Weekend Thoughts - 3.4.17

Image by Craig Loftus, 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 was another "outage" on the Internet this week, when a typo at Amazon Web Services caused several websites to become inaccessible. There is an argument that this is what happens when one website or service hosts a large portion of sites on the Internet, which effectively weakens the entire infrastructure when an event like this happens. Since one of the major concepts behind the Internet is decentralization, events like this highlight the potential weaknesses that the modern web has to come to terms with. Reliable Internet access for all cannot be achieved if one site is hosting a majority of other websites, and distributing those hosting responsibilities to multiple services would definitely strengthen the integrity of the modern web.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 3.3.17

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Federal Legislation Introduced To Exclude Cannabis From The Controlled Substances Act (NORML)
• Jeff Sessions Explains Why He Opposes Legal Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Can Cannabis Prevent Dyskinesia in Long-Term Treatment of Parkinson's Disease (Psychedelic Times)
• Paging Dr. Spicer: Cannabis Could Help Fight Opioid Abuse And Save Us Billions, Actually (Forbes)
• Senators Urge Sessions to Keep Trump's Promise of Marijuana Federalism (Reason)
• Consume Cannabis To Lose Weight (The Huffington Post)
• Trump Says He Wants to Stop Drugs Flowing Over the Border. Marijuana Legalization Would Do That (Reason)
• California explores energy impacts of cannabis cultivation (SFGate)
• Nevada U.S. Attorney Sets His Sights on the Las Vegas Cannabis Cup (Reason)
• What Will Australian Import Changes Mean for Local Cannabis Growers? (Leafly)
• How Do We Measure the Statistical Significance of Legal Cannabis (Entrepreneur)
• Growing cannabis outdoors in Alaska is challenging, but not impossible (Alaska Dispatch News)
• Regulate cannabis potency to reduce psychosis risk, experts say (FOX News)
• Medical cannabis company ready to expand in Maryland (WBAL)
• The World's First 'Cannabis Gym' Is Opening in San Francisco (People)
• Major effort needed to make cannabis use less harmful, say scientists (The Guardian)
• Avoid These 5 Common Cannabis Growing Mistakes (Leafly)
• Huge cannabis farm 'was staffed by trafficked Vietnamese teenagers' (The Guardian)
• Alternative Fact: Marijuana Causes Violence (NORML)

LSD

• In Depth: Why Silicon Valley techies are 'Microdosing LSD' (KRON4.com)
• Public policy expert: Here's how you can deregulate LSD and other hallucinogens safely (Business Insider UK)
• LSD as a possible addiction treatment (Martha's Vineyard Times)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushrooms 'do in 30 seconds what antidepressants take four weeks to do' (Metro)
• How psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD actually change the way people see the world (Yahoo! Finance)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Family release shocking picture of boy, 14, after his drink was spiked with MDMA (Metro)
• Lawyers didn't tell judge girl, 15, had died from dodgy ecstasy pill during dealer's trial (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Ayahuasca: The lawyer fighting for those who take the hallucinogenic drug for religious reasons (The Independent)
• Ayahuasca: the global drug phenomenon that has spread from jungles to our cities (iNews)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• 'My whole jaw had turned to rubber': Martin Kemp on all-night drug bender at height of pop fame (Mirror)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Warning after second death in Westcountry caused by hallucinogenic drug known as N-Bomb (Exeter Express and Echo)

Dissociatives

• The Dangers of Using the Club Drug Ketamine for Depression (TIME)
• Ketamine as a First-Line Agent for Sedation of Agitated Patients? (NEJM Journal Watch)
• Nude man high on PCP jumps from 2nd floor window, cops say (Lehigh Valley Live)
• Walkersville man charged with PCP possession after Frederick officers respond to fight (Frederick News Post)

Opiates/Opioids

• Psychedelics Could Play A Role In Tackling The Opioid Epidemic (The Huffington Post)
• Deadly U.S. Heroin Overdoses Quadrupled in 5 Years (Scientific American)
• Naloxone Won't Rescue Us From The Opioid Epidemic, But It's A Start (The Huffington Post)
• President Trump Vowed to Solve the Opioid Crisis. He Needs to Fix This Problem First (TIME)
• Lawmakers weigh option of co-prescribing naloxone with opiates (Deseret News)
• Why James Comey's heroin strategy could just make the problem worse (The Washington Post)
• Keeping Fentanyl Out of the US Will Take More Than a Wall (WIRED)
• What does heroin do to the body? We ask an expert (Oberlin News Tribune)

