This Week in Psychoactives - 1.4.19

CANNABIS

• Israeli Parliament Passes Bill Allowing Export Of Medical Marijuana (Forbes)

• The New Congress Just Started And There’s Already A Bipartisan Marijuana Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Analysis Explores Relationship Between Medical Marijuana And Opioid Overdoses (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis 'twice as strong as a decade ago' (Sky News)

• Study: Festival Attendees Use Different Drugs Based On Music Genre, But They All Love Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Companies Expect Big Growth After Trump Legalizes Hemp (Forbes)

• The Government Shutdown Is Preventing Farmers From Growing Hemp (Marijuana Moment)

• New laws ban ‘fake weed,’ create certification requirement for pot workers (Chicago Sun-Times)

• Federal Marijuana Prosecutions Are Dropping In Era Of Legalization, Chief Justice Reports (Marijuana Moment)

• Public banking plan for California’s marijuana industry takes big hit (San Francisco Chronicle)

• Terpenoids In Marijuana Also Help Reduce Inflammation, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• First study to track EU cannabis products finds increased price and potency (The GrowthOp)

• New York Gov. Cuomo Pledges Marijuana Legalization In Inaugural Address (Marijuana Moment)

• Protecting Your IP Is (No Surprise) Even Harder in the Cannabis Business (San Antonio Express-News)

• What Makes a Hotel 420-Friendly? Portland's Jupiter Hotel Might Have the Answer (Civilized)

• Where Presidential Contender Elizabeth Warren Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• 2018: The Year Politicians Realized People Love Cannabis Reform (Forbes)

• Will a New Democratic Congress Help Make Marijuana Dreams a Reality? (Civilized)

• Top New Hampshire Lawmaker Says Marijuana Could Be Legalized Despite Governor's Opposition (Forbes)

• A Portland Inventor Has Come Up with a Crazy New Cannabis Device That Turns Any Pipe into a Vaporizer (Willamette Week)

• Medical Marijuana Protected Under Democrats' Spending Bill, But DC Blocked From Legalizing Sales (Forbes)

• Oregon Marijuana Could Be Exported Across State Lines Under Proposed Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Is More Dangerous Than You Think (The Wall Street Journal)

• DEA Says It’ll Get Around To Approving Marijuana Cultivator Applications… Eventually (Marijuana Moment)

• Ex-top cop Bratton says legalizing weed would be 'opening up Pandora's box' (New York Daily News)

• 15 Of The Best Marijuana-Related Tweets From Politicians In 2018 (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• Psychedelic Mushroom Supporters Push For Oregon Legalization — With Caveats (OPB)

AYAHUASCA

• They See Me Pourin’, They Hatin’: Interview with Kentucky Ayahuasca Shaman Steve Hupp (Psychedelic Times)

• A practical guide to starting a spiritual journey, like reiki and ayahuasca (Quartz)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• ESR offers testing in fight against synthetic drugs (Scoop)

• 'Monkey dust' users are turning to drug as 'cheap alternative' to heroin and cocaine (Staffordshire Live)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• New law bans synthetic cannabinoids in Illinois (WICS)

• Parc Prison inmate who became delirious because of the drug spice hanged himself in shower room (WalesOnline)

• What you must do if you see someone who has taken zombie drug spice (Hull Daily Mail)

KETAMINE

• I Battled Depression for 20 Years and This Is the Treatment that Finally Worked (Reader's Digest)

• 5 Things to Know About Ketamine for Depression (MedShadow)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• US National Trends in Pediatric Deaths From Prescription and Illicit Opioids, 1999-2016 (JAMA Network)

• In Rehab, 'Two Warring Factions': Abstinence vs. Medication (The New York Times)

• Adamis Pharmaceuticals (ADMP) Submits NDA for Naloxone Pre-Filled Syringe (StreetInsider)

• Her husband invented naloxone, her son died from overdose, now she advocates for harm reduction (CBC)

• The opioid epidemic is a disease of the spirit (The Laconia Daily Sun)

COCAINE

• Deaths from opioid-cocaine cocktails have surged since 2010 (Washington Examiner)

• Colombia coca production: US 'deeply concerned' by rise (BBC)

• Brit who snorted cocaine off Pablo Escobar's grave receives death threats (Mirror)

KRATOM

• Can Herbal Drug Kratom Kill? (HealthDay)

• 5 Greatest Facts About Kratom You Need To Know Right Now! (NB Post Gazette)

