Weekly Psychedelic Links - August 2022

8.5.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison for drug possession and smuggling (Leafly)

• Another American Caught With Weed in Russia Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison (High Times)

• Cannabis no more of a risk than tobacco and alcohol – study (Cannabis Health News)

• Federal Marijuana Records Would Be Expunged Under New Bipartisan Congressional Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Study Says Legalization Hasn’t Caused More Teens To Try Cannabis (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Cafes Emerge in Post-Legalization Thailand (High Times)

• Study Shows Cannabis Users 55% Less Likely to Develop Common Liver Cancer (High Times)

• Arkansas Marijuana Campaign Files Lawsuit To Put Legalization Measure On Ballot After State Board’s Rejection (Marijuana Moment)

• US weed homegrowers produce 8x more than Colorado legal market, says new report (Leafly)

• Feds Seek Contractor To Help Test Marijuana Compounds In People’s Breath (Marijuana Moment)

• New 3D Structures of Cannabinoid Receptor Inform Safer Drug Design (Psychedelic Science Review)

• New Report Recommends Tips for Successful Cannabis-Impaired Driving Campaigns (High Times)

• Colleges In States That Legalize Marijuana See A Boost In Application Numbers, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Brazilian Government’s Selective Blindness to Cannabis Evidence (TalkingDrugs)

• Largest Federal Workers Union Calls For Ending Marijuana Tests For Most Government Employees In Legal States (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Medidosing LSD: The Middle Way (Lucid News)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin Microdosing Shows No Benefit to Creativity, Cognition, Perception in New Scientific Study (Willamette Week)

• Oregon Psilocybin Rules Set To Be Finalized in December (High Times)

• Lead Plaintiff in Canadian Right To Try Lawsuit Shares His Psilocybin Story (Lucid News)

• The Rise of Casual Shrooms (VICE)

MDMA

• It’s Festival Season! How Should We Group Dose MDMA? (Lucid News)

DMT

• The Real Reason Cybin Bought Entheon’s DMT Clinical Trial (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Ayahuasca

• Study to Analyze Ayahuasca for Refugee Trauma (DoubleBlind)

• Aaron Rodgers Opens Up About Use of Psychedelics, Mental Health (Sports Illustrated)

Mescaline

• Mescaline: A Neglected Tool for Psychotherapy (Sam Woolfe)

Peyote

• The Peyote Plot: The Indigenous Fight to Conserve the Sacred Plant and the Spiritual Medicine it Contains (DoubleBlind)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Drug testers warn of new synthetic cannabinoid being sold as MDMA (The New Zealand Herald)

Ketamine

• Double-action mechanism found that makes ketamine less addictive (New Atlas)

• How ketamine chic became the new heroin chic (Dazed)

Miscellaneous

• Poll States 28% of Americans Have Tried At Least One Psychedelic Substance (High Times)

• The Need for 100,000 Psychedelic Facilitators is Real (LA Weekly)

• Morgan Stanley Publishes Optimistic Report on Psychedelics (Psychedelic Alpha)

• California Bills To Legalize Psychedelics Possession, Allow Interstate Marijuana Commerce And More Teed Up For Key Hurdle Next Week (Marijuana Moment)

• MindMed Board of Directors Approves Reverse Share Split (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Majority Of Americans Support Psychedelics Research For Military Members, New Poll Finds As Bipartisan Reform Advances In Congress (Marijuana Moment)

8.12.22

Cannabis

• Report: Spike in Marijuana Positives Fueling Truck Driver Shortage, Supply Chain Disruptions (NORML)

• Ottawa on track to spend $200M per year on cannabis for veterans (CBC)

• Wisconsin Governor Pardons Several for Cannabis Offenses (High Times)

• Missouri will vote on marijuana legalization in November (Leafly)

• Arkansas Supreme Court Orders State To Put Marijuana Legalization Initiative On Ballot, But Votes May Not Be Counted (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Marijuana Shops Are 98 Percent Compliant With ID Checks To Prevent Underage Sales, State Regulators Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis And Lower COVID Hospitalizations: Is There A Connection? Here’s What A New Study Found (The Fresh Toast)

• Biden DOJ Says Medical Marijuana Patients Are Too ‘Dangerous To Trust’ In Motion To Dismiss Lawsuit On Gun Rights (Marijuana Moment)

• Voters Across Wisconsin Will See Marijuana Questions On Their Ballots In November (Marijuana Moment)

• ‘Very good for tourists’: Thailand aims for high season with U-turn on cannabis (The Guardian)

