Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.
As an avid Reality Sandwich reader since 2007, I looked forward to each new edition of Neşe Devenot's “This Week in Psychedelics” column. Every week, she would post 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).
As far as I can tell, Devenot gave up "This Week in Psychedelics" two years ago. There have been a couple of attempts at a revitalization of the column on Reality Sandwich by other contributors, but it hasn't stuck. My goal is to bring the column back—first on Think Wilder, and then perhaps on Reality Sandwich as well. I hope you find the following links helpful, eye-opening, enjoyable, and/or infuriating:
250 hits of LSD found inside car in Middlefield Township (Cleveland.com)
LSD: Speaking to volunteer users of the drug as trials get underway to see if it cures depression and addiction (The Independent)
Are psychedelics a fluidity and fluency to cognition? (The Statesman)
'At Long Last A$AP Rocky' a psychedelic trip through grief (LA Times)
Ketamine offered to patients with depression in take-home, DIY packs by controversial clinic (ABC News Australia)
Silk Road founder gets life for creating online drug site (Fox News)
Chemical engineer jailed for sending postcards laced with LSD-style drugs to prisoners (Mirror.co.uk)
Global Drug Survey: what made you stop taking drugs? (The Guardian)
This LSD could save your life (The Daily Beast)
Sleaford Mods: 'My first festival, I took LSD by the Pyramid stage and stared at the sky' (The Guardian)
LSD to be trialled as a potential anti-depressant in the UK (Metro.co.uk)
Psychedelic Videos Capture Coral in Motion (Yes, Coral) (Wired)
New research makes a case for psychedelic drugs offering profound spiritual experiences (The United Church Observer)
Police Helicopters and a Shit Load of Ketamine: The Illegal Free Party Scene that Roamed the Home Counties (Noisey)
Police in Massachusetts City allow addicts to turn in drugs without arrest if they seek treatment (US News)
WSU researchers see link between hunter-gather cannabis use, fewer parasites (EurekAlert!)
Experts Unearth 2,400 Year-Old Solid Gold Bongs in Southern Russia (Tech Times)
One More Link in Drug Supply Chain Nabbed (New Indian Express)
Juvenile charged with murder in drug death, another charged with distribution at school (Chatham Star Tribune)
First ever Psychedelic Action! comes to Brixton's Windrush Square, Sat 6th June (Brixton Buzz)
Soaring Aloft: Psych Fest 2015 (Premier Guitar)
Can Ecstasy Replace Xanax? (The Daily Beast)
Why Pot Smokers are Skinnier (The Atlantic)
LSD's Medical Comeback Story (Care2)
British Government Plans to Illegalize All Unapproved Psychoactive Substances (Mad in America)
House Tells the Feds to Respect Medical Marijuana Laws (Again) (Reason)
Psilocybin And LSD - The Only Effective Treatment Known For Cluster Headaches (Reset.me)
America's Quality Pot Is Changing the Drug War (Bloomberg)
Psilocybin Mushrooms Ease Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Reset.me)
Bans On Psychedelics Make No Sense (Reset.me)
LSD kingpin Arif Shaikh sent to judicial custody (The Times of India)
The Drug Dare: Campaign urges people to upload drug-taking videos to YouTube to highlight "positive experiences" (Mirror.co.uk)
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.