In order to really get the new year and new decade started right, I’ve decided to add monthly drug news recaps to my publishing calendar here at Think Wilder. I plan to use this column to cover the hottest drug news from each month in more detail than I’m able to get into with my weekly link roundups, and it will serve as a companion to the monthly recaps that are published every month on my YouTube channel.
This month happened to be way busier than I expected it to be, and so this month’s inaugural column features some top-notch news that I think you’re going to love. If you do end up digging what you see here, please let me know on Facebook or Twitter and share it with a friend so they can stay up-to-date with the latest psychoactive drug news too.
And here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:
Without further ado, let’s get into the news:
Two New Cannabinoids and Fighting Superbugs
Kicking things off this month is a story about two new cannabinoids that were recently discovered by scientists. The first cannabinoid is called THCP and it is allegedly 30 times more potent than THC, and the second is called CBDP, which is a cousin to CBD, the popular wellness additive.
And cannabinoid research didn’t stop there. An already-known cannabinoid called CBG was found to be particularly potent at killing MRSA, which is one of the most common superbugs found in hospitals. This has led some people to speculate that cannabinoids like CBG might be effective at fighting other superbugs as well.
Cannabis Reforms in Hawaii and Mexico
As of this month, cannabis users in Hawaii no longer face jail time for a small amount of marijuana because the state’s decriminalization law has officially gone into effect. As a result, people possessing three grams or less will be fined $130 instead. The reform bill was not signed by Governor David Ige, who opted to allow the law to go into effect without his signature.
Mexico’s lawmakers have been debating about how to go about legalizing marijuana for several months, and an amended bill that would allow adults to possess up to 28 grams for personal use and grow up to six plants is currently under consideration. The legislature will go back into session next month and it hopes to pass a legalization bill before the end of April.
Follow-Up Study Finds Psilocybin Can Reduce Anxiety For Nearly Five Years
You might recall that back in 2016 a study found that a single dose of psilocybin was able to significantly reduce terminally-ill cancer patients’ fear of death. Now a follow-up study found that those benefits have been sustained nearly 5 years later.
Compared to traditional prescription medications, a single dose of any drug that can improve one’s life for that amount of time is completely amazing and just speaks to the incredible potential that psychedelics have for healing the world.
Compass Pathways Gets a Patent for Its New Crystalline Psilocybin Formulation
In a scientific paper published last October, researchers announced a new crystalline form of the psilocybin derivative 4-HO-DPT. This groundbreaking discovery indicated that pharmaceutical psychedelics could be right around the corner.
And so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to discover that the Peter Thiel-backed mental health care company Compass Pathways was granted a patent covering its new crystalline formulation of psilocybin for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression.
I think it’s really only a matter of time and a change in the laws before we start seeing pharmaceutical psychedelics becoming available for patients around the world. Let’s just hope they don’t cost an arm and a leg to access.
Company Trademarks the Word ‘Psilocybin’
In an unexpected twist, a company selling non-magical chocolates trademarked the word “psilocybin”. In fact, the company is named Psilocybin™ even though they don’t sell any psilocybin-containing products at this time.
I have to admit that I was pretty shocked to see this news but after looking into it a bit I discovered two other companies that submitted requests to trademark common terms for drugs.
A company named Weed Cellars trademarked the word “weed” last year and another company named MedMen attempted to trademark the word “cannabis” a couple years ago, but they weren’t successful and it would’ve only applied to printing the world on clothing anyway.
All of this begs the question: will these companies attempt to enforce their trademarks in the future, and if so, how? We’ll have to stay tuned to see how this whole “trademarking common drug terms” thing goes, but it’s a little strange, to say the least.
FDA Grants Expanded Access to MDMA Therapy
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration made it a lot easier for patients with PTSD to use MDMA to treat their condition. A new FDA program known as Expanded Access will allow 50 patients to receive the drug under doctor’s supervision at 10 sites across the country.
Although only this small number of patients and sites will be enrolled at the beginning, this could mark the beginning of a more widespread availability of MDMA and give real-world examples that back up the idea that the drug works as effectively as previous studies have suggested.
Ayahuasca Afterglow Increases Mindfulness and Cognitive Flexibility
Ayahuasca is well-known for treating a wide range of issues, and a new study in the journal Psychopharmacology found that drinking the Amazonian brew is capable of generating lasting increases in mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. This has led some to speculate that the so-called “ayahuasca afterglow” is at least partially responsible for ayahuasca’s ability to help people suffering from mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
Canadian Company Offers Microdosing Kit
A Canadian company called Microdelics is breaking new ground by offering ready-made kits of 1P-LSD that people can use to experiment with microdosing. Considering this drug was just found to be a prodrug of LSD, this is kind of the world’s first commercially-available LSD microdosing kit.
