Go Take the 2017 Global Drug Survey

Image by Thomas Hawk, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

The Global Drug Survey has been collecting useful and enlightening drug usage data since 2014, and has recently launched its 2017 Global Drug Survey.

From GDS' About Us page:

"GDS is an independent research company based in London. We produce reports for global media, public health and corporate organisations. GDS use its data and expertise to create digital health applications delivering screening and brief interventions for drugs and alcohol. We create free online harm reduction resources and anonymous, confidential self-assessment tools. GDS also produces a range of drug education materials for health and legal professionals, the entertainment industry and the general public.

GDS aims to make drug use safer, regardless of the legal status of the drug, by sharing information with individuals, communities, health and policy organisations.

Using anonymous online research methods Global Drug Survey runs an annual survey in 10 languages, which is hosted by partners in over 20 countries. We work with global media giants around the world who act as hubs to promote our survey and our findings, ensuring that the first people to see the results are the general public.

Survey findings are frank, honest, and revealing. GDS explores the positives and negatives of drug use and detects new drugs trends as soon as they appear. GDS has a unique insight into personal decision-making about drug use . Our international networks of researchers and specialists have extensive experience in data analysis and report writing."

I have already submitted my survey, and highly suggest that you do the same by clicking here. The survey period will remain open until December 31st, 2016, at which time it will be closed and no longer accepting responses.

Weekend Thoughts - 12.3.16

Image by madaise, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. Most modern scientists assume that the speed of light is constant, which is part of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Specifically, this theory plays a role in the conceptualization of what occurred in the very early universe, seconds after the Big Bang. However, some researchers have recently posited that the speed of light may have been much higher in this early universe than it currently is. This is one of many concepts that parapsychology researcher Rupert Sheldrake presented in his research on how the universal gravitational constant varies. These researchers have developed a test that will be able to identify changes in light speed, which would change our understanding of how the universe expanded. One of the issues with the constant light speed theory is that it doesn't allow for enough time for light to have traveled to where it is in the cosmos. However, light traveling at a faster initial speed would fill in that gap and force scientists to rethink their idea of how the early universe was formed.

2. As a former librarian (I worked at a music library for a couple years in college), I would've loved to have seen this recent video from TED-Ed that explains the quickest way to sort books. The technique is borrowed from computer programming language and is able to sort books (or other items) much quicker than other techniques. During the past few moves that I have gone through during the last couple years, I have found myself naturally using this technique to sort my own items—DVDs, CDs, books, etc. However, I'm also in the process of getting rid of nearly all of my physical media. In fact, I no longer have any DVDs or CDs in my house, and have sold/donated/gifted over half of my print book collection within the past year. Regardless, this educational video is a fun watch for anyone interested in learning to sort more efficiently!

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.2.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• On His Way Out the Door, Obama Suggests Marijuana Should Be Legal (Reason)
• Berlin to Legalize Cannabis Coffee Shops? (Weed News)
• Legalising cannabis and opium in India (The Asian Age)
• Some State Leaders Challenging Marijuana Election Results (NORML)
• Teva Pharm to market medical cannabis inhaler in Israel (Reuters)
• Opinion: WHO's Silence on Cannabis (The Scientist)
• The Cannabis Exception to the Second Amendment (Reason)
• Mapped: The countries that smoke the most cannabis (The Telegraph)
• Meme Sums up the Debate on Marijuana Use by NFL Players (ATTN:)
• New Yorkers Will Soon Be Able To Use Pot For Chronic Pain (TIME)
• Hunter S. Thompson's Widow Plans to Clone and Sell His Marijuana (TIME)
• First Vape Lounge for Cannabis Patients Opens in Rome (Leafly)
• GP Michael Harty claims Bill aims to legalise recreational cannabis (Irish Times)
• Investors Hoping To Ride High On Trailblazing Marijuana Company (TIME)
• Texas lawyers sing about why you shouldn't eat weed in front of cops (Boing Boing)
• Minnesota OK's medical pot for post-traumatic stress disorder (MPR News)
• Pet owners use cannabis for animal ailments (The Recorder)
• Medical cannabis could see movement in Iowa (Des Moines Register)
• The Stranger's Cannabis Gift Guide (The Stranger)