• The (Possibly) Best and Worst Countries To Get Caught With Pot (Benzinga)

• New Florida Marijuana Legalization Initiative Filed For 2024 Ballot, With Backing Of State’s Largest Medical Cannabis Company (Marijuana Moment)

• Can memory loss be good? How cannabis can help with PTSD (Leafly)

• Arresting illicit weed sellers repeats our drug war mistakes (NJ.com)

LSD

• Neuroscience research suggests LSD might enhance learning and memory by promoting brain plasticity (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin therapy is prompting states to reconsider laws about magic mushrooms (USA Today)

• Many Oregonians will have to vote again on psilocybin (Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• Buried Treasure: How Does Psilocybin Reduce Compulsivity? (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Can Psilocybin Treat Obesity? New Evidence, Future Directions (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Inside the lab that's creating enough psilocybin for everyone on Earth (Wisconsin Public Radio)

• Phase 2 clinical trial to examine efficacy of psilocybin for anorexia nervosa (Healio)

• Coos County cities move to ban psilocybin for medical use in their communities (KCBY)

• Optimi Health To Launch Therapeutic Psilocybin Product In Partnership With Patient Advocate Thomas Hartle (Psychedelic Alpha)

MDMA

• Las Vegas Wastewater Study Finds Absolutely Bonkers Spike In MDMA Levels During EDC (BroBible)

• Where Ecstasy Meets Power: The Unique Risks of MDMA Therapy (Sam Woolfe)

Ayahuasca

• Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Won’t Be Disciplined for Using Psychedelic Drug (Sports Illustrated)

• Aaron Rodgers’ former Packers QB coach reacts to psychedelic drug revelation (New York Post)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Psilera’s New Compounds Show Potential for Significant Treatment Improvement in Depression and Neurodegenerative Disorders (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Majority of 'Bath Salt' Deaths Concentrated in Just Two States (Medpage Today)

• Woman likely drowned after taking hallucinogenic drugs, coroner finds (Stuff.co.nz)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• States That Legalize Marijuana See ‘Significant Reductions’ In Synthetic Cannabinoid Poisonings, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• A 'very unpleasant time' - new synthetic drug in NZ (Radio New Zealand)

Nitrous Oxide

• Urgent warning to parents over teens inhaling nitrous oxide after canisters found across Dublin (The Irish Sun)

Ketamine

• How The Brain Changes In People With Chronic PTSD Following Ketamine Treatment (Healing Maps)

Miscellaneous

• VR is as good as psychedelics at helping people reach transcendence (Technology Review)

• The DARE Program Is Back in Some School Districts — Here’s What to Know (Teen Vogue)

• Compass Pathways Sued for Stealing Trade Secrets (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• An initiative to decriminalize most plant-based psychedelics is likely to fall short on signatures (Colorado Public Radio)

• Colombia’s New President Wants to End the Drug War. Can He Succeed? (Filter)

• Bear high on hallucinogenic 'mad honey' rescued in Turkey (Irish Mirror)

• How Do We End the ‘War on Drugs’? Perhaps Scandinavia Has the Answer.. (Volteface)

• Psychedelics are having a moment and women could be the ones to benefit (MIT Technology Review)

• Over the counter culture: Are psychedelics coming to the corner shop? (The Independent)

• Psychedelics researchers and investors should focus on delivering therapy, not drugs (STAT)

• Muslims on Drugs: Psychedelics, Queerness, and Identity in the Post-9/11 Era (DoubleBlind)

• What Role does Philosophy Play in the Future of Psychedelics? (TalkingDrugs)

• First Reddit Community-Led Scientific Study to Launch on Quantified Citizen (Yahoo!)

• Red Wall Voters Want Drug Law Reform – New Polling Shows (Volteface)

• Psychedelic Clinical Trials and the Michael Pollan Effect (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Young Psychedelic Philanthropist Blazes Path for the Psychedelic Future (Lucid News)

• Rediscovering Our Ancestral Roots of Exploration (Chacruna)

• What Happens when Psychedelics Meets Video Games? (Lucid News)

8.19.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner Appeals Conviction in Russian Drug Case (High Times)

• North Dakota will vote on cannabis legalization in November (Leafly)

• Arkansas court orders recreational cannabis amendment put back on ballot (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Pot-smoking tourists not welcome in Thailand, says health minister (Reuters)

• South Dakota Reservation Bans Alcohol, Allows Cannabis (High Times)

