Let’s face the facts. It’s incredibly tough to keep up with psychoactive drug news nowadays.
There’s a ton happening, and this month was certainly no exception. In this blog post I cover the most important news stories from February so that you can stay up-to-date regarding what’s going on without having to spend all of your time tracking down stories and figuring out which ones are actually worth reading.
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:
First-Ever Thank You Plant Medicine Day
Last week thousands of people all across the globe shared stories on social media expressing gratitude for the important role plant medicines and psychedelic compounds played in helping address a wide range of issues.
This coordinated effort was all part of the first-ever Thank You Plant Medicine Day, which inspired stories of gratitude that were shared on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Snapchat. This day of gratitude for psychedelics gave people the encouragement they needed to come out of the psychedelic closet online, many for the first time.
I joined in the fun too, producing a YouTube video and blog post discussing how psychedelics have helped heal me from a variety of conditions and catalyze a personal transformation that has resulted in a much different person than I was 15 years ago.
Psychedelic Companies Are About to Go Public
A psychedelic company based in Toronto will soon be listed on a Canadian stock exchange, marking the first time a business in the psychedelic space has gone public.
Mind Medicine Inc. (MindMed) is currently preparing for a Phase 2 clinical trial looking at using ibogaine to treat opioid addiction. The company is aiming to become one of the first publicly listed neuro-pharmaceutical companies developing psychedelics.
Competitors are still weighing their options. London-based company Compass Pathways has not commented on whether its planning a public listing, but Ronan Levy of Field Trip Psychedelics Inc. (also known as Field Trip) is considering a public listing, although both companies might end up getting private funding instead.
Here in the U.S., if any American psychedelic companies decide to go public they would be able to list on the Canadian Securities Exchange even though they aren’t able to do so in their home country.
Federal Vaping Flavor Ban Goes Into Effect
The federal vaping flavor ban went into effect earlier this month, banning all flavors other than menthol and tobacco in an attempt to reduce teenagers’ access to nicotine vapes.
But the reality of the situation is probably not what you’re thinking of when you hear the phrase “federal vaping flavor ban”.
The restriction only applies to one specific category of devices: cartridges or pre-filled pod devices, like the ones made by Juul. The full range of flavors is still available in several other forms though, including refillable vapes, nicotine pouches, and some disposable vaping devices.
Journal Retracts Problematic E-Cigarettes Study
A paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal last year was retracted this month after a review identified serious issues with its findings. The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, falsely claimed that e-cigarette users were more likely to have had heart attacks.
However, the study’s authors didn’t get things right.
It turns out that the majority of the vapers studied had suffered a heart attack on average a decade before they even started using e-cigarettes. In other words, there isn’t sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a relationship between vaping and heart attacks.
Unfortunately, even though the study was retracted, it’s already done quite a bit of damage to e-cigarettes reputation due to widespread media coverage last year and its unlikely those same media outlets will cover the retraction.
UK Rejects Ketamine Nasal Spray
Back in December the UK granted a license to the nasal spray form of ketamine, known as Spravato or esketamine, for the treatment of severe depression. It looked like treating depression was right around the corner.
But that progress hit a stopping point this month when a UK assessment agency called the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided against integrating Spravato into the UK health system. NICE expressed concerns over Spravato’s efficacy for treating depression and its cost-effectiveness, claiming there isn’t enough evidence to approve the drug at this time.
The drug’s developer, Johnson and Johnson, may file for an appeal but would need to provide new evidence to support its case in order for Spravato to eventually be incorporated into the UK’s healthcare system.
New Investigation Finds Vaping Lung Injuries Started in 2007
New cases of vaping-associated pulmonary injury, or VAPI, have decreased dramatically this year compared to 2019, but a new investigation found that contrary to popular belief, these issues didn’t actually spring up overnight last year.
In fact, it turns out they actually date back all the way to 2007.
I was right about one thing over the course of the VAPI epidemic last year—these lung injuries can be caused by more than just vitamin E acetate. The investigation found that toxic pesticides, metals, solvents, oils, and heated byproducts also led to injuries.
However, a lot of people (myself included) were wrong about something else—VAPI isn’t exclusively related to THC after all. But that doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of cases last year involved illicit THC vape cartridges, not nicotine e-cigarettes or weed vapes sold by legally regulated shops in states that have legalized cannabis. This investigation also found that unregulated cartridges containing nicotine, CBD, or other drugs like DMT or kratom can also cause lung injuries.
We need federal regulations for vaping products now more than ever, but it turns out that problems with vaping stretch back even further than some of us previously thought.