LSD

• The Science Behind LSD Flashbacks: Truth or Myth? (The Science Explorer)
• The Last Word: Carrie Fisher on LSD, Death and Sex With Han Solo (Rolling Stone)
• LSD, Sophia Loren and living in Batchelor Hall: thing you didn't know about Cary Grant (The Telegraph)
• Retracing the Steps of Psychedelic Outlaws on an LSD Mission From God (KQED)
• Exploding Cigars To LSD Poisoning, These Are The Craziest Plots To Kill Fidel Castro (ScoopWhoop)
• Accidental Discoveries: LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) (Daily News & Analysis)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushroom ingredient psilocybin could be key to treating depression - studies (The Guardian)
• Psilocybin: A Journey beyond the Fear of Death? (Scientific American)
• I Took A Psychedelic Drug for My Cancer Anxiety. It Changed My Life (TIME)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• MDMA could be on the market legally by 2021 (Popular Science)
• How MDMA Treats PTSD: Everything You Need to Know (Rolling Stone)
• FDA Approves Final Stage of MDMA Drug Trials (Reason)
• Couples and the Love Drug: Integration Therapy With Your Partner After a Difficult MDMA Experience (Psychedelic Times)
• The Past, Present, and Future of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy - Preparing for a Post-Prohibition World (SFStation)
• Can MDMA help combat post-traumatic stress disorder? (CBC News)
• Three who died after Hard Summer rave overdosed on Ecstasy, coroner says (Los Angeles Times)
• Funeral held for Jamie Burns who died after taking tablet during Belfast night out (Belfast Telegraph)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Understanding the Science of Ayahuasca (Collective Evolution)
• DMT and the Soul of Prophecy: Interview with Rick Strassman (Psychedelic Times)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Peyote has no bearing on church registration (Mexico News Daily)
• Scalia's Legacy Is Great, But Don't Forget The Bind He Left Us In (ValueWalk)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• An Ancient African Remedy Helped Me Kick My Opioid Addiction Overnight (Woman's Day)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Two 13-Year-Olds Killed By Drug More Powerful Than Heroin (KIIS)
• A new kind of high (Deccan Chronicle)

Dissociatives

• From Club To Medication: Party Drug 'Ketamine' Is Said To Effectively Cure Migraines (Parent Herald)
• Ketamine Considerations for Prehospital Use (Satellite Press Releases)

Opiates/Opioids

• When it comes to opioids, a stronger naloxone dose will save lives today (The Hill)
• This Drug Reverses Overdoses, But 3 States Make It Hard to Get (Governing)
• Walgreens makes Naloxone available without prescription in Louisiana (WWLTV)
• Israeli Cannabis Inhaler May Get Tested With Opium Poppy Next (Bloomberg)
• Rising Price of Naloxone Concerns Some Addicts' Families (EMSWorld)
• One Solution to the Threat of the Opioid Epidemic Spreading HIV (ATTN:)
• Opinion: Geographic shifts in heroin production caused more powerful strains (Maroon)
• More than 30 percent of North Koreans use meth, opium (UPI)
• The most horrifying mannequin challenge you'll see: Campaigners create video which shows the scene of a 'heroin overdose' to draw attention to epidemic sweeping America (Daily Mail)

Kratom

• We Still Have A Chance To Stop Kratom Prohibition – DEA Wants To Hear Your Thoughts (Reset.me)
• Kratom Research Gains Supporters in the Race to Replace Opioids (Inverse)
• Kratom: The Bitter Plant That Could Help Opioid Addicts—if the DEA Doesn't Ban It (Wired)
• Kratom and Adderall combination, does it really work? (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• What is Kava Kava used for? How well does Kava work for anxiety? (Kratom Guides)

Khat

• ROP increases border patrolling to crack down on khat smuggling (Muscat Daily)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• From Rapé to Mapacho: Uncovering the Ceremonial and Medicinal Benefits of Sacred Tobacco (Psychedelic Times)
• Psychedelics and MDMA are helping cure PTSD, addiction, depression and anxiety (News.com.au)
• Random drug testing is a scam on behalf of big pharma (Echo Net Daily)
• Ross Ulbricht's Lawyers Think There's More Evidence of Law Enforcement Misconduct in the Silk Road Prosecution (Reason)
• Global Drug Survey set to peel back curtain on professionals microdosing on LSD and magic mushrooms (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Study Concludes Alcohol is More Harmful Than Psychedelics (Collective Evolution)
• Q&A - Shane Mauss on The Chemistry of Comedy and Psychedelics (303 Magazine)
• It's time to give psychedelic drugs another look (USA TODAY)
• Researchers Say Psychedelic Drugs Could Help Cure Addiction (IFL Science)
• Psychedelics reduce anxiety, depression in patients, study finds (The Baltimore Sun)
• Legalizing entheogens? (Telluride Daily Planet)
• Trump Picks El Chapo to Run D.E.A. (The New Yorker)
• Conviction rate in drug trafficking sees steep spike in four years (The Times of India)