KHAT

• Embu miraa farmers fight tag of khat variety as bhang (The Standard)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Saudi Arabia Begins 2019 with Three Executions for Drug Offences (TalkingDrugs)

• The Big Trip: How psychedelic drugs are changing lives and transforming psychiatry (CBC)

• A Journey of the Mind and Soul | Alan Badiner on Buddhism and Psychedelics (VICE)

• Overdoses, Riots, and Escapes Roil a Rural Kentucky Jail (The Appeal)

• New ‘Church’ Wants To Save Lives — By Offering A Safe Place To Shoot Up (HuffPost)

• Psychedelic Stories (The Third Wave)

• From Facebook: Harahan police would like to test the public’s crystal meth (WAFB)

• 'Dangerous orange pill' prompts Australia festival warning (BBC)

• What's really inside illegal New Year's party drugs - horrific cocktail revealed (Mirror)

• Editorial: Testing drugs for safety can send the wrong message (New Zealand Herald)

• I-Team: As 'Microdosing' Explodes in Popularity, New Look at Benefits, Side Effects of Daily Psychedelics Use (NBC New York)

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Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" 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.

Image by Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.28.18

CANNABIS

• Thailand approves medicinal cannabis (BBC)

• These States Are Most Likely To Legalize Marijuana In 2019 (Forbes)

• Alaska poised to become first state to allow on-site cannabis consumption (USA Today)

• Marijuana Legalization Means Safer Borders And Less Smuggling, Study Shows (Forbes)

• Study Reveals How Marijuana Components THC And CBD Affect Chronic Pain (Marijuana Moment)

• 2018 Year In Review: NORML’s Top Ten Events In Marijuana Policy (NORML)

• What’s Really Behind Americans’ Increased Support for Marijuana Legalization? Study Sheds Light (Marijuana Moment)

• FDA Weighs In On Legal Status of Commercially Available ‘Hemp-Derived’ CBD Products (NORML)

• Kansas Supreme Court Says Cops Can Search Your Home Without a Warrant If They Claim It Smells Like Pot (Reason)

• South Africa poised for cannabis trade despite obstacles (The Washington Post)

• Getting a handle on cannabis potency labeling (The GrowthOp)

• Why Calling Different Marijuana Types ‘Strains’ Is Technically Wrong (Marijuana Moment)

• How do pro leagues feel about marijuana use? It depends. (Boston.com)

• Veterinarians Want Marijuana Laws Loosened For Pets And Humans, Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• LSD Impacts Brain Disorders to Heal (Coherent Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Why Santa Claus and Magic Mushrooms Have More in Common Than You Think (Paper)

MDMA

• Octopuses High on MDMA Gave Eight-Armed Hugs (Inverse)

• Vicky Pattison’s ‘Mr Newcastle’ pal Paul Burns died after taking ‘high’ levels of MDMA (Metro)

• Police issue warning over 'potentially lethal' ecstasy tablets (ITV News)

AYAHUASCA

• Plant Hallucinogen Holds Hope for Diabetes Treatment (Scientific American)

• Bank Robber to Ayahuasca Brew Maker: Interview with Steve Kupp of Kentucky Ayahuasca (Psychedelic Times)

• 7 Books For Ayahuasca Explorers (Tam Integration)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Govt science institute testing for synthetic cannabis (Radio New Zealand)

• California-Based Opiant Licenses Synthetic Cannabinoid Overdose Drug From Sanofi for $500,000 (BioSpace)

• Synthetic marijuana: A pot alternative or a silent killer? (The Desert Sun)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Shock as 'hippy crack' canisters strewn around popular site for children's activities (Glouchestershire Live)

KETAMINE

• For People Battling Depression, These May Be the Treatments of the Future (Inc.)

PCP

• Police: Man high on PCP caused head-on crash, injuring woman in Annapolis (Capital Gazette)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Wristband That Detects Opioid Overdose Joins U.S. Race for Tech Solutions (IEEE Spectrum)

• After naloxone, when can opioid overdose patients be safely discharged? (EurekAlert!)

