This Week in Psychedelics - 7.15.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• The Democratic Party Made a Big Move on Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Facebook And Google Cannabis Policy Enforcement Makes No Sense (BuzzFeed)
• "420" Dating: An Interview with Molly Peckler, Cannabis Dating Website Founder (Leafly)
• This Fancy Weed Chocolate Helps You Not Get Too Stoned (Wired)
• Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Linked To Less Prescription Drug Use, Medicare Spending (NORML)
• Oregon Launches New Cannabis Worker Permit (Leafly)
• Baby Boomer Parents, Have You Come Out of the Cannabis Closet to Your Adult Kids? (Leafly)
• Allen St. Pierre Tenders His Resignation (NORML)
• New Research Sheds Light on Cannabis' Bronze Age Roots (Leafly)
• The Altered State Exhibit at Oakland Museum of California (Reality Sandwich)
• North Dakota medical cannabis petition deadline approaching (Valley News Live)
• Two Texas Lawyers Make Viral Song About Weed (ATTN:)
• Medicinal cannabis the right oil for Ellie the Staffy, her owner believes (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Should L.A. County Tax Medical Cannabis to Fight Homelessness? (Leafly)
• Colorado Pot Regulation Amendment Pulled By Its Own Supporters (Reason)
• A Cannabis Company Co-Founder Says the CEO Groped and Smelled Her (Willamette Week)
• Sen. Feinstein Will Not Be Giving Up the Drug War Anytime Soon (Reason)
• Cannabis users who put tobacco in joints 'more likely to be addicted' (The Guardian)

LSD

• Toddler may have ingested LSD near Oregon Country Fair, officials say (The Oregonian)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Understanding Different Magic Mushrooms: A Guide to 4 Common Psilocybin Mushrooms (Psychedelic Times)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Scientists Really Want to Be Allowed to Study MDMA (Inverse)
• Ecstasy: The Unplanned Addiction (Doctor Tipster)
• Could ECSTASY treat autism? Scientists call for tests on the illegal rave drug as they claim it could have 'therapeutic effects for disorders' (Daily Mail)
• New drugs warning after TITP ecstasy find (The Courier)
• Boy, 13, in critical condition after 'taking MDMA' (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Psychedelics being used to cure alcoholism (KOAT)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Whatever's in Synthetic Marijuana, It's the Opposite of Chill (Wired)
• New York Like Scene From 'The Walking Dead' After Large-Scale Marijuana Overdose (TIME)
• 33 people collapse on busy street after smoking 'synthetic cannabis' (The Telegraph)
• 'N bomb' drug gave teenager fatal heart attack (Irish Independent)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine Could Be Used To Treat Alcoholics And Alcoholism (Yahoo! News)
• Club Drug Ketamine ('Special K') Could Treat Depression (AOL UK)
• What are the effects of ketamine? (The Guardian)
• Sergeant: North Tulsa PCP bust second largest I've ever seen (KOKI)
• Resident On PCP Calls Police To Describe Hallucinations: Cops (Patch)
• Prosecutor: woman drinking, had PCP in system before deadly crash (Chicago Sun-Times)

Opiates/Opioids

• The scourge of heroin and opioid deaths still doesn't match AIDS at its worst (PolitiFact)
• Naloxone nasal spray gets temporary Health Canada approval (CBC News)
• Chaka Khan Enters Rehab for the Same Drug That Killed Prince (ATTN:)
• Congress Finally Passes Bipartisan Legislation To Address Opioid Epidemic (The Huffington Post)
• Obama to sign bill to battle heroin addiction (CNBC)

Kratom

• A Theory on Why the FDA is on the War Path for Kratom (Kratom Project)
• Kratom & Suicide – Is This Herb At Fault? (Kratom Project)
• How Long Does Kratom Stay In Your System? (Kratom Project)
• Kratom & Seizures – Is This a Side Effect (Kratom Project)
• Kratom & Constipation – Using Kratom to Treat Diarrhea (Kratom Project)

