This Week in Psychedelics - 10.2.15

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• $10,000 of Marijuana Fell From The Sky and Crashed Outside A Family's Home (Time)
• FBI: There's A Marijuana Arrest Every 45 Seconds in the U.S. (ATTN:)
• The Problem With Using 'Marijuana Goggles' (ATTN:)
• Why "Craft Cannabis" is the Future of Marijuana (The Huffington Post)
• Marijuana arrests in U.S. increased last year for the first time since 2009 (Boing Boing)
• 'Forest Of Cannabis' Found Growing In London (Fox News)
• Cannabis Forest Discovered Near London, Police Say It's Larger Than A Soccer Field (The Inquisitr)
• Ex-police chief to head pro-legalization National Cannabis Coalition (The Guardian)
• Holy Smoke: Cannabis Churches Extol "Sacrament" of Marijuana (AlterNet)
• Three months in, cannabis users complain of high costs, difficult access (Minnesota Public Radio News)
• Stunned holiday makers watch as brazen drug smugglers offload heavy bundles of cannabis from a dinghy onto a packed Spanish beach in broad daylight (Daily Mail)
• Marijuana: Will Legalization Create an Economic Boom? (The Huffington Post)
• Paul O'Grady: I swallowed cannabis at Thai airport to avoid arrest (The Independent)
• Healthy Options: Medicinal cannabis effective for pain, and more (The Union of Grass Valley)
• Washington Prosecutor Explains Why He Charged Teenaged Pot Smokers With Felonies (Reason)
• How one Mediterranean County is pushing the frontiers of medical cannabis knowledge (Nature)
• Drug War's End: Oregon Is Expunging Pot Records (East Bay Express)
• Cannabis Party Rejects Government's New Drug Policy (Scoop Independent News)
• I tried recipes from the Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook, then I needed a long nap (The Guardian)
• Results from medical cannabis trials in Georgia show early promise (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• SF Government Tries Again with Cannabis — Come Meet the City's Weed Deciders (SF Weekly)
• How Eastern Washington Cannabis Growers Weathered This Year's Fire Season (The Stranger)
• Recreational cannabis sales start in Oregon (Al Jazeera)
• What We Know About the Country's First Marijuana Resort (ATTN:)

LSD

• Shotguns, LSD and burning crayfish on planes: The Pretty Things are among the wildest thing in rock (Oxford Mail)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic Mushrooms Are the New Pot, According to Psilocybin Enthusiasts (Vice News)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• MDMA and the Electronic Woodstock (Al Jazeera)
• Katy Perry Getting Groped by a Female Fan Isn't Funny (The Daily Beast)
• I was jailed for smuggling 6500 ecstasy tablets, but now I'm a self-made millionaire (Mirror)
• Heartbroken mum: "This is what one ecstasy pill can do - don't play with your life" (Closer)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Ayahuasca, Hollywood's Hip, Heavy Hallucinogen: "It's Hardly What You Call Partying" (Hollywood Reporter)
• Amazon leaders and academics denounce ayahuasca rituals led by outsiders (Al Jazeera)
• Deadly Brew Linked To Suicides, Murders And Insanity, Hallucinogenic Drink Comes To U.K. (HNGN)
• A shaman, hallucinogenic drinks and a ritual in the middle of the Amazon jungle: The bizarre retreat that killed a Kiwi tourist - but one man defends the ceremony and credits it with turning his life around (Daily Mail)
• Suicides, sects, murder and insanity: The disturbing truth about the trendy 'spiritual' hallucinogenic brew being taken by gap year backpackers in the Amazon (and even in British sitting rooms) (Daily Mail)

Peyote/Mescaline

• John McCain Fought For Native Religious Freedom, Then Sold Sacred Oak Flat (The Huffington Post)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Personal Story: Iboga Helped Me Solve A Problem I Didn't Know I Had (Reset.me)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Surprise: Now-Illegal 'Legal Highs' Are Widely Available on the Dark Web (Vice's Motherboard)
• Teen Dies After Ingesting Synthetic Psychedelic Drug, Police Say (ABC News)

Dissociatives

• Club Drug Ketamine Gains Traction As A Treatment For Depression (National Public Radio)
• Spike in ketamine overdoses prompts tighter controls (The Tico Times)
• Dark web drug dealer jailed for selling horse tranquiliser drug ketamine disguised as health food (Mirror)