• Ex-Insys CEO Accused of Bribing Doctors to Prescribe Fentanyl Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Mail Fraud (Daily Beast)

• Opium Production in Afghanistan Has Skyrocketed Since 2001 Invasion (People's Pundit Daily)

• Feds Urge Doctors to Co-Prescribe Naloxone (Pain News Network)

• In Cincinnati, a winning opioid strategy (The Blade)

• Greer mother focuses on saving lives after her daughter died of heroin overdose (Greenville News)

COCAINE

• Use of cocaine on the rise (The News International)

KRATOM

• Thailand Legalizes Medical Marijuana And Kratom (Forbes)

• Is It Illegal to Fly With Kratom Within the United States? (Aeronautics Online)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Study Shows EDM and Heavy Metal Fans Consume the Most Drugs and Alcohol Compared to other Genres (EDM.com)

• The First Step Act is not the criminal justice reform we need. But it’s a start. (Psymposia)

• How Does a Writer Put a Drug Trip Into Words? (The New York Times)

• Altering Memories to Treat Addiction (Undark)

• Drug Testing Organizations Save Lives, So Why Haven't Rave and Concert Organizers Embraced Them? (The Appeal)

• Fifty Years After Timothy Leary's Historic Laguna Beach Drug Bust, California Reconsiders Psychedelics (OC Weekly)

• Young women are warned against taking ‘date rape’ drug GHB as a ‘zero calorie alternative to binge drinking’ after teacher at prestigious Catholic school, 24, dies from accidental overdose (Daily Mail)

• Will pill testing save lives? (ABC News)

• All I want for next Christmas is the Church of Safe Injection in Philly (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Jeff Goldblum Talks About His Experiences With Psychedelic Drugs (The Fresh Toast)

• Psychedelics May Offer Artists a Creative Boost (Artsy)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.21.18

CANNABIS

• Hemp Is Officially Legalized With President Trump’s Signature On The Farm Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• New Zealand to hold referendum on legalising recreational cannabis (The Guardian)

• Barbados to Legalise Medical Cannabis, Hold Referendum on Recreational Legalisation (Talking Drugs)

• Teen Marijuana Use Remains Lower Than Pre-Legalization Levels, Federally Funded Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Nebraska Petition Seeks Medical Marijuana Ballot Measure in 2020 (The New York Times)

• Teen Marijuana Use Actually Declined In Washington State After Legalization, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Use Doesn’t Actually Change The Structure Of Your Brain, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Michigan Bill to Ban Home Cultivation Fails in Senate (NORML)

• Deschedule Marijuana, Says Coalition Involving AARP, Labor Unions And NAACP (Marijuana Moment)

• Cuomo Moves to Legalize Recreational Marijuana in New York Within Months (The New York Times)

• New York City Mayor De Blasio Backs Marijuana Legalization, Days After Governor Cuomo Does So (Marijuana Moment)

• Scientists Journey Into the Dark Side of Cannabis (WIRED)

• More Americans Think Smoking Marijuana Is Safer Than Vaping It, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Boulder County and City of Denver to Allow Expungement of Low-level Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• How Legalizing Marijuana Is Securing the Border: The Border Wall, Drug Smuggling, and Lessons for Immigration Policy (Cato Institute)

• Hemp Hemp Hooray: What the Farm Bill Means For The Future of Hemp Science (Psychedelic Times)

• 'Dead Skunk' Stench From Marijuana Farms Outrages Californians (The New York Times)

• Lawmakers In Two States Pre-File Bills To Allow Medical Marijuana At Schools (Marijuana Moment)

• Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office Moves Forward with Marijuana Expungement Initiative (NORML)

• FDA To Take Steps Toward Allowing CBD Products Following Hemp Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• AB InBev Enters The Cannabis Space (Forbes)

• South Carolina Lawmakers Pre-File Four Marijuana Bills For 2019 (Marijuana Moment)

• Higher percentage of California cannabis passing safety tests (The Press Democrat)

• Here’s The Text Of The Marijuana Amendment Sen. Gardner Wants Attached To Criminal Justice Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Tax Dollars Support Anti-Bullying Program in Colorado (NORML)

• Federal Agency Asks Public To Send Studies On Marijuana And Alzheimer’s Disease (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot jobs could soften the blow for Alberta's oil workers (CBC)

• Congressional Democrats Release Report On Marijuana Legalization’s Economic Benefits (Marijuana Moment)

• Use cash to buy legal cannabis if you're worried about privacy, watchdog says (CBC)

• Missouri Lawmaker Moves To Block Feds From Getting Medical Marijuana Patient Info (Marijuana Moment)

• Detecting pot use in drivers will be tricky (The Boston Globe)