• Analysis: Racial Disparities in Marijuana Possession Arrests Becoming More Pronounced in Prohibition States (NORML)

• ‘Clean weed’ is about to be everywhere in California. Here’s what you need to know (Los Angeles Times)

• Ohio Voters In Seven More Cities Will Decide On Marijuana Decriminalization At The Ballot This November (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Activists Launch Medical Marijuana Ballot Push For 2024 (Marijuana Moment)

• Alberta cannabis sales slow to grow as online identity verification deters consumers, say retailers (CBC)

• Gallup: Those with First-Hand Experience with Cannabis Likely to Perceive It Positively (NORML)

• Majority Of Texas Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Most Wisconsin Voters—Including Republicans—Support Legalizing Marijuana, Poll Shows (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• Is Oregon Ready for the Coming Psilocybin-Fueled Mushroom Tourism Boom? (Portland Monthly)

• Optimi Health Unveils Canada’s First Natural Therapeutic Psilocybin Product For Approved Patients (Psychedelic Alpha)

MDMA

• Warnings over dangerously high-strength MDMA pills found at Boardmasters (Mixmag)

DMT

• Small Pharma Receives Approval for DMT-Assisted Psychotherapy and SSRI Drug Interaction Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• The Misfortune of “Right Wing” Psychedelia” in Brazil (Chacruna)

• Anonymous Letter to Conservative Masters of the UDV (Chacruna)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• MindMed Shelves 18-MC for Opioid Use Disorder and Further Cuts Pipeline (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Nitrous Oxide

• Atlanta neighbors frustrated by nitrous oxide use outside Widespread Panic show (KMIZ)

Ketamine

• We Asked the Experts: What Exactly is in Ketamine? (TalkingDrugs)

Miscellaneous

• Video of a forester who found a drunken bear gorged on hallucinogenic honey became a hit on the Internet (The Saxon)

• California Psychedelics Legalization Bill Gutted by Key Committee (DoubleBlind)

• Psychedelics as a sacrament? Lawsuit says drugs are a religious right. (The Washington Post)

• Integration of psychedelic experiences linked to self-actualization via improvements in personal development and self-insight (PsyPost)

• Two In Five Americans Say They’ve Changed Their Mind On Drug Policy, With Most Becoming “More Liberal,” Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

8.26.22

Cannabis

• Federal Trade Commission issues refunds to CBD buyers, here’s why (Leafly)

• Nebraska Officials Will Take A Second Look At Signatures For Rejected Medical Marijuana Ballot Measures (Marijuana Moment)

• New medical marijuana campaign launches in Idaho for 2024 ballot (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Study Shows 20% Increase in Frequency of Cannabis Consumption in Recreational States (High Times)

• FBI Says CBD Use Is An ‘Automatic Disqualifier’ For Employment Despite Federal Hemp Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Oklahoma’s legalization initiative at risk due to state delay (Leafly)

• The casualties of California legalizing pot: Growers who went legal (The Washington Post)

• U.S. Forest Service Reminds Workers Of Federal Marijuana Ban And Warns Against CBD Use (Marijuana Moment)

• Dennis Rodman Proposes To Negotiate Russia Brittney Griner Release (High Times)

• Why The Legal Cannabis Industry Needs The Black Market (Forbes)

• Legalization Opponents Sue To Block Initiative From Missouri Ballot (High Times)

• Cannabis for Chronic Pain Linked to Slightly Increased Risk of Arrhythmia (Healthline)

LSD

• First Patient Dosed in Trial of LSD for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Psychiatric Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psilocybin May Help Treat Alcohol Addiction, Study Shows (TIME)

• Three Out Of Four Oregon Counties Will Vote On Banning Or Postponing Psilocybin Services This November (Marijuana Moment)

• Inside Paul Stamets’ Massive Microdosing Study (DoubleBlind)

Ayahuasca

• Mormon Bishop And Former GOP Utah Rep. Champions Ayahuasca After Faith-Affirming Psychedelic Experience (Marijuana Moment)

5-MeO-DMT

• Trip Advisors: Group Promotes 5-MeO-DMT Harm Reduction By Exposing Shamanic Hustlers (Forbes)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• The DEA is Attempting to Ban Two New Psychedelic Drugs (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Clearmind Medicine Announces Additional Positive Pre-Clinical Results for its Cocaine Addiction Treatment (Psychedelic Alpha)