Opiates/Opioids

• How Prohibition Causes Deaths From Fentanyl-Spiked Heroin (Reason)
• CVS pharmacies in 12 more states will carry drug to treat heroin overdose (The Verge)
• Does heroin really kill? A look at the science of overdoses (The Week)
• Depths of heroin addiction: US sets record high for opium abuse (Al Jazeera)
• Middle America Waking Up to a Mexican Cartel Heroin Nightmare (Breitbart News)
• At the Khun Sa Museum, the House that Drugs Built (The Irrawaddy)
• Should The Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Naloxone Be Sold Without A Prescription? (The Inquisitr)
• CVS to sell naloxone without prescription (The Tennessean)
• AMC Ohio Pharmacy offering naloxone without prescription (This Week Community News)
• All-Time High: Naloxone, lifesaver or enabler? (Delaware County News Network)
• Over-the-Counter Naloxone Is 'A Great Thing,' Docs Say (Live Science)
• Naloxone Nasal Spray Seeks FDA Nod (Pharmacy Times)

Absinthe

• Too much 'green fairy' drove her to attack paramedic (Gladstone Observer)

Kambô

• DJ Justin Hoffman Is Helping Addicts the Holistic Way (Vegas Seven)

Kratom

• The Alternative Substance That Changed My Life (BlogHer)
• Ex Phuket civilian police volunteer busted with 4kg of kratom leaves (Thai Visa News)

Kava

• Pau Hana Kava Cafe Unveils an Alternative Zen Zone in Wailuku (Maui Time)
• Improve Your Health and Wellness with Wakaya Perfection Kava Powder (Digital Journal)
• Kava exports to US expected to earn Fiji USD $15M in 3 years (Fiji Village)

Khat

• Slovak police seize 16 kilograms of khat from Ethiopia; 2 suspects arrested (Zegabi)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Prohibition Is the Real "Gateway Drug" (The Huffington Post)
• From Shock To Awe: How Psychedelics Bring Relief To Veterans With PTSD (Reset.me)
• DeepDream: Today Psychedelic Images, Tomorrow Unemployed Artists (Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies)
• Calls to legalise pill testing services for illegal drugs (Stuff.co.nz)
• Psychedelic maps of Ceres could reveal secrets of its surface (New Scientist)
• Psychedelics and Hyperstimulation (Disinformation)
• In the Post-Employment Future, We'll Explore Our Inner Selves (Big Think)
• Janis Joplin's Psychedelic 1965 Porsche 365 Cabrio Heads to Auction in December (Hot Rod Network)

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.

Weekend Thoughts - 9.26.15

Image by Ron Shoshani, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. This may be a long shot, but the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead coincides with the NFL's 50th Super Bowl, and a petition has been created asking for the band to play the halftime event. Please consider signing to show your support for the band!

2. An argument that Western universities do not adequately cover Chinese (and other non-Western) philosophers in their philosophy programs. I'm of the opinion that the issue extends outside of universities and into the realm of everyday life. The average person I run across is not well-versed in schools of thought external to the Western tradition, and ought to peruse some of the highly-influential and important works penned by Eastern philosophers.

3. Musicians (and advertisers, I suppose), rejoice! At last, the "Happy Birthday" song is finally in the public domain. In one of the most stunning reversals of copyright claims, presiding Judge George H. King ruled that the original copyright filing only pertained to specific arrangements of the music, not the actual song. "Because Sunny Co. never acquired the rights to the Happy Birthday lyrics," he wrote, "Defendants, as Sunny Co.'s purported successors-in-interest, do not own a valid copyright in the Happy Birthday lyrics."

4. E-book sales have taken a dip, leading many to believe that print is far from dead. As someone who much prefers to read books on paper rather than digitally, I breathed a sigh of relief after reading this article. Although I consume large amounts of digital content, I firmly believe that long-form books are best read on paper, with the ability to notate by hand if desired. I have gotten rid of many other forms of physical media—CDs, DVDs, magazines, etc.—but I don't plan to get rid of my print book collection anytime soon, if ever.

5. A Michigan man died in jail after 17 days of disregard and lack of care from the officers on staff. He was brought to jail for a 30-day sentence after neglecting to pay a traffic ticket, and was forced to suffer in a brightly lit cell. Although he was a drug addict, he was misdiagnosed as mentally unstable and his withdrawal symptoms were not addressed. He was denied clothing, lost 50 pounds, and suffered convulsions and hallucinations from his lack of treatment. The entire experience was caught on jail surveillance footage, and he was supposed to be under self-harm watch. Either the jail officials weren't watching him or they simply didn't care. His family is suing the county, but a lawyer for the county said that the suit "lacks legal merit". This is both an example of the broken "justice" system and pure evil.