Absinthe

• The green lady decoded (The Asian Age)

Kambô

• Breaking Down the Complex Relationship Between Migraines and Kambo (Psychedelic Times)
• Kambo and the Natural Healing Arts: Interview with Kambo Practitioner Sebastian Hansen (Psychedelic Times)

Kratom

• Here's Why Banning Kratom Is Bad For Scientific Research (TG Daily)
• More Than 26000 Petition President Trump To Stop DEA's War On Coffee-Like Herb Kratom (PR Newswire)
• Winchester Police Department warns public of kratom (WHAG)

Kava

• Benefits and Dangers of Taking Kava (Test Country)
• Supply of kava expected to run out as price & demand increases (Fiji One)
• Trendy revival of a traditional drink (Bend Bulletin)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Ridiculous History: Ancient Armies Waged War With Hallucinogenic Honey (HowStuffWorks)
• Tainted Drug Tests Sent Thousands to Jail – and They're Still There (ATTN:)
• The Drunk at the Crossroad: The Spiritual Journey and Psychedelic Plant Medicine (Psychedelic Times)
• The Accidental Shaman (Reality Sandwich)
• The Great God Pan is Not Dead: Alfred North Whitehead and the Psychedelic Mode of Perception (Psychedelic Press UK)
• Psychosis for Mental Health? (Mad In America)

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 are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Weekend Thoughts - 2.25.17

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. Possibly the biggest news of the week originated 40 light years away: NASA announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting closely around an ultra-cool star that has been named TRAPPIST-1 (the clever domain name trappist.one was created specifically for this star system). Although the discovery of TRAPPIST-1 was announced last year, at that time only three planets had been located. Three of the seven planets are found within the star's habitable zone, which means that there could be oceans on those planets' surfaces. However, the scientists do not have concrete evidence of that at this time. Thus, the search for life outside our own solar system continues...

2. I found this history of bar stools to be an interesting read. I've never thought too much about it, aside from being annoyed when attempting to order a drink at the bar and finding myself surrounded by other people, sitting on the stools and taking up the space I need to place my order. I never considered the possibility of a stool-less bar, but as someone who almost never opts to sit directly in front of the bar on one, the idea is definitely appealing.

3. If you've ever wondered what a "brain scan" of an AI brain would look like, wonder no further! The images that the artificial intelligence are truly stunning in their similarity to the way flesh brains look, and slightly psychedelic as well.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 2.24.17

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• White House Promises 'Greater Enforcement' of Federal Marijuana Laws (TIME)
• Washington may have finally found bipartisan consensus with Congressional Cannabis Caucus (Salon)
• Polling: Voters Support Marijuana Law Reform By Record Numbers (NORML)
• Most Republicans Oppose Federal Interference With Marijuana Legalization (Reason)
• When Retirement Comes With a Daily Dose of Cannabis (The New York Times)
• Australia Loosens Cannabis Import Rules to Speed Patient Access (Leafly)
• Dutch Lawmakers Extend Tolerance Policy to Cannabis Cultivation (Leafly)
• Houston D.A. Will No Longer Prosecute Pot Cases, Outraging Other Prosecutors (Reason)
• Understanding the Intersection of Poverty and Access to Medical Marijuana (Psychedelic Times)
• Which Teens Are Most Likely to Smoke Pot? The Smart Ones, Study Finds (TIME)
• How a Federal Crackdown on Marijuana Could Affect Mexican Cartels (ATTN:)
• The Future of Designer Cannabis: Interview with Josh of Level Blends (Psychedelic Times)
• Which U.S. Presidents Would Have Tried Cannabis? (Leafly)
• Irvine-Based Lawyer Discusses History of Cannabis and How It'll Effect Employment In The Future (OC Weekly)
• Colorado's First Drive-Through Cannabis Shop Will Open Next Month (Leafly)
• Microdosing with Cannabis (Psychedelic Press UK)
• