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This Month in Psychedelics - December 2022
This Month in Psychedelics - December 2022
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David Wilder
Weekly Psychedelic Links - December 2022
Weekly Psychedelic Links - December 2022
Monthly Psychedelic Recaps
David Wilder
This Month in Psychedelics - November 2022
This Month in Psychedelics - November 2022
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David Wilder
Weekly Psychedelic Links - November 2022
Weekly Psychedelic Links - November 2022

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.18.15

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • Year in Review: 2015's Biggest Moments in Cannabis (Leafly)
  • Will Marijuana Prohibition Be Over In 5 Years? (Reset.me)
  • Bureaucratic Hurdles & Spotty Access To Medicinal Cannabis Gives Rise To 'Cannabis Refugees' (MintPress News)
  • Kentucky Lawmaker Submits Bill to Legalize Statewide Cannabis Industry (High Times)
  • Feds Tell Supreme Court to Stay Out of State Marijuana Dispute (TIME)
  • Jeb Bush Just Made a Series of False Comments on Marijuana (ATTN:)
  • Study Explores Health Effects of High-THC Cannabis (Leafly)
  • Meet the Weed Genius Designing the World's First Cannabis Ranch (Inverse)
  • This Secret Document Reveals One Big Bank's Crazy Marijuana Plans (ATTN:)
  • 6 Things YOU Can Do for Cannabis Prisoners (High Times)
  • Congress Unveils 2016 Omnibus Spending Bill, Reauthorizes Marijuana Protections (NORML)
  • 'Completely sober' drivers who smoked cannabis in last week could be prosecuted under new laws (Breaking News)
  • Report: Criminal Justice Referrals Still Driving Marijuana 'Treatment' Admissions (NORML)
  • Donald Trump and Harry J. Anslinger: Two Peas in a Pod (NORML)
  • Intentional Cannabis Business Conference: What if California's Marijuana Regulations Suck? (Marijuana Politics)
  • Research Says Cannabis Affects Intestinal Flora And May Prevent Obesity (High Times)
  • Mum treats boy, 6, with cannabis oil for ADHD despite authorities threatening to take him away (The Daily Telegraph)
  • How Pairing Yoga, Cannabis, and Music Creates Positive Vibrations (Leafly)
  • Time to change cannabis laws (The Valdosta Daily Times)
  • Marijuana Users Just Scored A Victory in Washington (ATTN:)
  • High School Seniors Now Prefer Marijuana to Cigarettes (TIME)
  • Here's Why You Get the Munchies (ATTN:)
  • 10 Cannabis Strains That Ease Insomnia (Reset.me)
  • Cannabis research task force begins work (Portland Tribune)
  • How Do Vaporizers Preserve Cannabis "Fidelity"? (Leafly)
  • Delaware Decriminalization Law Takes Effect (NORML)
  • Solicitor General Says SCOTUS Shouldn't Hear Challenge to Marijuana Legalization (Reason)
  • Cannabis dispensary initiative likely, petition has enough signatures (Appeal-Democrat)
  • Renewed Riders Bar Medical Marijuana Meddling, Block Full Legalization in D.C. (Reason)
  • The Beginner's Guide to Buying Dabs and Cannabis Extracts (Leafly)
  • New Religion Claims 'Marijuana Cures Racism' (NewsBlaze)
  • Marijuana Ads Are 'Nonmailable', but That Doesn't Mean You Can't Mail Them (Reason)
  • NORML's Weekly Legislative Round Up (NORML)
  • Justice Department urges Supreme Court to throw out Nebraska/Oklahoma lawsuit (Drug WarRant)
  • KY Senator files "Cannabis Freedom Act" Rolling Medicinal And Recreational Use Together In One Hit (The State Journal)
  • High-Potency Cannabis Linked to Brain Damage, Experts Warn (Medscape)
  • KY senator pre-files Cannabis Freedom Act (WFIE)

LSD

  • LSD Can Alter Consciousness by Reorganizing Brain Networks (Counsel & Heal)
  • LSD and Spiritual Awakening (Reality Sandwich)
  • Founder Of Alcoholics Anonymous Said LSD Experience Could Help Addicts Stay Clean (AlterNet)
  • LSD is Way Healthier Than Medical Marijuana (Clapway)
  • Researchers use fMRI to map effects of LSD on brain activity (DOTmed.com)
  • LSD Effects Are Similar To The First Stage of Psychosis, Could Provide Model For Research (Medical Daily)
  • Boy Scout Leader Accused of Giving Teen Member LSD, Pot (ABC News)
  • Miley Cyrus Continues Odd Behavior, Swears She's Not On LSD (The Inquisitr)
  • Why LSD causes hallucinations, scientists may have an answer (International Business Times)
  • A Brain On LSD Looks Like A Psychotic Brain, Says New Study (Tech Times)
  • Police: Man sold LSD three times in Kane County (Chicago Daily Herald)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Is Christmas All About a Magic Mushroom? (AlterNet)
  • 'Magic Mushrooms' May Permanently Alter Personality (Live Science)
  • Are Santa's Reindeer Tripping Shrooms? (High Times)
  • Cancer: Magic mushrooms fight off depression and anxiety — with a side of 'mystical experiences' (International Business Times)
  • The Gates of Hell: MKULTRA, Robert Graves, William Sargant, & Wasson's Magic Mushroom (Occult Yorkshire 10) (Auticulture)
  • Miley Cyrus Is A Half-Naked Psychedelic Mushroom In Paper Magazine Shoot (The Huffington Post)
  • Man arrested for possessing 70 magic mushrooms has happiest mugshot EVER (The Sun)
  • How magic mushrooms can HELP cancer patients: Active ingredient 'reduces anxiety and depression' (Daily Mail)

MDMA/Ecstasy

Ayahuasca/DMT

  • America Is Getting Its First Legal Ayahuasca Church (VICE's Munchies)
  • A British Tourist Has Been Killed at a Peruvian Ayahuasca Ceremony (TIME)
  • My Interview on Ayahuasca And The Importance of Psychedelics (The Daily Banter)
  • The Visionary Activist Show — Caroline hosts Dr. Rick Strassman (KPFA)
  • Canadian man kills Brit in psychedelic ceremony in Peru's Amazon (The Jerusalem Post)
  • America's First Legal Ayahuasca 'Church' Lets You Trip on Hallucinogenic Tea (Complex)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

  • PMA is toxic drug making its way onto Australia's drug scene (News.com.au)

Dissociatives

Opiates/Opioids

  • Washington Could 'Cut a Deal With Daesh in Afghanistan to Counter Russia' (Sputnik International)
  • Painkillers, heroin drive increase in US overdose deaths (Live 5 News)
  • A Mother Tries to Restart, but Heroin's Sway Will Not Relent (The New York Times)
  • Afghan opium cultivation drops for first time in six years (The Express Tribune)
  • Narcan use expanding as overdoses soar (The Bristol Press)
  • Thailand Opium Eradication Effort Still a Model for Other Nations (Voice of America)
  • Myanmar's high opium output a huge test for Suu Kyi government: UN (Reuters)
  • 'Heroin' documentary hard to watch, but necessary (Sentinel & Enterprise)
  • That time Ted Cruz quoted an opium dealer at a Republican presidential debate (The Washington Post)
  • Myanmar Opium Farmers' Forum report published today (Transnational Institute)
  • Naloxone: Heroin overdose cure to be available over the counter as drug makes a comeback (ABC)
  • Myanmar Opium Farmers' Forum report published (Mizzima News)

Absinthe

Kava

Khat

  • Kenya: Varsity Researchers Involved in Miraa Study Insist Crop Is Harmful to Users (All Africa)
  • Royal Oman Police arrests three for smuggling Khat into Dhofar (Times of Oman)
  • Video: Eastern Oromia Rocked by Oromo Protests as Awaday Fights Back (Gadaa)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • The People Are Rising Up Against the Destructive Drug War: 8 Key Developments (AlterNet)
  • Top White House Drug Official: War on Drugs is a Failure (ATTN:)
  • Drug Czar Wants More Money to Spend on Taking Your Stuff (Reason)
  • Jury Acquits the Only Cop Who Faced Charges After a Drug Raid Maimed a Toddler (Reason)
  • Demand rises for drug information at dance music events (The Age)
  • Still in a Crib, Yet Being Given Antipsychotics (The New York Times)
  • DEA ignored prosecutor's warning about illegal wiretap warrants, now it's losing big (Boing Boing)
  • The psychedelic underground temples of Damanhur (Boing Boing)
  • Miley Cyrus Says She's Never Tripped On Psychedelics, Eyes Roll (Refinery29)
  • Finding Guidance on the Hero's Journey: A Story of My Apprenticeship With "The Cacao Shaman" (High Existence)
  • Robert Moog: The True Genius Behind Psychedelic Music (Energy and Capital)
  • Psychedelic Press Journal Volume VI is out now! (Psychedelic Press UK)
  • "Alcohol and the Human Body," a cautionary film from 1949 (Boing Boing)
  • After illegal wiretap, suspects go free and want a refund (USA Today)
  • EFF and Human Rights Watch force DEA to destroy its mass surveillance database (Boing Boing)
  • A Victory for Privacy and Transparency: HRW v. DEA (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
  • EFF confirms that the DEA has deleted its phone call database (Engadget)
  • Drug War Draftees (Reason)
  • These Psychedelic Rainbow Bagels Are Blowing Up on Instagram (Yahoo! Food)
  • Justice officials fear nation's biggest wiretap operation may not be legal (USA Today)
  • Psychedelics can't be tested using conventional clinical trials (Aeon)
  • Dead Informants Highlight the Drug War's Cruel Chain of Betrayal (Reason)
  • Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche sells for $1.76 million at auction (WCMH)
  • New Study: How to Get High Without LSD or Magic Mushrooms (Clapway)

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 - 12.12.15

Image by Hartwig HKD, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Hartwig HKD, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. The FBI is going to expand its system for tracking police-caused deaths by 2017—however it will still rely on local police departments to voluntarily provide this data, rather than make it mandatory. This has been something I have covered for several months on Think Wilder, and I'm happy to see that it is an issue that is getting more attention, even though it seems that local police departments will still decline the opportunity to provide this data to the FBI. This just means that pressure and incentives matter—law enforcement heads in favor of this new system will most likely lobby others to participate as well, and community interest will come into play too. If a local community truly cares about police conduct in its neighborhoods, it will encourage its local police department to pony up this data. I suppose that time will tell how successful this program expansion will be, but I do hope that in a few years' time we find ourselves in a position where we can reliably research how many police-caused deaths there have been nationwide.

2. The founder of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin has been identified solely by the pseudonym "Satoshi Nakamoto" for the past several years, but Gizmodo and Wired identified Australian man Craig Wright as the brain behind the operation. Australian police raided Wright's home this week to seize computer equipment in an effort to assess these claims. There is still plenty of speculation that this could be a hoax, but as someone who has followed news about Bitcoin for several years, it is fairly exciting to have some new material to read about it.

3. Have you ever been waiting on edge for days or weeks at a time for mail to arrive? Well, the United States Postal Service plans to roll out Informed Delivery, a service designed to email you pictures of your mail so that you know what to expect when you get home. At least for the time being, this will only include letter-sized mail, not packages. We'll have to see how well this works out as the USPS doesn't have a great track record when it comes to technological advances.

4. According to a study utilizing 280 Amazon Mechanical Turk workers, lots of people are susceptible to believing pseudo-profound bullshit. The study simply required participants to rate randomly-generated statements on a scale of profundity from 1 to 5. The statements were constructed from the website Wisdom of Chopra, which is a site that scrubs the tweets of alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra, and uses them to construct the random sentences. The study claims that participants who rated random statements containing new-agey buzzwords as "profound" (therefore "being more receptive to bullshit") may lack critical thinking skills, exhibit lower cognitive abilities, are less reflective, more prone to conspiracy theories, more likely to subscribe to religion and belief in the paranormal, and more likely to be fans of alternative medicine. I'm not sure what to make of this study. It seems very anti-Chopra, which (in my experience) most scientific materialists are, there is a small sample size, and it is highly subjective. Take the results for what you will. My main goal in sharing this is to remind the community to be wary of buzzwords and question everything—even articles covering "scientific studies". (And yes, that means you should be wary of Think Wilder as well!)

5. In the wake of so many mass shootings that have happened this year, police in South Carolina unearthed one man's treasure trove including thousands of firearms and ammunition. This may have been the largest firearm seizure in history, and it's definitely worth taking a look at the pictures and videos in the linked article.

6. And finally, some humor for you this week: #GOPdildos is an effort to replace the guns in Republican's gun-toting photos with dildos. Enjoy.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.11.15

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • Canada to become first G7 nation to legalize marijuana: government (Yahoo! News)
  • Pot Prohibition Is Over (Reason)
  • Chile Removes Cannabis from Its Schedule of Hard Drugs: The Leafly Legalization Roundup (Leafly)
  • Man finds a bunch of marijuana stashed in Arizona Iced Tea can bought at Walmart (Boing Boing)
  • Concern About the Industry Influence In the Legalization Movement (NORML)
  • Legal hurdles block this Connecticut firm from providing cannabis meds to terminally ill New Yorkers (Crain's New York Business)
  • NORML And Reset Partner To Publish New Easy-To-Use Guide To US Marijuana Laws (Reset.me)
  • Post Office Says Marijuana Ads Make Periodicals 'Nonmailable' (Reason)
  • Survey: Marijuana Access Motivates Colorado Tourism (NORML)
  • 6 Tips For New Cannabis Users (Reset.me)
  • When Pot Becomes Legal Next Year, Thank Glenn Beck - & Reason! (Reason)
  • First Medical Cannabis Oils Now Legally Available for Sale in Canada Through Peace Naturals Project Inc. (Market Wired)
  • Cannabis research task force appointed (East Oregonian)
  • Kevin Sabet Is The Marijuana Movement's Biggest Threat, But Can He Really Stop 'Big Pot'? (International Business Times)
  • Transportation, education and cannabis oil likely big topics again next legislative session (Gainesville Times)
  • Chicago chef to make marijuana-infused edibles for medical pot patients (Chicago Tribune)
  • California Pot Initiative Backed by Gavin Newsom and Sean Parker Gains Support (Reason)
  • A 'Budding' Industry: Asian Americans for Cannabis Education (NBC News)
  • Doesn't America Deserve a Marijuana Rights Movement That Just Wants to Eliminate Legal Penalties Surrounding Marijuana? (Reason)
  • UVM professors craft first course on medical cannabis (WPTZ)
  • DU students travel to Uruguay to learn about the cannabis culture (FOX31 Denver)
  • Two pensioners caught smuggling £250k of cannabis in chicken after neighbors thought rotting meat smell was corpse (Mirror)
  • Green Medicine: New Documentary Highlights Chile's Medical Cannabis Revolution (Medical Jane)
  • Police turned up to investigate Coventry burglary but found cannabis factory instead (Coventry Telegraph)
  • Man allowed cellar to be a cannabis factory to provide daughter with mobility scooter (Express & Star)

