk of Gallstones (The New York Times)

TOBACCO

• Walmart to Stop Selling E-Cigarettes in Stores (TIME)

• Vape brand Juul is reportedly at the center of a criminal probe (Engadget)

• Juul hires former tobacco exec as CEO and ceases all US marketing (Engadget)

• Survey Suggests Lung Disease Misinformation Has Compounded Confusion About the Hazards of E-Cigarettes (Reason)

• Big Tobacco Will Take Advantage of the Mysterious Vaping Illness (VICE)

• LA Board Of Supervisors Votes To Ban Flavored Tobacco (CBS Los Angeles)

• Plan To Raise Age To Buy Tobacco To 21 In Denver Moves Ahead (CBS Denver)

ALCOHOL

• Why alcohol remains a big threat to unborn babies in South Africa (The Conversation)

KRATOM

• Florida man with Down syndrome died in hot car as caretaker slept off kratom overdose: sheriff (Fox News)

• How Kratom can be beneficial for sports athletes? (GHANAsoccernet.com)

• What Type Of Kratom Information Will You Find On Reddit? (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom In Michigan: Legal or Regulated? (Kratom Guides)

• Meet the Plant That Is In the News For All the Wrong Reasons (Grit Daily)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Dr. Bronner’s Donates $150k to Legalize Medical Psilocybin in Oregon (DoubleBlind)

• Massachusetts Implements Emergency Ban on All Cannabis and Nicotine Vapes (MERRY JANE)

• Over 800 cases of vaping illnesses reported to CDC (The Hill)

• Psychedelics Can Help Treat a Variety of Psychiatric Disorders, New Review Says (MERRY JANE)

• ‘Vaper’s lung’ likely to enter the medical lexicon (The Irish Times)

• The Truth About Looking in the Mirror on Psychedelics (VICE)

• Can microdosing psychedelics take the edge off a first date? (Mic)

• Enough evidence to support introduction of pill testing in NSW, inquiry told (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Inside the centre exploring the effect of psychedelic drugs on mental health (The Independent)

• Psychedelic Therapy Advocate Recalls Coming Of Age In The 1960s (High Times)

• Alan Watts and Psychedelic Christianity (The Institute for the Advancement of Psychedelic Christianity)

• How to Do Psychedelics Without Killing Yourself (The Stranger)

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 - 8.2.19

CANNABIS

• Thailand set to deliver first batch of medical marijuana (Reuters)

• Pass the Duchy: Luxembourg’s grand plan to legalize cannabis (Politico)

• Court: DEA Must Explain Its Failure to Act Upon Pending Marijuana Cultivation Applications (NORML)

• US Government Approves Increased Production of Marijuana for Clinical Research (NORML)

• Coast Guard Issues Order Barring Active Duty Members From Visiting Marijuana Shops (Marijuana Moment)

• Scientist Debunks Her Earlier Study That Claimed Weed Causes Brain Damage (MERRY JANE)

• Chart: Women account for more than a third of marijuana business executives (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Eggs and Peanuts Could Prevent Birth Defects Caused by Weed (MERRY JANE)

• New York Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization And Expungements Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• At some colleges, marijuana studies are blooming (CBS News)

• Florida Activists Clear First Hurdle To Put Marijuana Legalization On State’s 2020 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

• California Working Toward Certifying “Almost Organic” Cannabis (Filter)

• Marijuana during pregnancy might be as dangerous as alcohol (Popular Science)

• CBN Is Another Cannabis Compound With Beneficial Properties (Forbes)

• Is cannabis use the same as off-duty drinking by workers? Many companies still say no (CNBC)

• He admits he once smoked marijuana, now U.S. won’t let him re-enter country (Los Angeles Daily News)

LSD

• The Truth About The Acid-Dipped Cigarette In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Refinery29)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• People Are Hungry for Shroom Legalization, and the Money to Fund It Is Growing (VICE)

• Could magic mushrooms be the next drug legalized in Canada? (Yahoo! Finance)

• Undesirable Effects from Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

MDMA

• To Spot MDMA Users, Festivals May Soon Roll Out Thermal Cameras (MERRY JANE)

• Study claims ecstasy and cocaine cause less harm than tobacco and alcohol (Dance Music Northwest)