Washington DC Psychedelic Decriminalization Ballot Measure Advances
A measure to decriminalize psychedelics in Washington, D.C. advanced this month when the Board of Elections approved the initiative’s ballot language.
Similar to other cities that have decriminalized psychedelics within the last year, the D.C. measure would not change the laws that currently ban psychedelics. Instead, it would make enforcing those laws among the lowest priorities for law enforcement and request that the attorney general and federal prosecutor stop prosecuting people for these offenses.
Marijuana Reforms Advance in Several Places
Cannabis reform efforts made a ton of progress in February. When it comes to legalizing marijuana at the state level, New Hampshire and Vermont advanced legalization bills and Ohio filed a legalization measure for the November ballot.
Medical marijuana bills in Kentucky and Alabama moved forward and lawmakers in Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to decriminalize cannabis possession in the state.
Other countries are warming up to the idea of legalizing cannabis too, with Croatia, Luxembourg, and Israel thinking about relaxing their laws. We’re still waiting on Mexico to finalize its legalization framework though.
But not all reform efforts were successful—New Mexico, Mississippi, and Arizona ran into roadblocks that may prevent the states from moving forward with legalizing recreational or medical marijuana.
Denver Holds World’s First Psilocybin Policy Review Panel Meeting
The city that started the wave of psychedelic decriminalization in America held its first psilocybin mushroom policy review panel meeting to discuss how things have been going since the fungi were decriminalized last year.
Denver’s district attorney and a sheriff deputy met with Kevin Matthews, the man behind the decriminalization movement, in front of an audience of tie-dye wearing people who came out to watch. Sara Gael Giron, a harm reduction advocate from Boulder, also served on the panel.
By all accounts it seems like things are going well so far. The first task is to figure out reporting criteria for local law enforcement agencies regarding psilocybin mushrooms, which must be done by March 31. The panel will also be responsible for presenting a report to Denver City Council a year from now on the effects of decriminalization.
Who would’ve thought that decriminalizing one of the safest psychoactive substances around would have gone so smoothly? (Well… I did, as did most psychonauts, I’d imagine.)
Will Boulder Be the Next City to Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms?
And Denver might not be the only city to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in Colorado. It looks like advocates in Boulder are pushing for it too.
However, this reform effort would go one step further by taking the Decriminalize Nature approach that Oakland and Santa Cruz employed to decriminalize multiple psychedelic plants and fungi all at once.
New Drug Testing Techniques Can Detect MDMA and Cocaine Use
Drug testing technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. Scientists unveiled a technique that involves using speech pattern technology to detect whether you’re under the influence of MDMA. It may sound farfetched, but is it really that much crazier than using thermal cameras at raves to find people in the crowd who are high?
And a new fingerprint test is capable of determining the difference between someone who has actually taken cocaine vs. someone who has just touched it.
It’s amazing to see all the ingenuity that goes into drug testing tech, but I can’t help but feel like that energy could be better spent on more worthy endeavors.
Philly’s Supervised Injection Site Gets Final Approval From Federal Judge
Harm reductionists in Philadelphia have a lot to celebrate this month, as a long battle to open the nation’s first legal supervised injection site finally received approval from a federal judge. Safehouse was hoping to open its doors next week but after intense opposition announced it will hold more community meetings before proceeding.
Wearable Microdosing Technology Patented
In an unexpected turn of events, the patent for a new personalized perfume technology included a section on wearable microdoses that could be consumed via spraying a scent into the air from a device like a watch. The concept was based on Philip K Dick’s sci-fi book Ubik.
Will wearable microdoses ever make it to market? Will they even work? Does it even matter in the first place? I don’t know.
Case Report Covers Extreme LSD Overdoses
An astounding paper co-authored by Mark Haden, the executive director of MAPS Canada, looked at three case reports featuring extremely large doses of LSD. Unexpected health benefits came out of these psychedelic trips, including mental health improvements, pain reduction, and an easing of opioid withdrawal symptoms. One woman accidentally consumed 500ug (5 times more than a normal dose) during her first trimester of an unknown pregnancy and the baby turned out just fine.
But the case that takes the cake belongs to a woman who accidentally mistook LSD for cocaine and snorted a whopping 55mg of LSD. That’s 550 times more than a normal dose—a completely insane amount.
All of the subjects survived and experienced bizarre health benefits.
Man Regains Sense of Smell with Psilocybin
One of the stand-out stories from Thank You Plant Medicine Day involved a man who regained his sense of smell—lost after a severe car crash two years prior—following the use of psilocybin mushrooms.
These magical fungi must be effective at treating many more issues that we know of at this time, but as more people come out of the psychedelic closet and share their experiences with the world we will continue to learn of their true potential.
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Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.