LSD

  • Meet the Man Who Did LSD With Steve Jobs in College (Nextshark)
  • These stories about taking LSD in a high security prison will put you off tripping forever (Metro)
  • A tech worker told us how taking weekly 'microdoses' of LSD increases his productivity (Tech Insider)
  • LSD changes consciousness by reorganizing human brain networks (EurekAlert!)
  • Book Nook: Acid Hype - American News Media and the Psychedelic Experience, by Stephen Siff (WYSO)
  • Ex-student pleads to LSD charges, likely headed to prison (The Athens News)
  • Report: Silicon Valley Programmers Turning To LSD For Performance Boost (CBS News)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Active ingredient in magic mushrooms reduces anxiety and depression in cancer patients (EurekAlert!)
  • Why I Take Psychedelic Mushrooms For My Health (Refinery29)
  • Personal Story: Profound, Life Changing Insights From Psilocybin Mushrooms (Reset.me)
  • Cops: Psychedelic mushrooms grown in public housing unit in Hempfield Township (WTAE)
  • Teen claims trio did 'shrooms before fatal homeless beatings (KOAT)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • Is ecstasy really that dangerous? All your questions answered (The Guardian)
  • Mother of Deceased Festival Attendee Leads Pill Testing Campaign in Australia (VICE's Thump)
  • A new approach to ecstasy is needed (The Age)
  • Bob Carr offers cautious backing for ecstasy 'pill testing' trial (The Australian)
  • Mollywood: how blockbusters got loved up (The Guardian)
  • Two Australian Experts on Drug Use and Policy Share the Real Facts About Ecstasy (VICE's Thump)
  • Second Death Hits Stereosonic Fest, Calls For Pill Testing Intensifies (Billboard)
  • Ravers switching from tablets to crystal rock form of psychoactive drug MDMA in their quest for a high (The Daily Telegraph)
  • British DJ Ben Rees dies of multiple organ failure after taking ecstasy (Metro)
  • Columnist: Ecstasy or just killer sex? (LaGrange Daily News)
  • Fake ambulance drug smugglers to be sentenced (Daily Mail)
  • Ecstasy tablets seized from boat on New South Wales Central Coast (ABC News)
  • Over 200,000 MDMA Tablets Smuggled (Iceland Review)
  • Minnesota Man Sentenced to Prison for MDMA Possession (KOWB)
  • Police seize 1700 MDMA tablets after man falls from boat (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Ayahuasca/DMT

  • America's First Legal Ayahuasca 'Church' (The Daily Beast)
  • Don't believe the hype about the "Legal Ayahuasca Church" going around Facebook—it's not legal, it's dangerous, and here's why (Bia Labate)
  • Ayahuasca, the sacred jungle vine that lures Westerners to the Amazon (The Tico Times)
  • North Atlantic Books releases "Mystery School in Hyperspace: A Cultural History of DMT" (Press Release Rocket)
  • Tourists warned about risks of 'spiritual cleansing' retreats in Peru (TravelMole)
  • Nun Sense: The Loft screen's [sic] a documentary about a Tucson nun's experience with a hallucinogenic in the Amazon (Tucson Weekly)
  • American 'psychedelic church' to offer tea laced with hallucinogen DMT (Metro)
  • Drink Hallucinogenic 'Tea' Inside A Teepee At America's First Ayahuasca Church (Medical Daily)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

Iboga/Ibogaine

  • A Window Of Opportunity: Reflections On Ibogaine Treatment For Opiate Addiction (Reset.me)
  • Anarchast: Barry Rossinoff: Iboga For Personal Healing, Peace And Freedom (The Dollar Vigilante)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

  • Why College Kids Are Overdosing on the Hallucinogen 25I-NBOMe, 'N-Bombs' (Inverse)
  • Q+A: "N-bomb" synthetic LSD (Stuff.co.nz)
  • Angleton High School student arrested after officials find synthetic LSD (The Facts)

Dissociatives

  • WHO Recommends against International Control of Ketamine (World Health Organization)
  • New Data on Ketamine for Depression (Medscape)
  • Ketamine: We Speak to Top Relief Agency Pharmacists About the Effects of International Control (The Huffington Post)
  • Physician, pharmacist indicted in $17 million painkilling cream scheme (Chron)
  • Topical Ketamine: Potential for Serious Abuse? (Medpage Today)
  • Studies target new approaches for treatment-resistant depression (The Mix)
  • Ketamine Works for Refractory Status Epilepticus (MD Magazine)
  • Police say mouthwash bottle in suspect's jacket contained PCP (The Eagle)
  • Jersey City man could face up to 10 years for PCP charges (NJ.com)
  • Status Epilepticus: Shifts in Thinking on Treatment (MD Magazine)