• BetterLife Lead Drug (BETR-001) Promotes Structural Neural Plasticity with Possible Nootropic Effects Similar to That of LSD Without Hallucinogenic Side Effects (Psychedelic Alpha)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing Gas During Labor Is Becoming More Popular Among Women in the United States (People)

Ketamine

• Ketamine’s upgrade to an employee benefit in US may hasten the legitimacy of psychedelics in SA (BizNews)

DXM

• FDA Approves First, Only NMDA Receptor Antagonist for Major Depressive Disorder (Pharmacy Times)

Miscellaneous

• Psychedelic Stocks: MindMed and atai Slash their Pipelines, Mydecine Collapses (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psychedelics Use Increasing Among Adults, But Decreasing For Teens, New Federally Funded Studies Find (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic-occasioned mystical experiences linked to increased pro-environmental behaviors (PsyPost)

• How near-death experiences and psychedelics alter attitudes about death (EurekAlert!)

• Does Microdosing Actually Work? The Science Is Still Conflicted (VICE)

• Issues of Patient Safety and Ethical Violations in Psychedelic Therapy (Psychedelic Science Review)

• As Plant-Medicine Churches Grow, Legal Questions Linger (Lucid News)

• This Psychedelic Theater Troupe Has Been Quietly Changing the World for Decades (DoubleBlind)

• Do Psychedelic Trips Actually Start In The Gut Instead Of The Brain? (Healing Maps)

• The Psychedelic Community Takes Itself Too Seriously (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Ethics in Psychedelic Therapy: The Promises and Pitfalls of Increased Suggestibility (Sam Woolfe)

• Do You Even Trip, Bro? On Psychedelic Masculinity (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• How Long Can the Psychedelic Renaissance Last? (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• The Legal Risks of Psychedelic Therapy and Coaching (EntheoNation)

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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 Psychedelics - 1.15.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Cigarettes Linked to Lower Grades in Adolescents, Not Cannabis (High Times)
• Study Concludes Biking While High on Marijuana Isn't Dangerous (Marijuana.com)
• Yes, pot is stronger today, but not for the reasons you think (Los Angeles Times)
• After Healing His Own Cancer with Cannabis, Self-Taught Doctor Helped over 5000 Patients (Anti Media)
• Will 2016 Be the Year of Cannabis? (The Huffington Post)
• The Head of the Democratic Party is a Huge Hypocrite on Marijuana (ATTN:)
• An inside look at the ritziest weed parties in America (The Cannabist)
• Study: Marijuana Associated With Decreased Migraine Frequency (NORML)
• Less is More: Medical Cannabis Micro-Dosing (Reset.me)
• NORML's Legislative Round Up January 14th, 2016 (NORML)
• How Cannabis Can Help You Cut Back on Alcohol and Live Healthier (Leafly)
• Serial entrepreneur Mark Hadfield sets his sites on medical cannabis with HelloMD (San Francisco Business Times)
• Israeli Health Ministry Plans to Lift Restrictions on Growing Medical Cannabis (Haaretz)
• Smugglers disguise marijuana as carrots (Boing Boing)
• Dad pushes for medical cannabis to help autistic son (NBC4i)
• Anti-Legalization Lawsuit Shows Conservative Constitutionalists Have Marijuana-Related Memory Loss (Reason)
• Study: Cannabis Use Not Predictive Of Lower IQ, Poorer Education Performance (NORML)
• Windy City Cannabis Set to Open Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Justice (Patch)
• These Oregon Cities Have Banned Cannabis (Leafly)
• Medical Marijuana Seller Faces Prison in Washington, Where Pot Is Legal (Reason)
• Jail for man who grew £12k of cannabis at home (The Gazette)

LSD

• How Taking Acid Helped Me Stop Smoking (Newsweek)
• Five Facts Besides Steve Jobs and Bill Gates that You Didn't know About LSD (Clapway)
• Family sues over Tennessee man's death in police custody (Centre Daily Times)
• Forbes endorses LSD: Is the end near? (SFGate)
• Camp Lejeune Marine charged with trafficking Ecstasy, LSD (Stars and Stripes)
• Teen who used LSD to sexually assault victim sentenced to prison (Petoskey News-Review)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• '4-hour Workweek' author Tim Ferriss plans to donate $100,000 toward studying how to treat depression with psychedelics like magic mushrooms (Yahoo! News)
• Psilocybin Mushrooms Gave Me The Insight I Needed To Ease My Chronic Depression (Reset.me)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• The Creativity of MDMA Pill Pressing (Magnetic Magazine)
• How Reversing Drug Stigmas Can Save Lives: Interview with MDMA: The Movie Director Emmanuel Sferios (Psychedelic Times)
• Kids Company psychologist pleads to keep job after giving MDMA to client (The Guardian)
• Rikers Island Jail Fairly Confident Its Missing Ecstasy Pills Are Gone For Good (Gawker)
• Red Wolf, Cookie Monster and Facebook: How 'killer' ecstasy pills are flooding UK streets (Daily Star)
• Ingleside man gets 6 years for providing Ecstasy before woman's death (Chicago Tribune)
• Give Me Your Love – ingenious PTSD play boxes itself in (The Guardian)
• Johor police bust Ecstasy drug lab (The New Paper)
• MDMA discovered in glasses case of Barnstaple man (North Devon Journal)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Ayahuasca And Cancer: One Man's Healing Experience (Reset.me)
• Sacred Plants: In Praise of Wildflowers and Ayahuasca (Tablet Magazine)
• How A Spiritual Practice Supports Ayahuasca in Personal Healing (Reset.me)
• The Canadian Man Who Killed a British Guy at an Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru Speaks Out (VICE)
• Pope Francis Reveals White Smoke At Papal Conclave Is Actually DMT (Wunderground)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Ayahuasca & Huachuma: One Person's Account Of Their Experience (Neon Nettle)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Medical Use of iBogaine Treatment Approved in Brazil (iBogaine Thailand)

Salvia Divinorum

• Salvia Divinorum (California Poison Control System)

Dissociatives

• WHO Opposes Chinese Request to Restrict Access to Ketamine (Psychiatry Advisor)
• FDA and Congress should let doctors, patients take K train (The Register-Herald)
• CBS News Features Dr. Ashraf Hanna Describing How IV Ketamine is Successfully Treating Fibromyalgia Pain Patients (PR Newswire)
• The novel ketamine analog methoxetamine produces dissociative-like behavior in rodents. (National Institutes of Health)
• New type of antidepressant found to act quickly in mice (EurekAlert!)
• We're Entering A New Era In How We Treat Depression (Newsy)
• Chemical fights thoughts of suicide (The Australian)
• PCP seized from vehicle, two arrested (Your4State)
• Police seize 25kg of drugs worth HK$6.25 million at private Hong Kong housing estate (South China Morning Post)

Opiates/Opioids

• Anatomy Of Addiction: How Heroin And Opioids Hijack the Brain (NPR)
• Did Painkiller Crackdown Cause Heroin Epidemic? (WebMD)
• Delhi sees sharp rise in seizure of opium, poppy heads (The Statesman)
• Panel recommends FDA approve implant to treat opiate addiction (USA Today)
• Heroin Is the Worst Thing to Ever Happen to Me, and I've Never Touched It (The Huffington Post)
• Naloxone overdose antidote should be available over the counter, Health Canada says (CBC News)
• Heroin laced with pesticide making way through N.J. (NJ.com)
• Sailor held with 52kg opium denies drug charges (Gulf News)

Absinthe

• Get out with the Green Fairy: Where to Drink Absinthe in the Bay Area (7x7)

Kratom

• Product Seizure Shows FDA Serious about Kratom (Natural Products Insider)
• Kratom: A drug to cure a different addiction? (WJZY)
• How Kratom Can Make 2016 Your Best Year Yet (Return Of Kings)
• What is Red Bali Kratom? Positive/Negative Effects and Cost of Red Bali Kratom (Kratom Guides)
• Kratom Crackdown re: Dietary Guidelines (The National Law Review)
• AG: Grateful Toad violates Kratom labeling requirements (Press Republican)

Kava

• Vanuatu to host major international Kava Conference (Vanuatu Daily Post)
• First Colorado Springs kava bar promises relaxing, happy time (Colorado Springs Gazette)
• Greenville's first kava bar mixes it up (Greenville Online)
• 215 two-year old kava plants sold at vt255, 000 in Vanuatu (One Papua New Guinea)
• Learning to relax on Fiji time (Stuff.co.nz)