• GOP Lawmaker Calls For Marijuana Reform In Fiery Senate Floor Speech (Marijuana Moment)

• Will Marijuana Legalization Have a ‘Gateway’ Effect? (The Crime Report)

• Alaska Wants Input On Allowing On-Site Consumption At Marijuana Stores (Marijuana Moment)

• Rhode Island Might Be Peer Pressured Into Legalizing Marijuana By Neighbors, Governor Hints (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis A Wide-Open Space For Female Pioneers (Forbes)

• Medical Marijuana is Florida Law (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Old Etonian, 26, drowned in the ocean after downing a lethal cocktail of LSD, cocaine and ecstasy at a music festival in Croatia, inquest hears (Daily Mail)

• What are the Differences Between Psilocybin (Magic) Mushrooms and LSD? (Explore Psychedelics)

Magic Mushrooms

• Dinosaurs munched on ‘magic mushrooms’ that gave them the same mind-bending high as LSD, scientists reveal (The Sun)

• Teleporting and psychedelic mushrooms: a history of St Nicholas, Santa and his helpers (The Conversation)

• North East NHS trust conducts study into whether magic mushroom can treat depression (Chronicle Live)

• Will Denver Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms? (High Existence)

• I Took Psychedelic Drugs On A Self-Help Retreat And This Is What I Learnt (HuffPost)

• Psilocybin (Magic) Mushrooms and Drug Tests: How Long Does Psilocybin Stay in Your System? (Explore Psychedelics)

MDMA

• The Dutch Green Party wants government regulation of ecstasy production (Mixmag)

• What Our Saliva Will Tell Us About MDMA Therapy: Dr. Joe Tafur and the Modern Spirit Epigenetics Project (Psychedelic Times)

• Why MDMA and the Holidays Could Mix Well (Playboy)

• Pioneering UConn MDMA Research Focused on People of Color Ends Early: What Are the Next Steps for Equity in Treatment? (Psychedelic Times)

• Open Enrollment Has Begun For MDMA Trials In 4 Different States (Your EDM)

• Scientists Gave Octopuses Ecstasy: The Study Went Viral (WCAI)

• Jada Pinkett Smith says she used ecstasy, weed and alcohol to cope with depression (Fox News)

• Two friends died at Pryzm after taking Ecstasy for the first time, inquest hears (Plymouth Live)

AYAHUASCA

• Is Ayahuasca Mainstream Now? (VICE)

• Jung in the Jungle: Ayahuasca and the Shadow (Kahpi)

• How a bank robber became a trailer park shaman with Kentucky ayahuasca (Courier Journal)

PEYOTE

• The Decline of American Peyote (Motherboard)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Sydney hospital and BOC face charges after babies given nitrous oxide instead of oxygen (ABC News)

• Laughing gas for childbirth? More Chicago hospitals offering nitrous oxide to women in labor. (Chicago Tribune)

• Laughing gas laws not working, says ex-chief crown prosecutor (BBC)

• Laughing gas cannisters are 'easily available in corner shops, online or over the phone' (Manchester Evening News)

KETAMINE

• Many Say Ketamine Eased Their Depression, But Is It Safe? (HealthDay)

PCP

• Police: Salvation Army bell ringer assaults shopper at Germantown Walmart, was high on PCP (WJLA)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Research Shows Opioids Largely Ineffective Against Chronic Pain (Ganjapreneur)

• New data shows that Fentanyl kills more people than heroin (Popular Science)

• An opioid epidemic nobody talks about (The Washington Post)

• HHS Recommends Co-Prescribing Naloxone With Opioids (Medpage Today)

• In Pennsylvania, People Lined Up For Free Naloxone (NPR)

• Harm Reduction Is Helping Reduce Ohio Opioid Overdose Deaths (Reason)

• Opium Farmers in Myanmar: The Lives of Producers of Prohibited Plants (Transnational Institute)

• FDA must act to increase naloxone availability (The Hill)

• Punishing Patients Won’t Reduce Opioid Deaths (Reason)

• Parents warned after student's drugs tested positive for fentanyl in Delta (CBC)

COCAINE

• HQ Trivia Co-Founder and CEO Colin Kroll Dead at 35 of Apparent Drug Overdose (TMZ)

• Why Colombia is losing the cocaine war (Vox)

• Kid Cudi Used One Final Cocaine Binge to Help Himself Go to Rehab (XXL)

ABSINTHE

• Former SoBou Bartender is Opening an Absinthe Lounge in the French Quarter (Eater)