Opiates/Opioids

Absinthe

  • Enjoy Some Insane Cocktails at Asado the Cocktail Street In Mumbai! (Hungry Forever)
  • New Orleans and its food museums: a foodie pilgrimage (San Diego Reader)

Kratom

  • War on Drugs Ensnares Coffee Relative (Reason)
  • The Psychoactive Opioid Kratom Can Force a Broader Drug Legalization Debate (Inverse)
  • Time for a Natural Alternative to Prescription Drugs: Safe and Effective Herbal Supplements (Business Wire)
  • Phuket riot arrest warrants hit 80, still only 3 arrests (The Phuket News)
  • Couple arrested in Phuket in possession of over 100 kilos of kratom (The Phuket News)
  • Phuket couple busted with 741 bundles of kratom (Phuket Gazette)

Kava

Khat

  • Munya slams report on miraa's negative sexual effects (The Star)
  • Snapshots: Miraa is the best thing that ever happened to Nairobi men (SDE)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • Daughter Of DEA Head Busted As A Drug Lord (The Stoner's Cookbook)
  • Tripping Down the Erowid Rabbithole (Inverse)
  • Sacred Knowledge: how psychedelics shaped an academic's life (The Guardian)
  • Two college drug busts, two different fates (60 Minutes)
  • 7 Ways To Help Someone Who's Having A Bad Trip (Refinery29)
  • Stereosonic death: Drug testing at festivals would be just 'guesswork' (The Advertiser)
  • Revelation, Psychedelics, and Everyday Living (Powell's Books)
  • Shane Mauss Talks About Psychedelics, Comedy And Life On The Road (Westword) 
  • San Jose seeks respect with psychedelic underpasses (SFGate)
  • You Don't Need Psychedelics, Just Play Thumper Instead (Game Revolution)
  • 3D Printed Jigs Connect LEDs in Psychedelic NeoPixel Cube Prototype (3DPrint.com)
  • Janis Joplin's Psychedelic Porsche Up For Sale (Sky News)

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 - 12.5.15

Image by Matt Westgate, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Matt Westgate, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. There are a lot of names being bandied about for what to name the generation of kids that follows the Millennials: Gen Z, iGen, Posts, Homeland Generation, ReGen, Plurals, etc. But MTV has proposed that we name the new generation the Founders, because while the Millennials have done an effective job of disrupting society, it is up to the new generation to rebuild it. Way to make me feel old, MTV. But I do hope that this is correct—now that we are aware that the systems in place are broken, we do need a group of people to muster up the energy to rebuild our global society. If any Founders want some help collaborating on a save-the-world project, let us Millennials know!

2. A new study found that quitting Facebook can make you happier and less depressed. The study essentially took a group of Facebook users and split them into two groups—the first group continued using the platform while the second group ceased activity on Facebook entirely. After one week, 88% of the group that left Facebook said they felt "happy" compared to 81% in the group still using the site. The first group "also felt less angry, less lonely, less depressed, more decisive, more enthusiastic, and enjoyed their lives more." Stress levels for the second group were reduced by as much as 55%. Now, keep in mind that this is just one study, but the results do indicate a trend—perhaps limiting or eliminating social media activity altogether would be wise if you are consistently feeling blue.

3. I don't fully understand this, but in case you are able to and might find it interesting, scientists have not found any evidence that we are living in a hologram. Apparently a machine called a Holometer was constructed to find holographic noise in the universe, but was unable to find any. Not to say that the lead physicist, Craig Hogan, isn't still hopeful: "This is just the beginning of the story. We've developed a new way of studying space and time that we didn't have before. We weren't even sure we could attain the sensitivity we did."