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 - 11.26.16

Image by Matsukin, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. Forward-thinking technology company Tesla has announced that it has successfully configured a solar energy microgrid that is capable of meeting "nearly 100 percent" of an entire island. Specifically, the island of Ta'u (in American Samoa) has been outfitted with 5,328 solar panels and 60 Tesla PowerPacks that provide 6 megawatt-hours of energy storage. With this setup, Ta'u is able to have energy even if they were to go without sunlight for three straight days. As a remote community, the island previously ran on diesel generators, so the Tesla project has prevented the burning of 300 gallons of fuel per day and the cost of purchasing and shipping barrels of diesel. In addition, the inhabitants now have continuous access to electricity, whereas they previously had to ration power or accept occasional outages. If Tesla's mission is to wean the world off of fossil fuels, it is moving in the right direction.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 11.25.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• BREAKING: Anti-Marijuana Zealot Tapped for Attorney General (NORML)
• Why Cannabis Is An 'Exit' Drug, Not A 'Gateway' (Civilized)
• The U.K. Should Legalize Marijuana and Make $1.3 Billion a Year in Tax Revenue, Report Finds (TIME)
• Trump's Choice For Top Law Enforcer Has Cannabis Proponents Fearing Future (NPR)
• Marijuana Was Legalized In Your State? 5 Ways to Support Responsible Cannabis Usage (Psychedelic Times)
• Colorado Regulators Ban Marijuana Use in Businesses That Serve Alcohol (Reason)
• Cannabis a 'tantalising horizon' for combating severe seizures (The Irish Times)
• Ga. mom taking lead on next push for legal cannabis oil (11 Alive)
• 'Green Friday': Bay Area cannabis dispensaries promote one-day sales (East Bay Times)
• States That Legalize Marijuana Need to Do This Too (ATTN:)
• Pets on Pot: Cannabis for animals takes off in California (Los Angeles Daily News)
• Oregon Charts an Uneven Course Toward Legal Marijuana Sales (Reason)
• Marijuana Marketing Just Got Classier Thanks to This Cannabis Creative Agency (L.A. Weekly)
• How Idaho's Drug Warriors Stole from Epileptic Kids (Reason)
• Governor Christie Blocks New Jersey's Bridge to Legalization (NORML)

LSD

• Win free acid! The darknet's largest LSD producer is holding an art competition and you can enter (Happy)
• Should You Take Acid (a Very Small Amount) Before Work? (Esquire)
• This guy made the best LSD of the '60s (New York Post)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• How MDMA Therapy Could Promote Healing and Bonding After a Difficult Birthing Experience (Psychedelic Times)
• Teaching Happiness: How MDMA Can Help Those With Depression Identify and Mimic Physical Pleasure (Psychedelic Times)
• Poway High student died of ecstasy OD (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• It's Time for Cautious Excitement About Ayahuasca As Depression Treatment (New York Magazine)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Deadly pill peril: Illegal killer drug freely available online (Daily Star) 

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Bengaluru: There is a new drug in town; it's called NBOMe (Times of India)

Dissociatives

• There's a new cure for migraines and stubborn headaches – ketamine! (Metro)
• Marion Christopher Barry, son of infamous D.C. mayor, died of a PCP overdose, autopsy reveals (New York Daily News)

Opiates/Opioids

• Heroin being replaced by this even deadlier drug (Asbury Park Press)
• Two Men Overdosing On Heroin In McDonald's Parking Lot Captured On Facebook Live Stream (Inquisitr)
• Virginia now allows anyone to buy naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote (WJLA)

Kratom

• We Still Have a Chance to Stop Kratom Prohibition – And the DEA Actually Wants to Hear Your Thoughts (AlterNet)
• Kratom Could Still Get Banned. Here's What You Need To Know (Forbes)

Kava

• I Tried an Ancient Drug and It Didn't Work (The Rival)
• Muller's launch Kava Academy to boost kava growing for export (Matangi Tonga)

Khat

• Elephant killed by speeding Miraa truck (TUKO)
• Khat dealer given 18-year prison sentence (Bloomington Pantagraph)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Psychedelics and MDMA are helping cure PTSD, addiction, depression and anxiety (Perth Now)
• How Psychedelics Helped Me Deal with Excruciating Cluster Headaches (VICE)
• Trump's Pick for Attorney General Is a 'Drug War Dinosaur' (Reason)
• Should Teens Be Eligible for Psychedelic Therapy? (Psychedelic Times)
• Setting Up a Rapé Ceremony: Honoring Intention and Ritual in Sacred Tobacco (Psychedelic Times)
• Drug War Fail: Drugs Now Kill More People Than Car Crashes (AlterNet)
• Saskatoon prof. hopes event highlights and destigmatize research of psychedelic drugs (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

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.