This Week in Psychedelics - 5.6.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• This Groundbreaking Study Is Big Pharma's Worst Nightmare (ATTN:)
• Marijuana Legalization Did Not Initially Boost Underage Access in Washington (Reason)
• The President of the United States Made a Marijuana Joke at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (ATTN:)
• Germany to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes (The Telegraph)
• California Marijuana Initiative Seems to Have Plenty of Signatures (Reason)
• Meet One Iowa Family Fighting for Cannabis Oil Law Reform (WHO-TV)
• California Chef Brings Cannabis to Fine Dining, for $500 per Person (NBC)
• Feds Agree to Tolerate the Country's Largest Medical Marijuana Dispensary (Reason)
• This Man Ran a Huge Cannabis Factory Next to a Police HQ (VICE)
• Vermont: House Members Turn Back Marijuana Reform Efforts (NORML)
• Want to Try Cannabis Juicing? Check Out These Recipes and Guidelines (Leafly)
• 5 reasons marijuana is not medicine (The Washington Post)

LSD

• Two Men High on LSD Spoke Without Opening Their Mouthes (Clapway)
• How to Pick Music for People on LSD, From a Scientist Whose Job That Is (Motherboard)
• Seen at 11: Could Acid Micro-Doses Help Improve Focus And Creativity? (CBS)
• LSD, Hookers, Hit Men, and the Top Levels of the CIA (WhoWhatWhy)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Why MDMA and 'Shrooms Are Potential Major Tools to Fight Domestic Violence (AlterNet)
• Magic Mushrooms Put the Human Brain in Dream Mode and Facilitate Higher Thinking (Inverse)
• Sukaramaddava and Psilocybin (Disinfo)
• Psychedelic Psychology: Mushrooms Make Social Rejection Less Painful (High Times)
• From fresh food to magic mushrooms (Harvard Gazette)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• A new study says MDMA purity levels are at an all-time high (Mixmag)
• Europe Is Experiencing a New Wave of Super-Potent Ecstasy (VICE)
• Girl's death after taking 'MasterCard' ecstasy prompts police warning (The Guardian)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• A Chemical Found in Ayahuasca Could Completely Reverse Diabetes (David Wolfe)
• Is Peru's Psychedelic Potion a Cure or a Curse? (The Wall Street Journal)
• Will the Actors in Icaros: A Vision Win Ayahu-Oscars For Their On-Set Tripping? (Bedford + Bowery)
• Blacksburg police execute search warrant in DMT manufacturing investigation (The Roanoke Times)
• DMT Lab discovered in Christianburg (NRVN News)

Dissociatives

• Problematic drug has a byproduct that makes it a great antidepressant (Ars Technica)
• Ketamine on the NHS: Docs to dish out party drug to depressed Brits (Daily Star)
• UN takes no action on ketamine (American Veterinary Medical Association)
• Does ketamine prevent chronic pain after surgery? (Scoop.co.nz)
• DC Bus Hijacker Allegedly Smoked PCP Before Incident (ABC)
• Woman arrested for April 2 fatal crash; blood test shows PCP (12 News)

Opiates/Opioids

• A New Version of Fentanyl Is Turning up in the U.S. (ATTN:)
• Was Prince's Life Taken by America's Prescription Drug Epidemic? (Disinfo)
• Report: Prince Autopsy Confirms Presence of Painkiller in System (ATTN:)
• Prince Was Set to Meet with Opioid Addiction Doctor a Day After He Died (TIME)
• Mexico's Heroin Farmers: The Trail of Destruction Starts in the Poppy Fields (VICE)
• Pharmacist debunks belief that naloxone enables addicts (Central Kentucky News)
• Bountiful Afghan Opium Harvest Yield Profits for the Taliban (The New York Times)
• Islamic State Eradicating Afghan Poppy Crops (Voice of America)
• The War on Opium in Afghanistan (The Huffington Post)

Kratom

• Chronic Pain Patients Discover Alternative to Opioids (Pain News Network)
• Kratom for treatment of arthritis pain (Kratom Project)
• Kratom: What is it, and why did Alabama ban it? (Newsaegis)
• A dangerous high with a legal substance (WOAI)

Kava

• Kava price doubles as supply drops (The Fiji Times)
• Chicago's First Kava Cafe Quietly Opens (Eater Chicago)
• South Pacific Drink Finds Home in Texas (TWC News)