Khat

• Illegal 'miraa' farming blamed for poor student performance (IPPmedia)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• DanceSafe Founder Emmanuel Sferios Discusses Harm Reduction and Festival Drug Testing (Psychedelic Times)
• Drug Cartel Kingpin 'El Chapo' Guzman Recaptured in Mexico (ATTN:)
• Baltimore psychologist pioneers team using psychedelics as 'sacred' medicine (The Guardian)
• 20 Safety Suggestions for Participating in Ceremonies That Use Psychoactive Substances (Reality Sandwich)
• Everything You Wanted To Know About Microdosing (But Were Afraid To Ask)
• David Bowie's Infamous Mugshot Is Indicative of Early 'War on Drugs' (ATTN:)
• How Long Drugs Stay in Your System (ATTN:)
• What is Psychedelic Therapy? How Visionary Plants and Other Psychedelics Give Hope to the Weary (Psychedelic Times)
• How a psychedelic sex GIF animator went viral after getting banned on Facebook (Boing Boing)
• How the Mexican Drug Trade First Began (TIME)
• Psychedelic Spiritual Experience—An Integral View (Reality Sandwich)
• 5 books that bust the myths of drug writing (Boing Boing)
• The band of psychiatrists who are looking to reclaim psychedelics for medicine again (Medical Xpress)
• Androgyny and psychedelic make-up: David Bowie's impact on fashion can't be overstated (The Telegraph)
• How the War on Drugs Came Between the U.S. and Mexico (TIME)
• Bruce's History Lessons: The father of '60s drug culture (Appeal-Democrat)

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 (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Year in Psychedelics - 2015

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy New Year's Eve! 2015 has been yet another interesting year to follow psychedelic news—both the factual representations and wildly inaccurate media "reports" have brought a lot to the table. This article will present the major themes and trends that were found in the latter half of the year, beginning on the June 5th, which corresponds with this year's first This Week in Psychedelics article.

First, I want to provide a bit of background on what it took to get here. I have been an avid Reality Sandwich reader since 2007, and I looked forward to each new edition of Neşe Devenot's This Week in Psychedelics column. Every week, she posted 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).

Devenot gave up "This Week in Psychedelics" more than two years ago to pursue what has proved to be an extremely successful career in academia. This year I was able to successfully bring the column back—first on Think Wilder, and then on Reality Sandwich as well. The following is my analysis of this year's coverage of psychedelics and similar psychoactive substances.

Cannabis

Cannabis was in the news a lot this year, with articles being published on topics including drug policies, newly-discovered medical applications, cannabis scientific research, the fledging cannabis industry, a slew of hilarious poorly-executed drug delivery attempts, and more.

To begin, there were pro-cannabis drug policy movements at the state level across the United States of America, as well as on the international stage in countries like Italy, Australia, Mexico, Iran, and Colombia. Canada legalized cannabis oils and edibles, and its new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proudly announced plans to completely legalize the plant.

Stories about cannabis oils and their affinity for helping young children with a variety of needs were aplenty. The medical uses for cannabis expanded even further, with focuses on cannabis benefits for ailments such as epilepsy, colon and kidney cancers, low sex drives, broken bones, social anxieties, celiac disease, insomnia, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Cannabis was also found to help with weight loss, pain management, and drug addiction treatment. Cannabis research included studies on cannabis-involved driving and an upcoming study that will look into cannabis for assisting military veterans that have PTSD.

In the area of cannabis-related crime, London police were astonished to find a cannabis "forest" as big as a soccer field. Cannabis dealers missed the mark at least three times this year, including the time that $10,000 of cannabis fell out of the sky onto a family's home, when 50 pounds of pot were accidentally mailed to the incorrect address, and when a man found cannabis stashed in an Arizona Iced Tea can that he purchased at Walmart. The FBI released data showing that there is a cannabis-related arrest every 45 seconds in the U.S.

Candidates involved with the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election have had to confront the cannabis issue several times, and this will most likely continue into next year as the election cycle continues. The cannabis industry was covered thoroughly, with topics including how women are finding success in the industry, cannabis-themed vacation resorts, and tons of cannabis expos. Cannabis churches began popping up to encourage and celebrate the spiritual use of (and argue for the religious right to use) cannabis. Hemp began to once again make its way as a popular building material. Russia threatened to block Wikipedia over a specific cannabis article. And finally, Australia's pitiful anti-cannabis "stoner sloth" campaign backfired terribly and was ridiculed on social media.

LSD

The main story about LSD throughout the year involved the concept of microdosing, which is not exclusive to LSD but usually involves one of the classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline-containing cacti). The media seemingly could not get enough of headlines comparing tiny doses of LSD to cups of coffee, and the topic was covered in a generally-favorable manner.