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.25.15

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Cannabis 'forest' discovered in south-west London (The Guardian)
• Weekend Weirdness: Texas Cannabis Bust Nearly Foiled by...Bigfoot Hunters? (Leafly)
• Campaigners calling for conversation on cannabis law (The Nelson Mail)
• Donald Trump Trolls Jeb Bush for Smoking Marijuana as a Teen (Time)
• How Marijuana Affects Anxiety (ATTN:)
• Newly Risen From Yeast: THC (The New York Times)
• Stung by costs, some of Minnesota's medical marijuana patients back to buying on streets (StarTribune)
• Marijuana Legalization: Disaster or Catastrophe? (Reason)
• How Marijuana Treats Alzheimer's Disease (ATTN:)
• Are Underage Cannabis Consumers in Washington Now Felons? (Reason)
• Snoop Dogg Has Launched a Marijuana-Lifestyle Media Platform Called Merry Jane (Time)
• DOPE Cup, cannabis competition and consumption event coming to Portland in October (The Oregonian)
• Men's Wearhouse Founder George Zimmer Voices Support for Weed Legalization (ATTN:)
• Gellibrand addresses cannabis industry (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)
• Armed cops raid wrong house and accidentally discover indoor cannabis farm (Mirror)
• Why More Potent Marijuana Isn't a Bad Thing (ATTN:)
• Choose Cannabis for Wellness, Not Intoxication (Disinformation)
• Reaction: Moratorium on cannabis clubs in Colorado Springs (KRDO)
• The Cannabis Manifesto (The Huffington Post)
• Woman who grew cannabis to help dying husband is spared jail (The Guardian)
• The link between cannabis and Silicon Valley (The Appalachian Online)
• That Arctic doomsday seed vault? There's backup copies of cannabis in there, too. Lots. (Boing Boing)
• California Legislators Lag Behind Voters on Pot (Reason)
• When a Cannabis Consumer Kills, Should Marijuana Take the Rap? (Reason)
• Top Mass. Court: Cops Can't Stop a Car Just Because It Smells Like Pot (Reason)

LSD

• Cloak and Dropper — The Twisted History of the CIA and LSD (Alternet)
• Grace Jones says years of taking LSD gave her heightened 'insight and sensitivy' (The Independent)
• I Got Locked Up for 21 Years for Selling LSD (Vice's Thump)
• John Waters talks gay rights, LSD, and the importance of old movie theaters (LGBTQ Nation)
• Susan Sarandon carried LSD guru Timothy Leary's ashes in a Burning Man ceremony (Observer)
• Psychedelic Sunglasses Will Mimic an LSD Experience (PSFK)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• When Are You Going to Get Your Prescription MDMA? (Gizmodo)
• Boulder study uses MDMA, therapy to treat PTSD sufferers (The Denver Post)
• Family of Scots teenager who died in Ibiza slam claims her death was caused by ecstasy overdose (Daily Record)
• Club Drug Presence Grows in Area (WCTV)
• Teenager admitted to hospital after taking so-called 'Facebook' ecstasy pill (ITV News)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Shaman Explains How Ayahuasca Can Facilitate A Spiritual Awakening (The Huffington Post)
• Backpacker, 24, dies in Peru after drinking hallucinogenic liquid and 'purging himself in an ancient Amazon cleansing ceremony' (Daily Mail)
• Kiwi traveller In Peru dies after Amazon drug ritual (The New Zealand Herald)

Peyote/Mescaline

• A new peyote plant in Grand Theft Auto 5 turns you into Bigfoot (VG 24/7)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Death of Australian youth in China puts spotlight on new drug (Want China Times)
• Candies Laced with Hallucinogenic Drug (WHSV)

Dissociatives

• 5 Treatments to Help You Beat Depression When SSRIs Don't Work (Doctor Tipster)
• VIDEO: Man says he didn't feed seagull chip laced with ketamine (Sunday World)

Opiates/Opioids

• A hydra-headed scourge: How the Midwest is battling a drug epidemic (The Economist)
• Drug Policy Alliance Applauds CVS/pharmacy for Being First Chain Pharmacy in California to Make Overdose Antidote Naloxone Available Without a Prescription (Drug Policy Alliance)
• Lift ban on opium, says AAP rebel Gandhi (Times of India)
• Big Pharma CEOs Were Just Called Out by Massachusetts' Gloucester Police (ATTN:)
• Public Schools To Stock Drug Antidote Naloxone In Response To Heroin Epidemic (Tech Times)
• Signs show Aspen-area heroin use on the rise (Aspen Times)
• Virginia joins multi-state task force to combat heroin crisis (ABC News)
• Heroin abuse: Open up the conversation (The Herald-News)
• Life-Saving Anti-Opiate Drug Naloxone Now More Widely Available in California (Reason)
• CVS/pharmacy expands naloxone access in 12 more states (American Pharmacists Association)