Khat

• Somali student faces death sentence for trafficking 'khat' leaves (New Straits Times)
• Raila Odinga promises new market for miraa traders (Citizen TV)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Getting Certified in Psychedelic Therapies and Reseach at the CA Institute of Integral Studies (Psychedelic Times)
• Could Psychedelic Drugs Help Keep Ex-Inmates Out Of Jail? (Motherboard)
• New Report Details Devastating Effects Of Mass Incarceration On The U.S. (The Huffington Post)
• Psychedelic Activists Aren't the LSD-Dropping Hippie Flakes You Think They Are (Inverse)
• Ketamine, Mushrooms and Mephedrone: What Happened When Drugs Were Banned in the UK (VICE)
• Will Drug Legalization Radically Change Our Culture? A Talk with ACS President Jeff Kundert (Psychedelic Times)
• Michigan Seeks Science of 'Drugged Driving' (Courthouse News Service)
• The Legend of the Miami Cannibal Provides Lessons in Shoddy Drug Journalism (Forbes)
• Home improvement store asked to pull seeds with LSD-like effects off shelves (WCVB)
• A Bold New Plan to Help Addicts and End the Drug War (Reason)
• Psychedelic drugs can deepen religious experiences (Religion News Service)
• Meet MAPS, the psychedelic research foundation that's winning Silicon Valley Gives (San Jose Mercury News)
• Drug testing expert was high on LSD, ketamine and cocaine every day for eight years (Metro)
• Non-Violent Drug Offenders Get Life +185 Years (Reason)

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 - 4.30.16

Image by Timothy Neesam, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. It looks like police departments around the world are gearing up (literally) to prepare for widespread rioting on a national scale. Read the following quote and just let it sink in:

Law enforcement agencies around the world are the biggest market for riot control systems. This market is expected to generate revenues of over USD 3.5 billion by the end of 2020. Countries such as the U.S., Iran, Egypt, Russia, China, and Thailand have started procuring riot control equipment and are investing heavily in [non-lethal weapons]. Moreover, special vehicles that are equipped with water cannon and reservoirs have been designed for security personnel, for use in areas of conflict to handle large crowds and demonstration. Demand for such equipment is expected to rise during the next few years.

In North America, the prominent markets are Canada and the U.S. and law enforcement agencies in these nations are best equipped with the upgraded weapons. The militarization of the police department and other law enforcement agencies in the Americas has encouraged the use of advanced riot control equipment.

2. One of the most successful sharing economy apps, taxi-competitor Uber, may be changing it's tipping policy in the near future. This change highlights a somewhat-hidden issue with the sharing economy. If you find yourself thinking "Wow, that's super cheap, how can the [employee] afford that?", then you should assume that the company isn't paying for the price subsidy—the worker is. This allows companies to rake in the profits by undercutting the cost that they charge for their products and services, compared to their competitors, which is great for the company and consumer, but not for the employees. So next time you are about to get out of an Uber, consider tipping the driver. And if the "employees deserve a fair wage" argument doesn't persuade you, you should know that it sounds like moving forward, riders who opt-out of tipping may be penalized when rated by the driver, anyway. Along with the tipping policy change may be changes to waiting time and cancellation time charges for passengers, so keep your eyes out for that as well.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 4.29.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• The DEA Made an Unexpectedly Bold Move on Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Marijuana is kosher for Passover, leading rabbi rules (The Independent)
• Cannabis festival in D.C. will push pot legalization (The Washington Times)
• Nobody Knows How High You Are Right Now—It's Really Hard to Measure (Wired)
• Early Lessons From Marijuana Legalization in Colorado (Reason)
• Cannabis CEOs Share The Trends That Spur Their Business (Forbes)
• This Facebook Post About the Ohio Killings Nails a Major Problem with Marijuana Prohibition (ATTN:)
• Boston cannabis convention draws thousands (WCVB)
• Is Cannabis a Friend to the Flaccid or the Enemy of Erections? (Leafly)
• Bernie Sanders Wants to Legalize Marijuana...and Maybe Ban Cigarettes? (Reason)
• Study: Cannabis fights arthritis-related cartilage loss (Extract)
• Maine Will Vote on Marijuana Legalization in November (TIME)
• Support for medicinal cannabis growing among Grey Power groups and elderly (Stuff.co.nz)
• Who Smokes Marijuana In America? (NORML)
• America's Biggest Cannabis Busts (Merry Jane)
• Here's the Most Beautiful Pot Paraphernalia You Ever Did See (Wired)
• The Most Powerful People in the Marijuana Industry (Reason)
• Practical Cannabis: On the Quest for a Legal, Recreational High in America (Reality Sandwich)
• Cannabis Makes You Watch Cat Videos (According to Google Trends) (Leafly)
• Cannabis Growers Think Scientists Want to Steal Their Shit (Merry Jane)
• Why the IRS Taxes State-Licensed Marijuana Merchants on Nonexistent Profits (Reason)
• Ban on THC-Infused Gummy Bears Advances in Colorado (Reason)
• Heavy cannabis use could lead to earlier death, study suggests (International Business Times)