Kava

• Farmers say police involved in kava theft in Fiji (Radio New Zealand)
• THESE 3 NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE GUARANTEED TO IMPROVE YOUR SEX LIFE (Maxim)

Khat

• Ingredients for date rape drug, khat, firearms seized by border agents in Manitoba (CBC News)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• How NOT To Do Psychedelics: A Guide (Collective Evolution)
• Are Psychedelics Addictive? (Psychedelic Times)
• How the War on Drugs Fails Black Communities (Reason)
• Psychoactive Substances Act: Killing people for votes (Liberal Democrat Voice)
• Philippines Drug War Out Of Control? Rodigo Duterte Wants All Addicts, Dealers Dead As Police Kill110 Suspects (International Business Times)
• Trump, Clinton, Stein and Johnson on Drugs (Reason)
• 1990s Odd News: "Too Cool to do Dugs" Pencils (Waffles at Noon)
• Lying Drug Tests Incriminate Innocent People (Reason)
• The Psychedelic Community & The Oppression of a New Religious Movement (Cognitive Liberty UK)
• Did Psychedelics Enable Steve Jobs to "Think Different"? (Collective Evolution)

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 - 7.9.16

Image by Andrea Kirkby, 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 the best video on why the war on drugs has been a huge failure in the past ten years. It's fairly dense, so you may want to watch it more than once.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 7.8.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Win-Win for Jamaica and Cannabis Harm Reduction as Marijuana Kiosks Set to Appear in Airports (Psychedelic Times)
• These Pro MMA Fighters Don't Just Use Cannabis, They Embrace It (Leafly)
• New study aims to examine whole-plant marijuana as treatment for sports injuries (The Denver Post)
• The DEA Can't Legalize Medical Marijuana (Reason)
• Does cannabis affect sperm? (Stuff.co.nz)
• Epileptic children to get cannabis-based drug ahead of trials, NSW Premier says (ABC)
• FDA Approves Insys Therapeutics' 2nd Cannabis-Based Drug (Forbes)
• Signatures for Ark. Medical Cannabis Act verified, measure will be on November ballot (KATV)
• Task Force Offers Hints of What Legal Pot Will Look Like in Canada (Reason)
• Attempt to Limit Strength of THC in CO (NORML)
• The One Job the Marijuana Industry Desperately Needs (ATTN:)
• Wine Country Collective Offers Social Cannabis Tastings (Merry Jane)
• Cannabis Capitalist: Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Bets Big On Pot Growers (Forbes)
• Tech Thursday: Steps To Protecting Cannabis In An Industry Ripe For Lawsuits (Dope Magazine)
• Mixing cannabis with tobacco 'increases risk of addiction': Smoking drug 'makes you 60% LESS likely to want to quit' (Daily Mail)

LSD

• Redman talks about that time he took acid and got shocked with an electric cattle prod (Boing Boing)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Psychedelic Safe, Possibly Effective for Refractory Depression (Medscape)
• Psilocybin and the Shadow: Magic Mushrooms as a Tool For Healing Emotional Trauma (High Existence)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Tragic student Jane Khalaf's ecstasy death would have been prevented if she had different hospital treatment (Mirror)
• Heartbroken mum warns teenagers to 'value life' after her daughter died from toxic reaction to ecstasy (Mirror)
• Epsom man died after taking mock ecstasy inquest hears (Get Surrey)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Inside a Psychedelic Healing Retreat (VICE)
• This Swedish island promises shamans and psychedelic tea (The Local)
• 9 Investigates hallucinogenic drug used in local church (WFTV)

Salvia Divinorum

• On Salvia Divinorum (VolteFace)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Convicted dealer linked to teen's NBOMe death pleads guilty to more charges (WRTV)

Dissociatives

• Researchers seeking volunteers to test effectiveness of ketamine in treating alcoholism (iNews)
• Man high on PCP runs car into home on Fourth of July (The Lufkin News)