Absinthe

• 5 spirits you need to know more about (GQ)
• Flipping Birds cocktail is made with whole eggs and spritzed with absinthe (Toronto Star)

Kratom

• The Latest Target of Regulation -- An Herbal Remedy That's Been Used Since Time Immemorial (The Huffington Post)
• Online E-Cig Distributor Novelty Supply Now Carrying Kratom (Digital Journal)

Kava

• Seen at 11: Kava May Be Relaxing, But Experts Say There Are Risks (CBS New York)
• The Kava Craze (MSN)
• Thefts affect supply (The Fiji Times)

Khat

• Dhofar police seize 3000 bundles of khat (Times of Oman)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• 'Psychedelic Space' Turns Drug Chemistry into an Art Form (Vice's Motherboard)
• 5 Illegal Drugs You'd Be Arrested For Using — While Doctors Are Prescribing Them As Cures (Mic)
• Psychedelic Feminism Is Now Tax-Deductible (PR Web)
• Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porshe to be auctioned (Stuff.co.nz)

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.

920 Coalition - Psilocybin Awareness Day

Today marks the inaugural 920 Psilocybin Awareness Day, inspired by the folks at 920 Coalition. From the coalition's website: "The 920 Coalition is a collaboration of non-profit organizations and individuals organizing events around the world on 9/20/2015 to bring attention to the role of psilocybin mushrooms in our society and health care system."

For the uninitiated reader, psilocybin is one of the primary psychoactive components of "magic mushrooms", a group of fungi that many consider to be sacred spiritual sacraments and medicinal healers, yet simultaneously they are finger-wagged by the authorities in our culture and placed in the highest-level section (Schedule I) of the United States' Controlled Substances List. I highly suggest reading the information in the afore-linked "magic mushrooms" website, which will lead you to the Erowid webpage on psilocybin mushrooms to learn more about them.

Today's event is intended to spread awareness about the current state of research on the role of psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms in our society and health care system. There are plenty of events located across the world in many countries, including Mexico, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States. These events are structured in various formats, including speaker events, film screenings, demonstrations, small educational meetings, parties, concerts, and small home gatherings. If you are interested in learning about what may be happening today near you, please click the "920 Coalition" link at the top of this article.

I believe that psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms (along with other psychedelic substances) have the potential to help transform the world, one thought at a time. I encourage anyone interested to learn more about them by visiting Erowid (which synchronistically is running an annual fund drive at the moment and seriously deserves your support). And those of us who have knowledge to share can take some time today and speak to people who have open minds, ears, and hearts about the benefits of these sacraments and the grave injustice that has surrounded them for the past 45 years.

Weekend Thoughts - 9.19.15

Image by Francois de Halleux, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy Saturday y'all! Below, I have rounded up some things for you to think about this weekend:

1. A thought-provoking piece from Wired that describes the tendency of technology workers to be picky about choosing a city to relocate to, sticking mainly to San Jose (Silicon Valley) California, Seattle, San Francisco, and Austin. Technology jobs are growing at twice the national average for all jobs, which makes this an interesting issue—with so many jobs available in that field, why aren't they being filled across the country? The issue is multifaceted and the article does an excellent job addressing several points.

2. In the span of several hours, a news-story broke about a 14 year-old 9th grader in Texas who was arrested the previous day and suspended from school for bringing a homemade clock that his superiors mistook for a bomb, and was quickly personally invited by President Obama to visit the White House. I'm astounded not only by the fact that the original judgment call was poorly-made, but that it made it to Obama's desk in such a short time. What an amazing time we live in. Of course, most people pointed out the racial issue (Ahmed Mohamed is a Muslim name) in this story and missed the fact that school zero tolerance policies are utterly insane, regardless of race.

3. Speaking of ridiculous school zero tolerance policies, how about this case where a student was suspended from school for a year for possessing a maple leaf and a lighter?

4. A fascinating collection of vintage cocaine advertisements from the 70s and 80s, back when it was possible to market and sell the substance.

5. This video on Disinfo explores an interesting thought concept—if a robot that you own and control accidentally murders another human being, should you be held liable for its actions? I'm continuously fascinated by all of the new implications that artificial intelligence is bringing up. Stay tuned for more links on that topic, because I definitely like thinking about it and sharing it!

That's all for this week's edition of Weekend Thoughts. Until next week, keep thinking wilder.