LSD

• Scientists: Shrooms Help People; What About LSD? (Clapway)
• B.C. scientists to auction off LSD images to raise money for PTSD study (The Province)
• How Music Enhances Your LSD Experience and May Benefit Psychedelic Therapy (Psychedelic Times)
• LSD destabilizes the brain's "sense of self" neural network (The Tartan)
• Could LSD help treat patients with psychiatric disorders? (WWLP)
• Man took LSD, severed penis and jumped out window (Sunday World)
• LSD won't stop men from beating women (Politics.co.uk)
• Alarming Increase Of LSD Users (The Reykjavík Grapevine)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• 'Magic mushrooms' study challenges stereotypes of psychedelic drug use (The Badger Herald)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• My Life As an Ecstasy Dealer On the 90s Club Circuit (VICE)
• Tales of War and Hope from a MAPS Psychedelic Dinner: Raising Support to Treat PTSD with MDMA (Psychedelic Times)
• New Research Explores the Use of MDMA Therapy to Treat End-of-Life Anxiety (Psychedelic Times)
• Researchers throw fundraiser to buy 1 kilo of MDMA (CBC News)
• Brit drug dealer jailed for six years after smuggling 35,000 ecstasy tablets into Ibiza (Daily Star)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• The Inauguration of the UDV Temple in Santa Fe: A Sweet Taste of Justice (The World Post)
• Despite risks, Americans flock to Amazon for Ayahuasca ritual and spiritual awakening (Fox News Latino)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Protecting the Peyote for Future Generations: Building on a Legacy of Perservearance (Reality Sandwich)

Dissociatives

• Off-Label Ketamine Prescribing: US Psychiatrists Troubled (Medscape)
• Ketamine effective for treatment-resistant depression (Healio)
• Man high on meth, PCP attacks customers with shard of glass (KIRO)
• Telltale tint? Police seize heroin, PCP from Lexus stopped for heavily tinted window (Mass Live)

Opiates/Opioids

• Prince had prescription drugs in his possession when he died, say law enforcement sources (The Guardian)
• Study: Opioid Abuse Rates Lower In Medical Cannabis States (NORML)
• Mexico explores regulating opium to fight drug violence (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
• What is naloxone? (CNN)

Absinthe

• 7 Things You Didn't Know About Absinthe (Afar)

Kratom

• Kratom Causing & Reducing Panic Attacks (Kratom Project)
• Is Kratom Cardiotoxic (Bad for the Heart)? (Kratom Project)
• Kratom Interactions – What you should know if you are on Medications (Kratom Project)

Khat

• Kenya: Govt Offers Support for Miraa Farmers (AllAfrica.com)
• Khat pickers with bad fingerprints in Mbeere South denied ID cards (The Star)
• Police discover huge haul of khat - after dealer flags down patrol car for help (Manchester Evening News)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Here's the Info About Antidepressants the Pharmaceutical Industry Is Keeping From You (Disinfo)
• Museum of Drug Policy Pops Up in New York For U.N. Special Session on "World Drug Problem" (Reason)
• I Have a Rare Visual Disorder That's Like Being on Psychedelics All the Time (VICE)
• The Philippine Election Frontrunner Says He Would Kill His Own Children If They Took Drugs (TIME)
• UBC study finds psychedelic drugs may reduce domestic violence (EurekAlert!)
• Victoria police officer can advocate for drug legalization, tribunal rules (The Globe and Mail)
• Smoking Scorpions for a 'sting of pleasure' (Disinfo)
• Terence McKenna: Octopus (Visual Language/VR-2) (The Daily Psychedelic Video)
• Aldous Huxley's Hands - A Mind-Bending Trip into Psychedelic Science (Examiner)

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 - 4.23.16

Image by miheco, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. To get your synapses firing, check out this article about the concept of creating sustainable societies modeled from sacred geometry. (For more information on what sacred geometry is, check out the Wikipedia article.) The piece could certainly be fleshed out a bit more, but it's a good thought exercise to start with, discussing ideas like building torus-shaped houses that look like a donut and generating nuclear energy with devices like the tokamak.