• Youngsters have no idea when they are safe to drive after ecstasy use (DutchNews.nl)

• Victorian schoolgirls safely back home after MDMA scare at camp (news.com.au)

AYAHUASCA

• Ayahuasca Is About More Than Just You. It’s About Planetary Health. (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

• Holding 5-MeO Practitioners Accountable for Dangerous Behavior: Interview with Rak Razam and Mario Garnier (Psychedelic Times)

PEYOTE

• Peyote Is Endangered, Spiritually Sacred and Becoming Legal (HowStuffWorks)

IBOGA

• Gabon prepares for first international forum on Iboga (Africa Times)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Coroner's ruling: Corey-James Brown died from smoking synthetic drugs (New Zealand Herald)

NITROUS OXIDE

• What to know about nitrous oxide (Medical News Today)

• The dangers of nitrous oxide: An inside look at Surrey's laughing gas problem (Surrey Live)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine isn't an opioid and treats depression in a unique way (EurekAlert!)

• Ketamine clinics are arriving in Richmond (WTVR)

PCP

• PCP-Crazed Man Attacks Officers After Crash In Stafford: SCSO (Patch)

OPIOIDS

• Your Methadone History Could Soon Be Shared Without Your Consent (Filter)

• As Opioid Prescriptions Surged in Germany, Opioid Addiction Held Steady, While Opioid-Related Deaths Fell (Reason)

• Device for Opioid Overdoses Releases Naloxone Automatically (Medgadget)

• Opioid Patient Worth $200,000 a Year to Purdue, State Says (Bloomberg)

• Drought Cripples Taliban's Record-High Opium Production Amid Peace Talks (Breitbart)

• Colorado Wants You To Know About This Life-Saving Drug (Westword)

COCAINE

• Exclusive NYPD Data Reveals Just How Often Fentanyl Is in Cocaine (VICE)

• Colombia will spray Chinese glyphosate to control coca (Diálogo Chino)

• Weird New Kinds Of Cocaine Could Start A “Hidden Epidemic” Of Health Threats (BuzzFeed News)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Autopsies reveal how meth hurts the heart (Medical Xpress)

• Study assesses outcomes for meth users with burn injures (ScienceDaily)

CAFFEINE

• Exceeding healthy caffeine limits during pregnancy can be harmful to babies’ health (Consumer Affairs)

• Coffee Farmers Are In Crisis. Starbucks Wants To Help. (Forbes)

TOBACCO

• Most Americans Support Raising Minimum Age to Buy Tobacco (Gallup)

ALCOHOL

• One in 10 Older Adults Binge Drinks, Study Says (The New York Times)

• Facebook bans sales of alcohol and tobacco between users (CNBC)

• Here's the Buzz on Alcohol in Space (HowStuffWorks)

• How Much Does Alcohol Harm People Besides the Drinker? (Psychology Today)

KRATOM

• Is Kratom Safe During Pregnancy? Researchers Start to Investigate (The Scientist)

• Can Kratom cause a false positive on a 12-panel drug test? (Augusta Free Press)

• Officials warning public about dangers of kratom (The North Platte Telegraph)

• Kratom Is Not a Safe Pain Treatment (Newsmax)

KAVA

• MIT Scientists Synthesize The Feel-Good Molecules In Kava, 'Nature's Xanax' (WBUR)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Psychedelic Medicine Is Coming. The Law Isn’t Ready (Scientific American)

• Another Florida Sheriff's Deputy Arrested For Arresting People on False Drug Charges (Reason)

• Exclusion, Censorship, Internment: Brazilian Drug Policy Under Bolsonaro (Filter)

• The Life-Changing Magic of Tripping (The Atlantic)

• A Reddit user surveyed 650 psychedelic drug users, here’s what they found (Happy Mag)

• Public university to host ‘psychedelic neuroscience’ symposium (The College Fix)

• Latest update on drug-related deaths and mortality in Europe (EMCDDA)

• Why Psychedelic Science Should Pay Speakers and Trainers of Color (Chacruna)

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 Psychedelics - 8.24.18

Cannabis

• Study: 1 in 7 Canadian cannabis users admits to high driving (The Mercury News)
• Cory Booker Bill Would Let Students With Drug Convictions Keep Financial Aid (Marijuana Moment)
• Wells Fargo Closes Florida Politician's Account Due To Marijuana Donations (Forbes)
• Senate Amendment Requires Feds To Study Marijuana Legalization’s Impact (Marijuana Moment)
• Here’s How Much Marijuana Costs on the West Coast vs East Coast (Priceonomics)
• Marijuana ‘Farmers Markets’ Won’t Happen In California Yet After Bill’s Failure (Marijuana Moment)
• North Texas Academy Offers First Cannabis Science Class (NBC Dallas-Fort Worth)
• New Jersey Could Legalize Weed Next Month (Reason)
• Baker Who Denied Same-Sex Couple Now Complaining About Marijuana-Themed Cake Requests (Marijuana Moment)
• Cannabis Is Creating A Boom For Biological Pesticides (Forbes)
• Pennsylvania Lawmaker Launches Online Petition To Promote Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)
• Proximity Of Dispensaries To Schools Not Linked With Teen Use (NORML)
• Ohio Police Plan To Ignore Marijuana Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)
• The Next Big Thing In Cannabis: Tourism (Forbes)
• Israeli and Swiss Companies Team Up to Breed Better Cannabis for Patients (High Times)
• Cannabis stocks soar to new highs (CNN)
• Amid Primary Challenge, Democrat Senator Now Supports Marijuana Bill (Marijuana Moment)
• Why you shouldn’t dismiss the risk of marijuana addiction (Vox)
• America’s Invisible Pot Addicts (The Atlantic)
• How Federal Housing Policy Excludes Poor People From Legal Pot (Rolling Stone)
• We Fact Checked an ER Doctor Who Said Weed Edibles Can Kill Kids (VICE)
• U.S. Border Agents Gear Up for Canada’s Marijuana Legalization, Vowing to Enforce Federal Law (Newsweek)
• How Tech Will Drive The Next Stage Of Cannabis Regulation (Forbes)
• Alaska Could Be The First State To Legalize And License Marijuana Lounges (Marijuana Moment)
• The Dark Star of Doobage (Seattle Weekly)
• Meet Bend And Blaze: A Cannabis-Infused Yoga Class You Need To Take (Forbes)
• California: Marijuana Expungement Measure Awaits Governor’s Signature (NORML)
• Big Majority Of Connecticut Voters Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)
• California Cannabis Goes Luxury, Plans Appellations Just Like Wine (Forbes)
• Poll: Huge Majority Of Wisconsin Voters Want Marijuana Legalized (Marijuana Moment)
• Meet The Tattooed Branding Bigwig Who Gave Up Couture For Cannabis (Forbes)
• Cannabis Now CEO Says Beer And Marijuana Mergers Are Good For Business (Forbes)

LSD

• From Humble Chemist to Father of the Psychedelic Trip (OZY)
• How To Take LSD (The Third Wave)
• Can LSD help solve mental health issues? (CBS News)
• LSD liberated me from the prison I had built for myself (Psymposia)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• FDA Approves Psychedelic Magic Mushrooms Ingredient Psilocybin for Depression Trial (Newsweek)
• ‘Microdosing’ is touted by ’shroomers and Reddit users. Science is starting to test their claims — and finding some truth (STAT)
• Can Psilocybin Make People Feel More Empathy to Nature? (Chacruna)
• Psilocybin Proponents Push Medical Benefits of Drug, Ballot Initiative (Westword)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Veteran Treated PTSD And Suicidal Thoughts With ‘Life-Altering’ MDMA Therapy (Inquisitr)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• What To Expect When You Drink Ayahuasca (The Third Wave)
• Psychedelic Medicine 101: DMT and the near-death experience (New Atlas)
• Man sentenced to 11.5 years for bringing bottle of Peruvian Ayahuasca drink to Russia (Pravda)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Strange Drug Overdoses Are Mystifying Hospitals (Discover Magazine)
• Big Pharma Synthetic Marijuana Leaves 2 Dead, 89 Hospitalized In Illinois (UR Healthinfo)