Microdelics is able to ship within Canada and to countries that don’t have analogue or prodrug laws that make drugs like 1P-LSD illegal. That means you currently can’t order this product if you live in the United States, the UK, continental Europe, Japan, or other locations that have such laws.
So if you’ve always wanted to try microdosing and you live in an area where you can receive this product, maybe it’s worth giving it a try!
Nitrous Oxide for Depression
The psychedelic dissociative that has undoubtedly received the most media attention as of late has been ketamine, which earned a Breakthrough Therapy designation for treatment-resistant depression last March. However, it turns out that another drug in this category might be effective for treating depression as well.
A pilot study found nitrous oxide capable of easing symptoms of depression within just two hours of administration. More research will need to be conducted before we can claim that the drug is actually effective at treating depression, but it’s great to see scientists exploring this avenue of research.
Cocaine Nasal Spray Receives FDA Approval
Medicinal cocaine has been in use since the 1800s but a new form of it was just approved by the U.S. government. The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which works as a local anesthetic for surgeries in the nose cavities, and it’s only for adults.
So if you’re having nasal surgery anytime soon you might be getting a dose of cocaine too!
FDA Plans to Ban Nicotine Flavors
The war against e-cigarettes continued to rage on, with the FDA announcing its plans to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarette vape pods. The ban won’t impact two flavors—tobacco and menthol—but other flavors will be restricted.
Thankfully, the restriction will not affect e-liquids that are used in refillable vaporizers, instead focusing solely on nicotine cartridges.
This caused an uproar from harm reduction advocates around the country who argued that vaping is the most effective way to ease smokers off of cigarettes and that bans like this one don’t make anyone safer. In fact, bans and proposed added taxes might actually end up encouraging people to choose smoking over vaping, which would not be a step in the right direction.
Alcohol Statistics Show Increased Harms
Alcohol consumption in the United States has become increasingly worrisome over the last few years, even though younger Americans have expressed a growing distaste for getting blackout drunk, often reaching for alcohol-free options instead.
However, even though twenty-somethings have glommed onto the idea of virgin beverages and sober nights out, adults who are 35 and over have been experiencing severe repercussions. It turns out that alcohol-related deaths have doubled and while fewer people are binge drinking, those who do are drinking more than in previous years.
GHB Crackdown After Its Used in Sexual Assaults
It’s extremely rare for GHB to show up in the mainstream media so I was quite shocked to see articles about it showing up all over the web this month. Unfortunately the drug was getting attention because it was used by a gay rapist who was convicted for hundreds of sexual offenses, which catalyzed what harm reductionists have described as a “misguided GHB crackdown”.
New South Carolina Psychedelic Research Center
A new psychedelic research center is expected to open up at the Medical University of South Carolina in mid-2021.
Last year there were three psychedelic research centers that opened up, and it’s awesome to see that the trend is continuing in 2020.
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t get enough of psychedelic research!
Plant Medicine Movement Asks People to “Come Out” on Social Media in February
Even with all of the recent psychedelic research showing the healing potentials of psychedelic drugs and the relaxing of laws relating to them, there is still plenty of stigma about psychedelics out there in the mainstream culture.
However, a casual conversation between two friends last summer ended up being the catalyst for a global plant medicine movement that is aiming to raise awareness about the healing potential of psychoactive plant medicines and psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Dubbed “Thank You Plant Medicine”, the grassroots movement is encouraging psychonauts around the world to come out of the psychedelic closet on social media on February 20th, 2020.
So if you have a story of personal healing and transformation that you’d like to share on your social media profiles next month, be sure to use the hashtag #ThankYouPlantMedicine to add your voice to the movement.
The goal is to have more than 100,000 people come out of the psychedelic closet next month, which will hopefully help reduce stigma surrounding psychedelics and inform people about the immense good they can do for the world.
Santa Cruz Decriminalizes Psychedelics
Santa Cruz became the third city in the country to rollback police efforts to investigate and arrest people for possessing or cultivating psychedelic drugs when the city council unanimously approved a decriminalization measure this month.
The wave of psychedelic decriminalization started last May in Denver when voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and Oakland’s city council unanimously voted to make a range of natural psychedelics among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities.
These three cities join New Mexico and Louisiana in having psychedelic decriminalization laws on the books, but the psychedelic law reform movement isn’t likely to stop there. In fact, activists in Oakland are actually working toward creating a legal market for psychedelics later this year.
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Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.