4. A Canadian man was arrested in an airport with 51 live turtles in his pants that he was intending to smuggle to China, where they are worth a considerable amount of money.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.4.15

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • Recreational Pot Will Be Legal Just About Everywhere Soon (Reason)
  • Lawmakers Question Postal Service About Marijuana Ad Threats to Newspapers (Marijuana.com)
  • The Quantified Stoner (VICE's Motherboard)
  • PTSD And Cannabis Study Seeks Veteran Participants (Reset.me)
  • Why the Mexican Supreme Court Is Only Allowing 4 People to Grow Weed (ATTN:)
  • No, The Feds Won't Pay You $3,000 Per Week to Smoke Marijuana (Marijuana.com)
  • Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Associated With Decreased Obesity (NORML)
  • A Modern Cannabis Retail Store Experience (PSFK)
  • Clinical study at CAMH tests how cannabis affects volunteers' driving skills (The Hamilton Spectator)
  • Colorado cannabis: As pot grows up, design enters the scene (The Denver Post)
  • 7 Celebrities With Their Own Line of Cannabis Products (Leafly)
  • Nebraska Sen. Tommy Garrett speaks about medical cannabis legalization (Siouxland News)
  • HARDIN: On Cannabis Consciousness (Lost Coast Outpost)
  • "This decision will save lives": Minnesota expand cannabis use to pain patients (Post-Bulletin)
  • Cannabis crop larger than a football field set on fire by Aussie police (Mashable)
  • Cannabis farms fuel human trafficking, report says (The Guardian)
  • Cannabis cafes face first-of-the year shutdown or fine (KATU)
  • 'Skunk-Like' Cannabis Associated With Brain Damage, Study Finds (Headlines & Global News)
  • Trafficking victims forced to grow high-priced UK cannabis: police (Yahoo! News)

LSD

  • LSD Microdosing: The New Job Enhancer In Silicon Valley And Beyond? (Forbes)
  • Silicon Valley tech workers take microdoses of LSD drug to improve problem-solving (International Business Times)
  • Acid Tests Turn 50: Wavy Gravy, Merry Prankster Ken Babbs Looks Back (Rolling Stone)
  • When LSD Was Mainstream (Reason)
  • Authorities Say LSD Killed A Man Cops Left Facedown And Hogtied (The Huffington Post)
  • Small Doses of LSD Can Assuage Depression and Anxiety, Say Researcher (Counsel & Heal)
  • LSD caused Goode's death, state autopsy says (The Commercial Appeal)
  • Microdosing LSD: what is it? (The Age)
  • Silicon Valley Has a Surprising New Source of Inspiration (Maxim)
  • LSD Microdosing Deserves More Serious Research (Forbes)
  • Man died of LSD toxicity after leaving Widespread Panic concert (FOX10 News)
  • Just hit tab: why Silicon Valley techies are dropping LSD at work (The Guardian)
  • John McAfee on the return of psychedelics, LSD in the work place (Yahoo! News)
  • Silicon Valley Workers Take 'Microdoses' Of LSD To Boost Productivity (Tech Times)
  • Why LSD is being used in workplaces in Silicon Valley (News.com.au)
  • Silicon Valley Executives Microdosing LSD To Improve Productivity (Breitbart News)
  • Speaking in Tech: Is the whole of Silicon Valley on LSD? (The Register)
  • Autopsy finds man died of 'LSD toxicity' in police custody (Local 8 Now)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Could Psilocybin Be Used To Treat Terminally Ill Cancer Patients? (Collective Evolution)
  • What Psilocybin Mushrooms Taught Me About Death And Rebirth (Reset.me)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • A Clinical Trial Is Exploring How MDMA Could Help People With Autism (VICE's Motherboard)
  • British Media Outlets Are Trying to Blame a Student's Suicide on an MDMA Comedown (VICE's Thump)
  • Deep Web Bot Is Buying Ecstasy Online for Art (Food World News)
  • MDMA Used in Clinical Trial To Help People With Autism (Tech Times)
  • Chris Robinson Loves Jerry Garcia, Hates MDMA, Doesn't Believe in Voice Lessons (Los Angeles Weekly)
  • Rainbow Serpent Festival wants to test ecstasy pills (The Age)
  • Teen use of ecstasy troubles OPP (Sault Star)
  • Stereosonic 2015: Woman dies after music festival at Sydney Olympic Park (The Daily Telegraph)
  • Ex-Wesleyan student Eric Lonergan pleads guilty in MDMA overdose case (New Haven Register)
  • Side Effects of Ecstasy Pill Led One Man To Experience Uncontrollable Shaking, Twitching, And Stuttering (Medical Daily)