Opiates/Opioids

• A Conspiracy Theory that became a "Conspiracy Fact": The CIA, Afghanistan's Poppy Fields and America's Growing Heroin Epidemic (Center for Research on Globalization)
• Mexico Now World's Third Biggest Producer of Opium Poppy (teleSUR)
• Push to legalize poppy plantations in Mexico touches on farmers' livelihood (Fox News Latino)
• Naloxone Widely Spread Throughout the United States (World Report Now)
• Naloxone to be immediately distributed to released inmates in Ontario (The Globe and Mail)
• Heroin addiction specialists see younger users getting treatment (9NEWS)

Kratom

• How to Detox with Kratom (Kratom Project)
• The Cost of Kratom for Pain Management (Kratom Project)
• Recommendations For Storing Kratom At Home (Kratom Guides)
• How To Avoid Kratom Abuse (Kratom Project)
• Is Kratom an Opiate Legal High or Medicinal Plant? (Kratom Project)
• Who Sells The Best Kratom Online? (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Kava catching on in the US (Radio New Zealand)
• Pacific feels the strain of increased demand for kava (Radio New Zealand)
• Fiji Government makes promise to help struggling kava farmers (ABC)
• Benefits of kava catching on in NZ and beyond (Radio New Zealand)
• Kava thiefs in Fiji have farmers struggling (Radio New Zealand)
• Farmers claim police involved in kava theft in Fiji (Radio New Zealand)

Khat

• The African drug some don't want to live without (BBC)
• Uganda: Mairungi Farmers Protest Law (All Africa)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• How Psychedelic Drugs Could Help Treat Addiction (Motherboard)
• From LSD trips to getting caught in the girls' toilets - 9 things you didn't know about Cary Grant (Bristol Post)
• 'People Would Do Anything to Get a Fix': Female Drug Dealers Share Their Stories (Broadly)
• Where the Presidential Candidates Stand on Drug Policy (Forbes)
• Finding a Doctor or Medical Professional That Incorporates Psychedelic Integration (Psychedelic Times)
• Are Psychedelics Addictive? Understanding the Cultural and Social Roots of Addiction (Psychedelic Times)
• 5 Bizarre Beliefs About Drugs From History (Bustle)
• What Is Addiction Recovery Coaching? Integrating a Psychedelic Experience with a Recovery Coach (Psychedelic Times)
• Psychedelia isn't dead, just ask videogames (Kill Screen)
• DARE training teaches about new drug trends (West Hawaii Today)

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 - 7.2.16

Image by Andrea Kirkby, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. With all of the negative news surrounding us, it can be easy to think that the global state of affairs is getting worse. A lot of that is due to the way news organizations play off of a natural human trait—we are wired to pay more attention to negative news than positive news because that helps us survive in the wild. However, although we may fantasize about things being better "back in the day", the truth is the exact opposite in several ways. The author of the book Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, Peter Diamondis, has written an article that shows "Why the World is Better Than You Think in 10 Powerful Charts". Among some of the most powerful trends include a significant decline in people living in absolute poverty, a sharp decrease in teen birth rates, homicide rates have dropped to nearly zero compared to the past several hundred years, and both the global years of education and literacy rates have skyrocketed to all-time highs. Rather than obsessing over the negative news that the news organizations want us to focus on, it can be more powerful and inspiring to embrace the evidence that shows that things are getting much better, not worse.

2. Let's face it, getting stopped by the cops sucks. PBS put together a quiz that presents several different investigatory police stop scenarios which asks the reader to determine which of the situations constitute an illegal stop. It's fairly thorough, and definitely worth a read.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 7.1.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Is the DEA About To Legalize Marijuana? (Forbes)
• Marijuana Could Be Legalized in California November Vote (TIME)
• Scientists claim the US government is still limiting cannabis research (Science Alert)
• Cannabis conversation urged at North American Leaders Summit (The Hill)
• The Smart and Big Money Continues to Flow into the Cannabis Market (Forbes)
• Doctors seek to open lab to test medical cannabis for quality (The Baltimore Sun)
• Cannabis Church to hold first service, combats marijuana stigma (Lansing State Journal)
• Corporate Cannabis Has Arrived – and That Might Be a Good Thing (Leafly)
• Ask a Pot Lawyer: Rescheduling Weed (The Portland Mercury)
• Colorado City Official: It Will Take Time to Change 'Opinions That Pot is Bad' (TIME)
• How to Clone Cannabis Plants (Leafly)
• Public Health Service 'ill-equipped' to provide treatment for cannabis users despite surge in numbers seeking help, experts warn (The Independent)
• Father who claimed cannabis oil cured his cancer dies a year later aged just 34 (Daily Mail)

