This Week in Psychedelics - 7.30.21

Cannabis

• Barcelona cannabis clubs face closure in new legal setback (The Guardian)

• Black People in Colorado Are Still Arrested for Weed Twice as Much as Everyone Else (MERRY JANE)

• Epilepsy Patients Who Use ‘Artisanal CBD’ Have Higher Quality Of Life, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Is medical cannabis really a magic bullet? (The Guardian)

• New Study Finds California Cannabis Farms Irrigating with Groundwater May Affect Stream Flows (Sierra Sun Times)

• Ohio Lawmakers Officially File Marijuana Legalization Bill In Historic First For The State (Marijuana Moment)

• You Can Get a Free Eighth of Weed For Getting Vaccinated in SF (Broke Ass Stuart)

• California Senator Seeks Federal Clarification On Medical Marijuana Use In Hospitals (Marijuana Moment)

• How Mexico Has Legalized But Still Not Regulated Cannabis (Filter)

• Why cannabis is still a banned Olympics substance (BBC)

• Pop Star Lorde Smokes Weed Out of DIY Fennel Bulb Bong in New Music Video (MERRY JANE)

• Study: Marijuana Legalization Laws Don’t Undermine Tobacco Smoking Prevention Efforts (NORML)

LSD

• New study sheds light on how LSD’s entropic effects on the brain impact language production (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Oregon State Board Says Psilocybin Is Effective At Treating Certain Mental Health Condition (Marijuana Moment)

• Psilocybin appears to alter how the brain integrates tactile sensory inputs (PsyPost)

• TheraPsil Launches New Campaign for Psilocybin Access (Truffle Report)

• Why Don’t Magic Mushroom Spores Contain Psilocybin? (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Psilocybe Cyanescens: A Mycologist’s Guide to Wavy Caps (DoubleBlind)

• Health Canada dragging feet on approving magic mushrooms for therapeutic use, patients and advocates say (CBC)

• More Details on the Psilocybin Mushroom Bluing Reaction (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Florida researchers work to understand power of psychedelics to treat mental illness (ABC7 Southwest Florida)

MDMA

• MDMA-assisted cognitive-behavioral therapy may help couples overcome PTSD (PsyPost)

• MDMA might be able to improve your already loving relationship, suggests Yale ethicist (KCRW)

• 'You Can Forgive Yourself:' Molly Helps Vets with PTSD, New Study Says (Military.com)

• How to reduce your risk of harm when taking MDMA and ecstasy (Metro)

• 2 Music Playlists For Therapeutic MDMA Sessions (Maps of the Mind)

DMT

• MindMed Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Intravenous DMT (Psilocybin Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Psychedelics, Religion, and the DEA’s Quest for Soul (Psychedelics Today)

• Drinking Psychedelic Brew Ayahuasca May Help Drug And Alcohol Addicts Quit (IFLScience)

• Joe Rogan And Comedian Ari Shaffir Discuss Tripping Balls On Ayahuasca (BroBible)

Iboga

• Gabon’s government is tripping for a psychedelic plant (Financial Times)

• Ibogaine: The Psychedelic Drug That Could Fight Addiction (Discover Magazine)

• MINDCURE Launches Second Stage of Manufacturing Synthetic Ibogaine for Use in Psychedelic Clinical Research (Psilocybin Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Synthetic cannabis warning: Second death from 'dangerous' batch in Taranaki (New Zealand Herald)

Nitrous Oxide

• Mindful Use of Nitrous Oxide: How to be a Connoisseur of Getting High (Maps of the Mind)

Ketamine

• Tucson wrongful death lawsuit questions ketamine usage (ABC15 Arizona)

• Ketamine Therapy and Addiction Risk Management: Part III (Truffle Report)

• Understanding Where Ketamine Comes From (Healing Maps)

Miscellaneous

• House Rejects AOC Amendment To Promote Research Into Psychedelics’ Medical Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

• $40m psychedelic medicine institute launches in Melbourne (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Psychedelic trips could soon be part of therapy — here’s what those sessions will look like (CNBC)

• How TikTok's Viral Psychedelic Water Might Affect Your Mood (Mashed)

• Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte Is About to Be Investigated for All the Drug Dealers He's Killed (MERRY JANE)

• Controversies Around California’s Psychedelic Decriminalization Law Senate Bill 519 (Chacruna)

• Judaism’s Psychedelic Renaissance (Tablet Magazine)

• Grandparents of Psychedelics Ann and Sasha Shulgin Honored by Friends and Fellow Researchers (Lucid News)

• Corrections to Misinformation Being Spread about MAPS and IPCI (Dr. Bronner's)

• “Undoing Drugs”—Maia Szalavitz’s Profound History of Harm Reduction (Filter)

• The Graeme Carl Scale: 5 Levels of a Psychedelic Experience (Maps of the Mind)

• Mestizo Identity and Decolonial Psychedelic Futures (Chacruna)

• Fireside Project for Psychedelic Peer Support: An Update (Truffle Report)

• Veteran Psychedelics Advocate/Attorney Launches New Venture Capital Firm (Forbes)

• Highlight on Life Clips, AI, and Speech Based Technology in Psychedelic Science (Dark Matters)

• The Lilly Psychonautic Centre – A Vision from the Future (Maps of the Mind)

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.

Film Review - Psychedelia

A new documentary focusing on the history and science behind psychedelics titled Psychedelia is on the verge of being released soon. Sporting a compact 58-minute run-time, this film clocks in at just under an hour and it provides an easily-digestible, high-level overview of psychedelics for a wide audience, from the uninitiated square all the way to the most seasoned psychonaut.

The film opens with a moving quote that properly sets the tone:

The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science.

-Albert Einstein

The introduction consists of a series of beautiful scenes featuring natural landscapes and voice-overs from people who healed themselves by working with psychedelics. It’s only about a minute long but it’s just enough to give the viewer a glimpse of how transformational these medicines can be when used wisely.

Following the introduction, the documentary launches into the history of psychedelics, from Albert Hofmann’s first intentional acid trip all the way up to the new wave of psychedelic research being conducted in respectable institutions like NYU and Johns Hopkins. Along the way it touches on several monumental psychedelic events, including the coining of the term “psychedelic,” R. Gordon Wasson’s encounters with Maria Sabina, the CIA’s MKUltra experiments, Tim Leary’s impact on the scene, LSD leaking out of the lab and onto the streets, and the re-emergence of psychedelic research with Rick Strassman’s DMT study.

Several experts are featured in the film, including Charles Grob, Julie Holland, Rick Doblin, Katherine MacLean, Matthew Johnson, and Ingmar Gorman. Together, their interviews help paint a complete picture of psychedelics for the audience.

In addition to talking about the psychedelics themselves, the film also gives the viewer a chance to learn more about the people working in the psychedelic field, which often turns out to be both entertaining and enlightening. One good example is Charles Grob’s story about calling his father in the middle of the night to tell him he finally knew what he wanted to do for a career—he wanted to study psychedelics. His father was supportive of Charles’ decision but also cautioned that no one would take him seriously unless he got his credentials. So he did.

Psychedelia also features interviews with a handful of participants from a psilocybin for end-of-life anxiety study that was conducted at NYU. Their personal anecdotes about how psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy helped them are moving and inspirational, and if you’re anything like me then you might shed a tear or two while listening to their stories.

Several threads are sewed together to form a coherent film: a narrative detailing the history and science of psychedelics, explanations and insights from the experts, and the moving stories from the study participants. Like any good documentary, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and during the final credits an epilogue provides updates on what happened to some of the people in the film, which ties things up quite nicely.

After watching the whole thing, it’s crystal clear that Psychedelia was created by an adept filmmaker—someone who has obviously put in their 10,000 hours in order to learn the skills needed to create a masterpiece of this magnitude.

That man is Pat Murphy. He started working on the documentary in 2011, when he first heard about the psilocybin for end-of-life anxiety research study at NYU. At the time he was a student at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and so, coupled with an interest in the Grateful Dead (shoutout to all the fellow Deadheads out there!), Timothy Leary, and the 1960s, he decided to begin working on the film.

I liked Psychedelia quite a bit. For one thing, it features a ton of new footage that I hadn’t seen before—and I’ve seen a lot of movies about psychedelics.

Somehow Pat was able to make grainy old footage from way back in the day (for example: scenes from a 1955 CIA film) look fresh and new. And some of the audio recordings are a delight, featuring psychedelic elders like Albert Hofmann, Allen Ginsberg, and Ralph Metzner.

One of the funniest moments in the film (which will likely be overlooked by most viewers, as it is very subtle) occurs when Rick Doblin walks upstairs to a room with lots of paperwork strewn about on a desk where a big green bong is sitting upright, ready for a nice toke.

The documentary is so well-done that it comes across as incredibly professional, which goes a long way if you’re trying to convince a skeptic in your life about the value of psychedelics. In fact, I think this is the best film to introduce people to psychedelics that will give them solid overview of psychedelic history and science. It’s a perfect documentary to show your parents, your friends, or even your therapist if you’d like them to learn more about psychedelics without inundating them with too much information all at once. It’s nicely-paced, covering a lot of ground without rushing through. All in all, it’s a solid film.

Psychedelia is definitely worth a watch whether you are completely psychedelically-naïve or you’re a highly-experienced psychonaut, and while it’s not publicly available for streaming at the time that this blog post is going live, you can sign up for the film’s newsletter to find out how to attend a virtual screening event in the near future.

Pat is partnering up with psychedelic organizations and universities to hold these online events, which include Q&A sessions with the director after the film is screened. There are two events currently on the schedule—one on February 6th with the Psychedelic Society of Minnesota and another on February 11th with the Psychedelia Integration Community that will include Katherine MacLean on the Q&A panel. There’s also an option for universities and colleges to license the film for use in the classroom.

Regardless of when you are able to get a chance to watch Psychedelia, you should definitely put it on your radar and check it out as soon as you have the opportunity. It’s rare to find a documentary that encapsulates the history and science of psychedelics this well.

Disclaimer: I received a free screening copy of this film in exchange for an honest review. However, this is not a sponsored post—all thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

This Week in Psychedelics - 10.23.20

Cannabis

• Virginia: Medical Cannabis Dispensing Begins (NORML)

• Missouri medical marijuana dispensaries open to long lines, happy patients (Leafly)

• Montana Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Marijuana Legalization Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

• USDA Approves Hemp Plans For Six Additional States And Three Indian Tribes (Marijuana Moment)

• Virginia Bill To Ban Police Searches Based On Marijuana Smell Gets Governor-Suggested Changes (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania House Votes To Protect Medical Marijuana Patients From DUI Charges (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• LSD: new scientific study shows microdosing elevates mood and cognition (Boing Boing)

• ‘My Psychedelic Love Story’ Review: Errol Morris’ Touching LSD Romance Adds New Dimension to Timothy Leary (IndieWire)

• Could Giving Acid to Dolphins Help Us Talk to Aliens? (DoubleBlind)

• Bill Wilson, LSD and the Secret Psychedelic History of Alcoholics Anonymous (Lucid News)

Magic Mushrooms

• First Psilocybin for Depression Clinical Trial Launched in Sweden (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Phase 2 Clinical Trial to Evaluate Safety and Efficacy of Psilocybin in Cancer Patients with Major Depressive Disorder (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Psilocybin and Mindfulness for Depression: Complementary Actions Starting to Emerge (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Pharmaceutical Startup Developing Sublingual Psilocybin Raises $34 Million To Fund Clinical Trials (Forbes)

• Numinus First Canadian Public Company to Complete Legal Harvest of Psilocybe Mushrooms (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Allied Expands Pharmaceutical Pipeline By Filing US Provisional Patent for Psilocybin Based Therapeutics (GlobeNewswire)

MDMA

• Government urged to sell cocaine and ecstasy in pharmacies (The Guardian)

Ayahuasca

• Ayahuasca, Capitalism and the New Age (Chacruna)

Peyote

• What Groups Are Doing to Protect Against Peyote Poaching (Green Entrepreneur)

Ketamine

• Ketamine-Induced Brain Rhythm Causes Dissociation: From Mice to Man (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Pharmather to Advance Ketamine as Potential Dyskinesia Treatment (Parkinson's News Today)

Miscellaneous

• Early Christians Might Have Been High on Hallucinogenic Communion Wine (VICE)

• People who microdose psychedelic drugs report that the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks (PsyPost)

• DEA recruits cite ‘monkey noises’ among claims of racism (Associated Press)

• Scientists identify a powerful anti-inflammatory compound in psychedelic drugs (Massive Science)

• Watch The Oregon Drug Decriminalization Campaign’s New TV Ads For Historic Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• 2020’s psychedelic drug ballot measures, explained (Vox)

• An Open Letter and Call to Action for MAPS Canada (Psymposia)

• Media Company Delic Corp. Announces RTO, Becomes Latest Psychedelics Company Planning to Go Public (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Jedi Flipping: What It’s Like to Mix Shrooms, Acid, and Molly (DoubleBlind)

• How to Talk to Your Therapist About Psychedelics (Psychology Today)

• “Psychedelics are Not Cotton Candy and Rainbows” with Sensei Kevon Simpson (Chacruna)

• Psyched Wellness Becomes Latest Psychedelics Company to Go Public (CSE: PSYC) (Psilocybin Alpha)

• Examining the Effects of Psychedelics on Experiential Avoidance (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Nina Graboi, A Forgotten Woman in Psychedelic Lore (Chacruna)

• Revive Therapeutics Signs Supply Agreement With Havn Life Sciences for Psychedelic Compounds (Psilocybin Alpha)

• 6 Herbs to Enhance Your Next Psychedelic Trip (DoubleBlind)

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 catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Week in Psychedelics - 6.19.20

Cannabis

• Louisiana Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Expansion Into Law (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania: Supreme Court Rules That Medical Cannabis Use Is Permissible While on Probation (NORML)

• New Jersey Assembly Approves Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Ahead Of Legalization Referendum (Marijuana Moment)

• Switzerland releases details on recreational marijuana experiment, but full legalization likely years away (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Nevada Pardons More Than 15,000 People With Marijuana Convictions Under Governor’s Resolution (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraskans hustle to get medical legalization on ballot, with July 3 deadline (Leafly)

• Science Reveals The Cannabis Industry’s Greatest Lie: You’re Buying Weed Wrong (And So Is Everyone Else) (Forbes)

• Ohio Marijuana Activists Plan Supreme Court Appeal After Federal Judges Deny Electronic Signature Case (Marijuana Moment)

• Using cannabis during pregnancy could be bad news for your baby: new research (The Conversation)

• Library Of Congress Highlights Racist News Coverage Used To Justify Criminalizing Marijuana A Century Ago (Marijuana Moment)

• Patients Who Use Medical Cannabis Report Being Happier and Healthier Than Those Who Don’t (Grit Daily News)

• Fed report urges doctors to treat cannabis users as drug addicts (Leafly)

• Colorado Governor Could Issue Marijuana Pardons Under Social Equity Bill Lawmakers Sent To His Desk (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Can Increase Intimacy and Reduce Anxiety During Sex, New Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• CDC Flooded With Comments On Marijuana And Kratom As Alternative Painkillers Ahead Of Deadline (Marijuana Moment)

• These 3 Marijuana Nonprofits Are Offering Real Responses To The Pandemic And Racial Injustice (Green Entrepreneur)

• A Founder Looks at 50: The Important Role of Medical Experts in Support of Legalization (NORML)

• Lawmakers Push USDA To Let Hemp Farmers Access Coronavirus Relief Funds (Marijuana Moment)

• Why the Cannabis Sector May be Turning a New Leaf (Investopedia)

Magic Mushrooms

• Combining therapy with the psychedelic drug psilocybin results in large reductions in anxiety and depression (PsyPost)

• Colorado Activists Likely To Pursue 2022 Psilocybin Ballot Measure After Poll Shows Support (Marijuana Moment)

• Numinus receives Health Canada OK for mushrooms research (PressReader)

• Palliative Canadians endure punishing waits while Health Minister delays approval of Psilocybin mushrooms; TheraPsil expands effort to Ontario (Globe Newswire)

• A Deep Dive Inside Oregon’s Path to Legalizing Psilocybin Therapy (DoubleBlind)

• Life Sciences Firm Expands Collaboration Efforts with Major US University to Develop Psilocybin-Based Medicines (StreetWise Reports)

• New Wave Holdings Corp- Launching the first publicly-traded Psilocybin-growing operation (Value the Markets)

• Cannabis Company Eyes Medicinal Magic of Mushrooms (Real Money)

• Psilocybin to Treat Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Cute as Children, but Not Handsome as Adults: María Sabina, Life Magazine, and Cold War Propaganda (Chacruna)

DMT

• MindMed To Evaluate Ayahuasca's Active Ingredient DMT In Phase 1 Clinical Trial Collaboration (BioSpace)

• NeonMind Files Patent Application for Therapeutic Use of DMT (Yahoo! Finance)

Ayahuasca

• Is Ayahuasca Possibly Less than Five Hundred Years Old? (Chacruna)

Iboga

• Could ibogaine offer a revolutionary long-term solution to addiction? (Health Europa)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• New K2 Compound in Canadian Heroin Supply Amid Surging Fatal ODs (Filter)

Nitrous Oxide

• Nitrous oxide use among young people is increasing in lockdown because it’s cheap and accessible (iNews)

Ketamine

• Why People are Using Ketamine Nasal Spray to Party (DoubleBlind)

• High Doses of Ketamine Can Temporarily Shut Down the Brain, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

• Champignon’s Dr. Mcintyre / Canadian Rapid Treatment Centre of Excellence (CRTCE) Published in Two Peer Reviewed Study Journals (Globe Newswire)

Miscellaneous

• UNC to Receive $26.9M from DARPA to Develop Psychiatric Medicines (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Microsoft reportedly tried to sell facial recognition tech to the DEA (Engadget)

• Mira X Acquisition Corp. Announces Proposed Qualifying Transaction with Field Trip Psychedelics Inc. (Yahoo! Finance)

• Fixing American policing also requires an end to the war on drugs (Baker Institute Blog)

• Champignon Provides Corporate Update; Announces Name Change, Rebranding and Planned Spin Out (Globe Newswire)

• CFN Enterprises Launches Premier Psychedelics Stock Index Site: PsyIndex.com (Stockhouse)

• Beyond Stigma: How Researchers May Trigger Drug Users (Filter)

• Psychedelics Quickly Creating a Potential $100 Billion Market Opportunity (Baystreet)

• New Wave Holdings Corp Appoints Dr. Dennis McKenna to Psychedelic Research Advisory Board (PR Newswire)

• Seed crystal: on the contributions of Alexander Shulgin to the science of consciousness (Medium)

• Psychedelic Medical Start-Up AWAKN Life Sciences Enters the UK Market with Dr. Ben Sessa (Yahoo! Finance)

• Mota Ventures Appoints Roger C. Clinton as Member of Advisory Board to Verrian GmbH (MarketWatch)

• L’Chaim Psilocybin: How Psychedelics are Reigniting Judaism (DoubleBlind)

• Greenstar Biosciences Signs Agreement to Acquire 100% of Eleusian Biosciences Corp. (Yahoo! Finance)

• 2nd Gen Psychedelic Drugs For Depression Can Be Safer For Older Adults (Forbes)

• ‘Canada’s first psychedelic-enhanced psychotherapy centre’ changing how we treat depression (GlobalNews)

• Don’t Get Caught in a Trip Trap; Psychedelic Lessons for this Collective Moment (Lucid News)

• How psychedelic drugs could help our veterans (9News)

• Pure Extracts: The Second Wave of Psychedelic Operators (The Deep Dive)

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 catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.