Dissociatives

• A Doctor Explains How Prescribing Ketamine For Depression Works (Psymposia)
• Driver, 21, found at wheel by police after being more than twice over the limit for ketamine (The News)
• Man high on PCP harasses woman, punches her dad and then slugs a valet at Playhouse Square (News 5 Cleveland)

Opiates/Opioids

• Mexican poppy producing state pushes to decriminalize opium (Star Tribune)
• Dan Bigg, who spent decades fighting heroin crisis in Chicago and saved scores of lives, dies at 59 (Chicago Tribune)
• On fentanyl: Congress must avoid another drug war (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Trump Says Pain Pills Are 'So Highly Addictive.' He's Wrong. (Reason)
• This is what happens to your body during a heroin overdose (Health24)
• Poll: Most Americans Know About Opioid Antidote And Are Willing To Use It (NPR)
• Why Every Connecticut Home Should Have Naloxone (Hartford Courant)

Kratom

• American Kratom Association says forensic pathologist got it wrong in Arvada death (9NEWS.com)
• More than 40,000 Americans Petition DEA in Support of Kratom (Markets Insider)
• Failed NDIs, FDA's Opioid Concerns Don't Stop Kratom Supplement Sales (Rose Sheet)
• FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Tweets Controversial Statements on Kratom (Inverse)
• FDA recalls Kratom products due to salmonella concerns (News4Jax)
• Rep. Vernon Jones appointed to House Study Committee on Risks with Kratom (On Common Ground News)

Kava

• Kava Controversy (Eugene Weekly)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Like Beer, There's Now 'Craft Cocaine' (VICE)
• Proposal seeks to improve assessment of drug risks (Science Daily)
• These Drug Users Don't Want Their Dealer Prosecuted if They OD (VICE)
• Federal officers have established unconstitutional checkpoints on the road to Burning Man (Boing Boing)
• Scientists Dosed an Artificial Brain With Meth (Motherboard)
• Psychedelics Might Be Especially Effective in Treating Depression When Combined With Hypnosis (Tonic)
• Safe injection sites were thought to reduce drug overdoses. The research isn’t so clear. (Vox)
• The Healing Powers of Psychedelics Documentary Series: Interview with Mareesa Stertz (Psychedelic Times)
• Top 3 drugs to use while watching the Trump scandals, and top 3 to avoid (Rooster)
• Psychedelics And Partying (Psychedelic Heaven)
• The Myth Of Good And Bad Drugs (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.

People Are Using Fitbits and Apple Watches to Monitor Their Heart Rate When Binging on Drugs

Christina Farr, writing for CNBC:

It isn't likely to come up in casual face-to-face conversation, but scores of users on Reddit forums, Twitter and other social media sites write about the value of their Fitbit or Apple Watch in tracking their use of cocaine, ketamine, speed, and other drugs. Dozens of these threads have popped up in the past few years on the topic, some focused on cocaine and others on MDMA, also known as ecstasy.

This is the first I've heard about people employing wearable technologies like Fitbits and Apple Watches to monitor their vital signs while under the influence of mind-altering substances. I would argue that this is a good thing, because it obviously highlights the potential negative physical effects of using some of these drugs, and if it helps a drug user understand what is happening in their body, that's a step in the right direction.

There's even a YouTube channel called DrugsLab with more than half a million subscribers. Three hosts perform on-camera tests of drugs suggested by commentators, while their heart rate and body temperature are tracked on a board behind them. The idea, they say, is to promote drug education for millennials.

I haven't mentioned it on the blog before, but DrugsLab is excellent—you should definitely check it out if you haven't already.

But don't expect your doctor to condone the practice. Academics and medical professionals told CNBC that people who rely on a heart rate monitor to protect them from overdosing or from other ill effects of hardcore drugs are giving themselves a false sense of security.

No surprise there. Doctors are simply not going to suggest that patients use these consumer-grade technologies to prevent drug-related casualties, just like they don't encourage or support the use of illicit substances in general. They have reputations to maintain and must protect themselves and their institutions from being sued by patients (or family members of deceased patients) who place so much faith in their Apple Watches that they think it will enable them to safely use drugs without experiencing harm.

However, that doesn't mean that this form of harm reduction should be avoided altogether—just that academics and medical professionals are not going to endorse this practice. At least not for now.

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