KRATOM

• Despite Government Crackdown, Kratom Scientists Awarded $3.5M for Research (Inverse)

• FDA Fails to Provide Credible Data and Science to Justify Scheduling Kratom as Schedule I Substance (PR Newswire)

• Kratom Causes Concerns in Carbondale (WNEP)

• Kratom Ban Controversies, Attempts & Warnings Continues (Kratom Guides)

KAVA

• The first kava company to list on any global exchange just hit the boards of the ASX (Stockhead)

• Kava kava: Benefits and safety concerns (Medical News Today)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Creating The Ideal Psychedelic Retreat (The Third Wave)

• How to Safely Access Psychiatric Support in Times of Psychedelic Crisis (Chacruna)

• Welcome to the Church of Safe Injection (STAT)

• Russia’s Putin Thinks Censoring Rap Will Curb Drug Use In the Country (Marijuana Moment)

• Theresa May's local force go soft on hard drugs: Thames Valley Police will not punish those caught with heroin, cocaine and ecstasy under controversial new scheme (Daily Mail)

• DanceSafe Announces Return To Michigan (DanceSafe)

• Syracuse cops push St. Joe’s to probe man’s rectum for drugs; ‘What country are we living in?’ (Syracuse.com)

• The First Step Act Is Not Sweeping Criminal Justice Reform — and the Risk Is That It Becomes the Only Step (The Intercept)

• The Electric Forest Acid Testers (Pacific Standard)

• Psychedelic Science, Ontological Mystery, and Political Ideology: A Conversation with Emma Stamm (Psychedelic Times)

• How Republicans pivoted from the war on drugs to cutting prison sentences (The Washington Post)

• Women, Spirituality, and Plant-Based Medicines (Chacruna)

• Only White People Can Get Away With the Microdosing Trend (Tonic)

• DPA’s Leader Shares Her Roots, Health Challenge and All-Drug Decrim Agenda (Filter)

• Grays Harbor’s Involvement With Needle Exchange To End In 2019 (KXRO)

• Psychedelic Technology, Blockchain Woes and Meta Set and Setting: Interview with Emma Stamm (Psychedelic Times)

• Politicians should stop hiding behind the police over drugs reform and show some leadership (inews.co.uk)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.14.18

Cannabis

• Congress Lifts Longstanding Ban on Hemp Production (NORML)

• WHO postpones recommendation for rescheduling cannabis at UN summit (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Smoking Marijuana Actually Improves Working Memory, Study Indicates (Marijuana Moment)

• There’s a Movement to Legalize Weed Extracts for Kids With Autism (Tonic)

• UK Lawmakers Reject Marijuana Legalization In House Of Commons Vote (Marijuana Moment)

• Recreational marijuana could come to New York State in 2019 (NBC News)

• New Zealand Government Tells Police Not To Prosecute People For Drug Possession (Marijuana Moment)

• Big Tobacco Is Getting into Cannabis in a Major Way (The Stranger)

• Nebraska Lawmakers Form Committee To Put Legal Marijuana Before Voters In 2020 (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis is now getting the Instagram museum treatment (Vox)

• GOP Congressman Wants Marijuana Consumers To Be Able To Legally Purchase Guns (Marijuana Moment)

• Shoppers Drug Mart granted licence to sell medical marijuana online (CTV News)

• Former DNC And RNC Chairs Join One Of The World’s Largest Marijuana Companies (Marijuana Moment)

• Editorial: Medical marijuana is legal in Missouri. So don't punish its legal users. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

• Chicago Mayor Wants Legal Marijuana Revenue To Fund Pensions (Marijuana Moment)

• Cigarette Giant Altria Makes Major Investment in Canadian Cannabis Company (Willamette Week)

• GOP Senator Seeks To Attach Marijuana Reform To Criminal Justice Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Why are so many countries now saying cannabis is OK? (BBC)

Magic Mushrooms

• A Playlist for Psilocybin by Kelan Thomas (Chacruna)

• Trip of a Lifetime? | The Rise of Magic Mushroom Wellness Retreats (Amuse)

• The Lemon Tek Method for Faster Psilocybin (Magic) Mushroom Trips (Explore Psychedelics)

• Editorial: Ballot measure on mushrooms seems premature (Corvallis Gazette-Times)

MDMA

• Ecstasy found in kid's food wrapper leads to three arrests at Sonic Drive-In in Taylor (KFDM)