2. This is simultaneously awesome and incredibly freaky—swimming mechanical snakes have been invented with the intention of performing underwater service work for sea-based operations like oil rigs and wind farms. This is basically the stuff of my nightmares. Autonomous robot snakes? Yeah, that's going to be interesting.

3. Step into a time machine with this collection of photographs from 1986, which is both 30 years ago and the year of my birth. This glance at the people, events, fashion, and city landscapes from that year will either have you reminiscing (if you are old enough to remember) or envisioning what things were like back then (if you were yet to be).

4. Would you consider dropping your home Internet connection for mobile-only service? If so, it seems like you aren't alone. Since 2013, there has been a 7% reduction in homes that use DSL, cable or fiber connection to access the web at home, while there has been a 10% increase in the amount of homes that are solely using a mobile Internet connection. Here is a link to the source study conducted by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. I for one am not at a point where I could consider switching to mobile-only, but if mobile Internet speeds and reliability continue to improve, I could definitely see that as a possibility.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 4.22.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• The Growing Acceptance of Marijuana Smoking in Society (NORML)
• Decriminalizing cannabis would hurt Islamic State, mafia- Style prosecutor (Town Hall)
• Canada's Health Minister Says Pot Legalization Bill Coming Soon (TIME)
• How the President Can End Pot Prohibition Without Congress (Reason)
• DEA Finally Approves Study on Cannabis and PTSD (Leafly)
• California startup offering subscription snack box with cannabis-infused treats (FOX News)
• Does Marijuana Cure Depression? Why Treating Depression With Cannabis Requires Moderation (Psychedelic Times)
• Puff The Magic Dragon is not about smoking weed (Boing Boing)
• Watch Californians Explain Why They Use Medical Marijuana (TIME)
• Native American Church Resists Pot Enthusiasts (Courthouse News Service)
• "Crawl for Cannabis" aims to bring legal medical marijuana to Missouri (FOX 2 Now)
• A New Crop of Marijuana Geneticists Sets Out to Build Better Weed (Wired)
• Whoopi Goldberg's Women's Health-Focused Cannabis Products To Begin Shipping Soon (Forbes)
• A Brief History of Marijuana Law in America (TIME)
• The Best Portable Vaporizer for Most People (The Wirecutter)
• What the World Can Learn From Colorado's Marijuana Experience (Reason)
• Holy Moses These Fake Nuns Totally Grow Weed (Wired)
• What a Looming Patent War Could Mean for the Future of America's Marijuana Industry (VICE)
• The Lemonade Is $150. The Pot Is Free. (Reason)
• The Best Marijuana Strains for Treating Social Anxiety (ATTN:)
• Here's the Real Reason We Associate 420 With Weed (TIME)
• Marijuana Memo: Seriously, Guys. Do We Even Ned 420 Anymore? (Wired)
• What I Learned From Medical Marijuana Refugee Families (ATTN:)
• All the Apps You Need to Make This 420 the Best 420 EVAR (Wired)
• The Best Marijuana Strains for Cramps (ATTN:)
• If Weed Got Branding Like This, Maybe the Man Wouldn't Hate on It (Wired)
• A Marijuana Miracle: From Disabled Vet With Debilitating MS To Modern Weed Warrior (Reset.me)
• Cannabis users gather at London '420 picnic' (The Guardian)
• Best Marijuana Strains for Productivity (ATTN:)
• The Guardian view on cannabis and psychosis: how do we protect teenagers? (The Guardian)
• Cannabis: scientists call for action amid mental health concerns (The Guardian)
• Heavy cannabis use 'DOES have a negative affect on your brain - in regions linked to learning and memory' (Daily Mail)