A man died after being left hogtied for an hour by police following a Widespread Panic show, and there have been conflicting evidence found by various autopsies performed as to whether he died from LSD toxicity (which would literally be the first occurrence of a lethal LSD dose) or from rough treatment by the police officers. In fact, LSD was blamed for several fatal "overdoses" this year, although those deaths would likely be more accurately attributed to psychoactive research chemicals like 25i-NBOMe.

Scientific studies showed that LSD can enhance the emotional response to music. Other studies looking at  the potential efficacy of LSD that are currently ongoing focus on the treatment of depression, cluster headaches, and smoking cessation.

This year also birthed the creation and performance of LSD: The Opera, and a fascinating history of the connection between the CIA and LSD.

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

Compared to cannabis and LSD, there wasn't as much media coverage of psilocybin mushrooms (or "magic mushrooms" in general) this year, but two highlights include Russia banning Reddit over a single 'shroom thread and a lot of articles detailing the connection between amanita muscaria mushrooms and the origins of Christmas, including one I published last week.

Current research studies are looking into the application of psilocybin to treat depression, general anxieties, cluster headaches, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), smoking cessation, end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients, schizophrenia, and the effect of psilocybin on longterm meditators.

MDMA/Ecstasy

MDMA and ecstasy experienced a bit of both sides this year, with a lot of negative media coverage focused on things like overdoses and deaths as well as positive reports concerning the findings of ongoing MDMA scientific research studies.

There were many articles covering MDMA-related overdoses and deaths, although it is not certain that MDMA was the actual substance involved in every one of these articles. The media tends to over-report deaths that might possibly be related to MDMA, which are actually few and far between, while ignoring the deaths and other issues caused by alcohol. Due to these incidents, there were many efforts made by authorities to ban raves entirely, which is a bit odd because that seems a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water. There were also warning about ecstasy tablets being "too pure", which sounds confusing at first but ultimately makes sense within the full context. Although drug users would most likely appreciate receiving extremely-pure drugs, if they are accustomed to taking a large dose because all they have been acquiring in the past is not actually the drug they thought it to be, then when they receive the real thing and take the same dose, it can be too large and cause several issues. As happens every year, parents were warned in October that their children may be given ecstasy tablets disguised as candy, an assertion that doesn't make any sense, as drug dealers sell drugs to make profit, not to give away for free to children.

Regarding MDMA-related scientific studies, the DEA approved a study that will look at treating anxiety with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and ongoing studies include MDMA's potential role in helping people on the autism spectrum and sufferers of PTSD. There was definitely more negative coverage of MDMA than positive coverage, but the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is well on its way to legitimizing MDMA in the eyes of the FDA due to its it's decades-long dedication to psychedelic research, and is still on target to legalize MDMA to be used for psychotherapeutic use by 2021.

Ayahuasca/DMT

A Hebrew professor set forth an argument that Moses was under the influence of DMT when he saw the "burning bush". There have been claims of a legal ayahuasca church in the U.S., but the church's actual legal standing has been called into question.

Sadly, as has been the case for the past few years, ayahuasca was involved in the death of at least two people this year. One man died in Peru as a result of a tobacco purge ceremony, but ayahuasca was mentioned in the story because he was also in Peru to experience the medicine. And another man was stabbed to death by a fellow ayahuasca ceremony participant in a rare display of ayahuasca-related violence.

Ongoing scientific studies regarding ayahuasca include the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. A study also found that ayahuasca drinkers regularly have improved mental health.

Iboga/Ibogaine

Iboga and ibogaine were mainly presented as detox treatments for opiate and methamphetamine addictions, which has been found to be extremely successful for many. There was also a powerful account of how iboga helped a schizophrenic drug addict reclaim his life.

Salvia Divinorum

Aside from being announced as another potential plant useful for treating substance abuse and addictions, salvia divinorum didn't show up much in the media at all this year.

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

There was quite a bit of media coverage earlier in the year a scourge of the synthetic cannabinoid blend called "spice" (also known as "K2") in the northeast, but that story has mostly died off as of late. There has been a lot of negative coverage of the compound 25i-NBOMe (also known as "N-Bomb") and there was an interview with the man who originally synthesized it. "Legal highs" have been making their way into jails and prisons by being soaked into letters and pages of books. And a homeopathy conference ended terribly after attendees erupted in panic after being dosed with 2C-E.

Dissociatives

Protesters in the United Kingdom staged a demonstration against the Psychoactive Substances bill by inhaling nitrous oxide in front of the Parliament building. Basically every PCP story was framed in a negative light and played up an illegal act performed by someone high on the substance.