Ayahuasca/DMT

  • First legal ayahuasca retreat to open in the U.S. (Death and Taxes)
  • New study from Beckley collaboration supports therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca by showing increased mindfulness (The Beckley Foundation)
  • Watch a Freelance Journalist Writhe Through a Powerful DMT Trip for Research (VICE's Motherboard)
  • The Mystery of DMT: A Talk with Graham St John (Reality Sandwich)
  • I Went to an Ayahuasca Divorce Ceremony (VICE's Motherboard)
  • For me, ayahuasca was as good as therapy. Here's what the science says (Global Post)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

Salvia Divinorum

  • WATCH: The Horrifying Effects of Smoking Salvia Is a Great Reason to Say No to Drugs (First to Know)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

  • Five soldiers discharged from army after taking psychedelic drug 'N-Bomb' (Stuff.co.nz)
  • Rise in Use of Hallucinogenic Drugs Spurs Authorities, UCSB to Warn of Risks and Ready Response (Noozhawk)
  • Five soldiers booted from army after synthetic hallucinogen binge (TVNZ)

Dissociatives

  • Ketamine, global health, and why China's push to pass international legislation will endanger millions of patients (The Huffington Post)
  • Ketamine drug abuse detected earlier with new test (Bel Marra Health)
  • Join the campaign to protect ketamine access (European Society of Anesthesiology)
  • Police arrest one for suspected PCP; officer sniffs out "wet" cigarette (The Examiner)
  • Man admits assaulting police officer while drunk and carrying ketamine at Gatwick (Crawley News)
  • Springfield man on PCP admits brandishing gun with baby in apartment, violating restraining order (MassLive)
  • Anesthesiologists Take Lead As Ketamine Clinics Proliferate (Anesthesiology News)

Opiates/Opioids

  • Study: Cannabis Improves Outcomes In Opioid-Dependent Subjects Undergoing Treatment (NORML)
  • Heroin Is Deadlier Than It Used To Be, Thanks To The War On Drugs (Forbes)
  • Heroin epidemic seizes bipartisan attention in 2016 race (Fox News)
  • Price drop for Narcan increases availability (Examiner)
  • Opium poppy farmers seek help to end dependence (Myanmar Times)
  • Memories Of A Heroin Head: "Heroin Has Given Me More Life Than It Has Taken Away" (Disinformation)
  • Country Mulls Plan for Heroin Epidemic: Give Them Heroin (Yahoo! Health)
  • From 'Mighty Opium' To Moral Crisis: Addiction As Cultural Cachet And Cautionary Tale (Cognoscenti)
  • Norway mulls medical heroin, as it grapples with Western Europe's highest overdose rate (U.S. News & World Report)
  • Naloxone to be distributed at event (York Daily Record)

Absinthe

Kratom

Kava

Khat

  • From Qat to Captagon (Reason)
  • High miraa intake lowers men's sexual performance, sperm quality - study (The Star)
  • Miraa crusader dismisses research warning on men's sexual performance (The Star)
  • Miraa consumers in Kibera refute claims of side effects (Hivisasa)
  • Khat worth €26,000 seized at Dublin airport (UTV Ireland)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • Big Think: Rick Doblin on Making Psychedelics Legal and Mainstream (KQED)
  • People Are Taking Microdoses of Psychedelics to Perform Better At Work (NOISEPRN)
  • Psychedelic 'Antibiotic' Therapy for Mental-Micro-Organisms (Psychedelic Press UK)
  • Can testing make drugs safer for those who ignore calls not to take them? (Sydney Morning Herald)
  • Small really is beautiful: Psychedelic images show the inner workings of cells in stunning detail (Daily Mail)
  • Janis Joplin's psychedelic Porsche 356SC up for sale (The Australian)

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.