• Colorado man may have been killed by fentanyl in what he thought was 'MDMA,' family members suspect (Rooster Magazine)

• Revealed: Plaster and brown sugar being sold as MDMA to festival-goers drug users (Chronicle Live)

• Treating Veterans with Ecstasy (Military.com)

• Benzino Could Go To Prison For 15 Years Over MDMA Pills And THC Gummies (AllHipHop)

Ayahuasca

• Amazon Ayahuasca Sustainability Study Conducted by Medicine Hunter, First of its Kind, Answers Questions, Dispels Erroneous Claims (PRWeb)

• Ayahuasca for Addiction? That's a Trip (Psychology Today)

Iboga

• What are the Different Stages of an Ibogaine Experience? (Explore Psychedelics)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• BBC South East uncovers black market in banned 'legal highs' (BBC)

• William and Kate told of Spice devastation (BBC)

KETAMINE

• Ketamine Prevents Loss of Pleasure in Depressed Marmosets (Laboratory Equipment)

• Ketamine eases debilitating side effects of a Parkinson’s treatment drug (WINK News)

• Debating the Merits of a Psychiatric Treatment (The New York Times)

PCP

• Man High On PCP Attacks Stamford Police Officers (Bridgeport Daily Voice)

Opiates/Opioids

• Overdose Deaths Involving Fentanyl Doubled Every Year From 2013 to 2016 (TIME)

• Google Searches Could Predict Heroin Overdoses (Scientific American)

• The Strongest Evidence Yet for a Highly Controversial Addiction Treatment (The Atlantic)

• Fentanyl-related stocks rebound after China-US agreement to strengthen drug management (Global Times)

• What I Found When I Applied Hundreds of Fentanyl Tests to Philly’s Street Drugs (Filter)

• Naloxone-Carrying Nurse Says Her Life Insurance Was Denied. She's Not An Opioid Addict (The Daily Caller)

• America's Top State for Drug Overdoses Is Handing Out Free Naloxone (U.S. News & World Report)

• ‘Heroin Was My Life Preserver’ (Medium)

• Afghanistan Hopeful About Replacing Opium Crops With Saffron (Gandhara)

• Fentanyl: Deadly in Delaware, tops heroin for America's deadliest drug (The News Journal)

Cocaine

• Cocaine deaths increase amid ongoing national opioid crisis (The Washington Post)

• The changing face of Sydney’s cocaine users (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Kratom

• Thailand To Review Medical Marijuana, Kratom Legalization Proposal (The Fix)

• Fears About Kratom Use During Pregnancy Are Overblown (Filter)

Khat

• Ethiopia: Khat farming threatens food security, biodiversity, women, and agroforestry (Mongabay)

Miscellaneous

• Testing drugs at festivals is ‘a lifesaver’, study finds (The Guardian)

• Let’s Talk About Psychedelic-Induced Psychosis (Psymposia)

• Where Trump’s Pick For Attorney General Stands On Drug Policy (Marijuana Moment)

• Surge in young people going into private addiction clinics as poorer addicts 'pushed into gangs' (The Independent)

• DEA Agent Arrested For Participating In Decade-Long Narcotics Conspiracy And Providing Firearms To Drug Trafficking Organization (U.S. Department of Justice)

• Russia Is Punishing People for Helping Drug Users (VICE)

• The Little-Known Way Pharma Companies Hook People On Their Costly Drugs (TIME)

• One Part of Australia’s Economy Is Booming: Illegal Drugs (Bloomberg)

• Seven Ways (Just for a Start) the War on Drugs Violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Filter)

• Does the Law Require the Drug Czar To Lie About Legalization? (Reason)

• Ambassadors to Hidden Territories: Set and Setting in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy (Chacruna)

• Politicians and police are killing young Australians (Crikey)

• One dead and three critical after suspected drug overdoses at Sydney dance party (The Guardian)

• A doctor wants to know which drugs you'd like to trip on (Rooster Magazine)

• Why professionals are taking psychedelic drugs in the workplace (Financial Review)

• A Guide to Dream Market (Dark Net Market/DNM) (Explore Psychedelics)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.7.18

Cannabis

• Luxembourg next to legalise recreational cannabis use (Just Food)

• Marijuana's Ten Biggest Victories Of 2018 (Forbes)

• Vaporized Marijuana Produces A Stronger High Than Smoking It, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Fake Vape Cartridges Are Disrupting the Legal Weed Industry and Duping Black Market Buyers (MERRY JANE)

• CBD Vape Liquid Contains Dangerous Ingredients (Tonic)

• How Ancient Viruses Gave Us Marijuana As We Know It Today (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot of gold: how the beauty industry fell for cannabis (The Guardian)

• Nearby Marijuana Shops Make Homes And Rentals More Valuable, Studies Show (Marijuana Moment)

• US Tax Court Rules That Legal Cannabis Dispensaries Are Just Drug Traffickers (Civilized)

• Two-year-old girl becomes 'first child to be prescribed medical cannabis in UK' (ITV News)

• Recreational Cannabis is Now Legal in the US State of Michigan (Talking Drugs)

• Utah Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana ‘Compromise’ Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Denver officials want to erase low-level marijuana offenses (AP News)

• Use marijuana tax dollars to fix the subways? No: Dedicate the funds to people who've been hurt by prohibition (New York Daily News)

• Surgeon General Says Marijuana’s Schedule I Status Hinders Research (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri Lawmaker Files Marijuana Legalization Bill After Voters Approve Medical Cannabis (Marijuana Moment)

• When the pharmacist laughed at my pain, he laughed at all of us (The Times)

• Feds try to squash Blackfeet medical marijuana legalization (Great Falls Tribune)

• We ban cannabis but let people eat as much meat as they want. That makes no sense (The Guardian)

• As Altria Eyes Pot, Philip Morris CEO Ignores Peer Pressure (Bloomberg)

• Maryland marijuana panel approves ban on cannabis advertising on billboards, radio, TV and other media (The Baltimore Sun)

• Major Alcohol Association Briefs Congress On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Lawsuit Alleges California Cops Stole Weed and Cash During Traffic Stops (Reason)

• Instagram Shuts Down a Popular Cannabis Account—Repeatedly (The Stranger)

• 'Cooking with cannabis' classes are teaching Marylanders how to make their own marijuana edibles (The Baltimore Sun)

• Lawmakers Reach Compromise Over Controversial Hemp Legalization Felony Provision (Marijuana Moment)

• Potential Big Tobacco Acquisition Causes Cannabis Company's Stock to Soar (Forbes)

• Marijuana legalization is working; most American are on board (USA Today)

• Why Has the Food Industry Become So Obsessed with CBD? (Munchies)

• Cannabis In The Next Congress: Will Republicans Try To Steal The Spotlight? (Forbes)

• The Cannabis Industry Is Scaling With The Help Of New Technologies (Forbes)

• Rhode Island Republican House Leader Embraces Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• LSD Changes Something About The Way You Perceive Time (Tonic)

• Welcome to the trip of your life: the rise of underground LSD guides (The Guardian)

• Going Out on a High: the Doctor Advocating LSD for the Dying (OZY)

• The World's First-Ever Acid Trip Actually Kinda Sucked (VICE)

• I Microdosed LSD To Ease Depression And Gain Creative Clarity (HuffPost)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Study Finds Microdosing with Psilocybin Truffles Enhances Creativity (Psychedelic Times)

• Oregon May Vote in 2020 to Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms in Therapy (Fortune)

• Couple sentenced in fatal stabbing over psychedelic mushrooms (Kitsap Sun)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Five US Sites Are Now Enrolling Patients for MDMA Clinical Trials (Futurism)

• MDMA Boosts Social Bonding, Improves Cooperation (Medscape)

• MDMA helping with PTSD and Autism (EDMTunes)

• Ex-Grammar school student, 19, died after taking ecstasy in Spanish club where temperatures soared to 116F and water cost £20-a-pint (Daily Mail)

• Man died of acute MDMA toxicity on the night of his 46th birthday (Independent.ie)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Indigenous Ayahuasca: What Can We Learn? (The Third Wave)

• Sexual Assault and Gender Politics in Ayahuasca Traditions: A View from Brazil (Chacruna)

• Ayahuasca Gave Me a Backstage Pass to the Theatre of Well-being (Kahpi)

• 'Kentucky Ayahuasca': Chief Shaman of Aya Quest Steve Hupp reveals what drove him to offer therapy with the Schedule 1 drug: 'America needs this!' (Meaww)

• I Took Ayahuasca at a Countryside Retreat and It Was as Profound as They Say It Is (VICE)