Ketamine had a lot of favorable coverage due to studies showing that it is helpful in treating depression. And due to the increased media coverage, governments around the world began considering placing ketamine under a stricter class of illegal drugs, which has worried veterinarians, pharmacists and medical health professionals because that may prevent them from being able to access the drug, even for legitimate medical reasons. Finally, a lot of time was spent arguing about whether or not a man fed ketamine to a seagull, even though he denied having done so.

Opiates/Opioids

Heroin use is in America is way up and so are overdoses—in fact, heroin usage has been widely described as an “epidemic”. Since it is mainly affecting white and middle class folks, this year's victims of heroin addiction have been mostly pitied, rather than lambasted as in years past. Still, the heroin issue has thrust the horrors of the drug war into even more people's faces, and it may prove to have a positive effect on drug policies overall.

Fentanyl found in heroin has led to an increase in overdoses, and research is showing that legal prescription drugs are leading people to become addicted to heroin and in many cases, die from overdose. The overdose drug naloxone has been in the media spotlight—information about it has spread fairly rapidly, and the FDA approved a nasal spray version for easier application.

Kratom/Kava/Khat

There has been a series of back-and-forth debates on the issues of safety and efficacy with regard to these plants, and kava in particular has been focused on recently with research into the effects of driving under the influence of the plant. Other than those topics the majority of coverage on these plants has been related to seizures by law enforcement.

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

Psychedelics have made their way into mainstream entertainment, being talked discussed in songs written by musicians like A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and Miley Cyrus. Many celebrities and other well-known people came out of the psychedelic closet, admitting to past usage of psychedelics. These include John Cusack, musician Brian Wilson, Lindsay Lohan, the late neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, radio personality Robin Quivers, CNN reporter Lisa Ling, musician Vanessa Carlton, former Apple employee Daniel Kottke, and Star Wars animator Phil Tippet. Many others have come out publicly against the drug war, including a strong assertion from David Nutt about why banning psychedelics has been the greatest censorship of medicine in human history.

Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder of the Silk Road, was convicted and received two life sentences plus an additional 40 years. I encourage everyone to check out the website Free Ross Ulbricht, which has plenty of information about how his trial was mishandled and how he may have even been framed by the U.S. government. Even though the Silk Road is no longer in operation, purchasing illegal substances on the dark web continues to be in fashion and shows no sign of slowing down.

The DEA had an incredibly rough year in 2015. Current DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg claimed that cannabis is "probably" not as bad as heroin and later corrected himself by admitting that it in fact is definitely not as bad as heroin. Later, he called medical marijuana a "joke", leading medical marijuana patients around the country to officially call for his resignation. DEA agents at JFK airport stole $44,000 from a legitimate nail salon owner who hadn't committed any crimes whatsoever. The two primary agents involved with the Silk Road investigation have been accused of stealing more than $700,000 in Bitcoin from the dark web site. Amtrak passengers have been routinely harassed by DEA agents. The DEA was sued by Human Rights Watch and Electronic Frontier Foundation over the illegal bulk collection of America’s telephone records and lost the case. The U.S. Senate voted to force the DEA to butt out of medical marijuana states. The DEA spent undisclosed millions of dollars the past ten years on cell phone tracking and has refused to release the acquisition documents. Agents were caught soliciting Colombian prostitutes that were supplied by the drug cartels that they are supposedly fighting. And finally, the daughter of a DEA head was busted for selling illegal drugs. So yeah, how long are we going to keep these bozos around, exactly?

Harm reduction has made headlines this year, with an emphasis on the need for drug users to test their substances before consuming them. NASA released a bunch of cool psychedelic images and videos from space. Google took it one step further and developed its "Deep Dream" code, which mimics the visual perception of a machine and resulted in some mind-blowing psychedelic videos. Oddly enough, the sale of Janis Joplin's "psychedelic Porsche" showed up in the news time and time again.  Buddhism and psychedelics showed up quite a bit. It seemed to me that there was a moment in the year where there was almost nothing but positive articles about psychedelics, mostly in regard to the current state and findings of psychedelic research studies. The New Yorker published a fantastic interview with Earth and Fire, the creators of the drug education website Erowid. Perhaps most strikingly, Richard Branson leaked the news that the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was expected to publish documents advising for the reversal of the drug war, and then it never did, allegedly because it received pressure from a country heavily involved in the drug war.

All in all, it has been quite a year! I am greatly looking forward to bringing you more news related to psychedelics and psychoactive substances in 2016. I hope that you will join me. Until next time, keep thinking wilder!