LSD

• Watch What Happens When a Portrait Artist Takes LSD (AlterNet)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• What Are the Effects of Psilocybin Mushrooms? The Medicinal and Spiritual Benefits of Psilocybin (Psychedelic Times)
• Dog accidentally eats Psilocybin Mushrooms, trips tennis balls (theCHIVE)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• 9 Things That Happen in the Brain and Body on MDMA (The Science Explorer)
• What Is MDMA and What Are Its Benefits? Treating Anxiety and Mental Illness with Ecstacy (Psychedelic Times)
• Say Why To Drugs: unravelling the myster-E of MDMA (The Guardian)
• Would legalising ecstasy save lives? (Closer)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• 10 Daily Routines to Prepare for Ayahuasca Ceremonies (Eagle Condor Alliance)
• Australia's DMT Debate Could Reboot Psychedelic Thinking (Inverse)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Mescaline: The Hallucinogenic Equivalent of The Eagles (Inverse)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• The Cost: Why is iBogaine Treatment Expensive? (Ibogaine-Thailand)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine – More Than a Recreational Drug (BrainBlogger)
• Drugs 101: Ketamine (Deep.Dot.Web)
• Dangers of ketamine (The Star)

Opiates/Opioids

• Mexico's opium poppy farmers are fed up with the job's dangers (VICE)
• Heroin use at 20-year high in US drug 'epidemic', UN says (Fox News)
• UN report says plunge in opium production won't affect heroin supply (Daily Times)
• Inside the Twisted Economics of a 1949 Saigon Opium Detox Clinic (TIME)
• Coprescribing Naloxone With an Opioid Aids Chronic Pain (Medscape)
• Heroin Overdose Deaths Have Tripled in 5 Years, DEA Says (ABC News)

Kratom

• Why Are States Rushing to Ban Kratom? (Merry Jane)
• Taking Kratom on an Empty Stomach – Is it needed? (Kratom Project)
• 'Legal Psychoactive' Drug Concerns NC Lawmakers, Health Officials (WCQS)
• Which Type of Kratom is Good for Sleep and Fibromyalgia? (Kratom Guides)
• Using Kratom for Premature Ejaculation (Kratom Project)

Kava

• I tried a cup of kava, the South Pacific drink that some say could replace alcohol – here's what it was like (Business Insider)

Khat

• Embu miraa farmers demand inclusion in task force (Citizen TV)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• The fascinating, strange medical potential of psychedelic drugs, explained in 50+ studies (Vox)
• Four Reasons Gay People Might Have Better Insight Into Addiction and the Drug War (The Influence)
• How to Tell If Your Drugs Have Gone Bad (VICE)
• Psychedelic drugs: what hallucinating is all about (The Guardian)
• The Scientific Way to Create a Music Festival Drug Schedule (Inverse)
• International Day Against Drug Abuse: How UK deals with new psychoactive substances (International Business Times)
• Dealers Reveal the Sketchiest Places Your Drugs Have Been (Complex)
• These maps show how dangerous illegal drugs flow around the globe (Business Insider)
• 4 types of drugs and what they do to your body: Heroin, Cocaine, Meth and LSD (India Today)
• Trips and Traps: Psychedelics Seek Legitimacy in the World of Modern Medicine (VolteFace)
• The Difference Between Being Happy and Being High (VICE)
• Startups and psychedelics: Founders trip on smart drugs (The Financial Express)
• Shamanic Healer Anahata Ananda Talks About Shamanic Breathing to Create the Psychedelic Experience and Conscious Relationships on Psychedelic Milk International Podcast (Benzinga)

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.