• Returning to Ayahuasca after three years away — night 4 (Graham Hancock)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Psyched up: a visionary therapy or a trip into the unknown (NZ Herald)

Dissociatives

• Can We Stop Suicides? (The New York Times)

• Depression: Ketamine prevents loss of pleasure in primates (Medical News Today)

• Fear mongering nitrous oxide is no laughing matter (AOD MEDIA WATCH)

• Attorney: DC man took PCP before takeover of Metrobus that turned fatal (WTOP)

• PCP-Crazed Man Exposes Himself In Woodbridge: Police (Patch)

Opiates/Opioids

• Dark web dealers voluntarily ban deadly fentanyl (The Guardian)

• This Drug Is 10 Times Stronger than Fentanyl But Still Safer than Cannabis, Says FDA (Civilized)

• Opium poppy cultivation up 21% in two years to over 30,000 hectares (Mexico News Daily)

• Why You May Be Denied Life Insurance For Carrying Naloxone (WBUR)

• China agrees to make fentanyl a controlled substance after talks with US at G20 summit (CNN)

• Don't keep naloxone kit in your car this winter, health advocate warns (CBC)

• Study: Is equipping high schools with naloxone kits cost-effective? (Western Gazette)

• Is America Ready For Prescription Heroin? (NPR)

• Why would anyone cut heroin with fentanyl? It's cheap, these researchers say (NBC News)

• For many teens, the battle with opioid addiction starts with wisdom teeth (Popular Science)

• Heroin, fentanyl and the need for more opioid prescriptions, not fewer (Chicago Tribune)

• America Has an Opium War. China Hadn’t Noticed (Bloomberg)

Cocaine

• George H.W. Bush’s TV Crack Stunt Exemplified the Cruelty of His Drug Policies (Filter)

• Dennis Quaid reveals that he used to use 2 grams of cocaine every day before getting clean (Fox News)

• Cocaine hallucinations led to knifepoint kidnapping, woman tells investigators (The News Journal)

Absinthe

• When absinthe was a clandestine affair (Swissinfo)

Kratom

• How a Kratom Ban Will Create Health Risks and Suffering—and Fuel Terrorism (Filter)

• The FDA's Scott Gottlieb Says Kratom Isn't Legal to Market in the US (HubPages)

• FDA notes high levels of heavy metal in Kratom (AdvanceWeb)

• The Many Colors of Kratom Explained (Kratom Guides)

Khat

• The truth about what miraa does to your body (Hivisasa)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• We Need to Talk About Benzodiazepines—Including Their Use in Drug Combinations (Filter)

• The Renaissance in Psychedelic Research (Taylor & Francis Online)

• Psychedelic Retreats And The Future Of Mental Health: A Review (Forbes)

• Alcohol-related deaths among UK women at highest rate in 10 years (The Guardian)

• An Open Apology for Racist Language in the Women and Psychedelics Forum (Chacruna)

• A Collective Open Apology for Response to Racist Language in the Women and Psychedelics Forum (Chacruna)

• This Is How Coke, Ecstasy, and Meth Would Be Legally Sold (VICE)

• Trump’s new top AG pick would be his daughter’s boss at Justice. (The Washington Post)

• The Burgeoning Psychedelics Movement Still Excludes Women and People of Color (Filter)

• People are dying, and Cuomo is stalling: We need Overdose Prevention Centers in New York now (New York Daily News)

• Healing the Empire and Elevating the Underground: A Conversation with Rick Doblin (Psychedelic Times)

• The Psychedelic Resistance (VICE)

• Surgeon General: Federal drug classification needs changes (WBS Radio)

• Fewer young people in treatment for drugs yet more admit to use (The Guardian)

• Tory MP Ross Thomson mocked after falling for ‘obvious’ fake drug app prank (The Scotsman)

• Going Underground (VICE)

• The Forgotten Science of Shamanic Plant Whispering (Kahpi)

• Pennsylvania Prosecutors Brought 186 Drug-Induced Homicide Charges in 2017 (Filter)

• The Steady Rise of the Trippy Festival (VICE)

• Artist Joe Roberts: 'The psychedelic experience is an incredible tool' (The Guardian)

• Safety Guidelines for Guides, Psychedelic Integration Practitioners, and Other Leaders (Tam Integration)

• This Veteran Is Beating PTSD with Psychedelics (MERRY JANE)

• Small doses of psychedelics might help you solve problems (Science Focus)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.