LSD

• How an Army of Deadheads (And Their LSD) Invented Silicon Valley (WIRED)
• Medical Marijuana Designed for Instagram; What About LSD? (Clapway)
• Bicycle Day marks LSD discovery by Albert Hoffman as psychotherapy research continues (ABC Online)
• New LSD study opens depression treatment path using opioid system for major depression relief (Bel Marra Health)
• What LSD tells us about human nature (The Guardian)
• LSD Makes Your Brain More 'Flexible', Less Anxious (The Daily Beast)
• Photos: Flashing back to the days when Laguna Beach was an LSD mecca (The Orange County Register)
• Really bad trip: Frenchman on LSD beats girlfriend, hacks penis, & jumps out window (RT)
• Your Brain On LSD Looks A Lot Like A Baby's (NPR)
• The woman behind a new LSD study has a history of experimenting on herself (PRI)
• Minneapolis Brewer Forced to Rename Its LSD Beer (The Daily Meal)
• Vogue Williams to take LSD on new RTE show (BreakingNews.ie)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• 'Magic Mushroom' Drug Psilocybin May Help with Feeling Rejected (Live Science)
• Psychedelic Mushrooms Can Ease Your Crippling Anxiety (Your EDM)
• The Latest Prescription Psychedelics Idea? Treat Addiction With Magic Mushrooms (Inverse)
• How Shrooms Work and Affect the Brain: What Psilocybin Is Really Doing to Your Head (Mic)
• Psychedelic Pizza Hoax Spawn EPD Investigation (North Coast Journal)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Meet a Former Soldier Who Overcame His Life-Threatening PTSD With MDMA-Therapy (The Science Explorer)
• New study examines the effect of ecstasy on the brain (Medical Xpress)
• MDMA Effects: Drug Reduces Serotonin Transport In Brain, Leading To Cognitive Deficits (Medical Daily)
• VIDEO: Warning sounds as drug death investigation progresses (Sunshine Coast Daily)
• Ecstasy to blame for my son's death, says mother of student who drowned in canal (Evening Standard)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• How Ayahuasca Works to Heal the Illnesses of Civilization (Psychedelic Times)
• Church Offering Halluicinogenic Experiences Near Mineral on Hiatus, Moves Retreats to Peru (Centralia Chronicle)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Ruling Doesn't Settle Future of Native American Church (Courthouse News Service)
• Native American Church Uneasy With New Influences (Courthouse News Service)

Dissociatives

• Repeated Ketamine May Sustain Antidepressant Effect (Medscape)
• Galvanising support for ketamine as an essential medicine (Veterinary Record)
• Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court Judge slams rise of 'monkey dust' drug (StaffsLive)
• Man who ran naked down I-71 on pot, PCP (Cincinnati.com)
• Man accused of home invasion, PCP possession (Monroe News Star)

Opiates/Opioids

• SNL tried to joke about the heroin epidemic in America. Not all of America laughed. (The Washington Post)
• Medical LSD to be Legalized; Is Heroin Next? (Clapway)
• A Controversial Response to Heroin Epidemic: Supervised Injections (U.S. News & World Report)
• Using Naloxone (Narcan) As A Last Resort (Forbes)
• How history and paranoia keep morphine away from India's terminally-ill patients (Quartz)
• No end yet to Afghanistan's opium trade (Reuters)

Kratom

• WMJ article on kratom gains national attention (Wisconsin Medical Society)
• How to Prevent Kratom Nausea & Side Effects (Kratom Project)

Kava

• Noble Kava: A New Beginning (The Blue Banner)

Khat

• Somalia:The Financial and Cultural Importance of Khat and the Current Threat to its Use (SomalilandPress)
• Uhuru and Ruto should sweet-talk wazungu into chewing miraa (Standard Digital)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Smoking dead scorpions is KP's latest dangerous addiction (DAWN)
• How imperialism and eugenics during America's Progressive Era spawned international drug control (Raw Story)
• Psychedelic Advocates Take Their Case for Freedom of Consciousness to the U.N. (AlterNet)
• Do Psychedelics Have The Power To Wake Us Up? (Collective Evolution)
• Eight Common Items That Can Make You Test Positive for Drugs (ATTN:)
• The Highs and Lows of the Psychedelic Experience: How to Avoid the Dangers of Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)
• How Long It Takes for 6 Commons Drugs to Leave Your System (ATTN:)

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.