Policy
There will be a handful of drug policy reforms attempted in 2023. For starters, California will once more try to decriminalize psychedelics statewide next year. Meanwhile, New York will try its hands at legalizing psychedelics.
When it comes to cannabis reform efforts, Oklahoma will hold a special election in March to decide on cannabis legalization and the governors of both Pennsylvania and Hawaii have signaled support, which means they could end up legalizing in 2023 as well.
Industry
A California jury found the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) partially responsible for the death of a 20 year-old woman who died after being seen at Zendo Project (the nonprofit’s harm reduction organization) during the 2017 Lightning in a Bottle music festival. The MAPS employees were found to be negligent and that negligence was determined to be a significant factor in the death. The case verdict found MAPS to be 25% liable and ordered the association pay $1 million in damages to the victim’s mothers.
Following up on last month’s story about an above-ground shroom dispensary in Florida, the shop has stopped selling its amanita muscaria products after the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services put a stop to their operation.
Research
Working with cannabis to treat pain is a common use case, but a new research found that relief may simply come down to believing it will help. In fact, according to the study’s lead author “The placebo response amounted to 67% of the pain relief associated with genuine cannabinoids.” While this doesn’t completely rule out the efficacy of using cannabis to treat pain, it does throw some cold water on the fire.
Harm Reduction
In a surprising turn of events, the powerful deliriant datura stramonium was responsible for contaminating baby spinach, prompting a “hallucinogenic spinach recall”. The weed is also known as thornapple or jimsonweed, and it caused more than 160 people to experience delirium and hallucinations.
Miscellaneous
After spending the majority of 2022 behind bars in a Russian prison for allegedly “smuggling” a THC vape pen into the country, WNBA player Brittney Griner was released in a prisoner swap in exchange for a Russian arms dealer. While we can celebrate her release, it’s unfortunate that this drug war-induced traumatic experience will follow Griner along for the rest of her life.
That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.
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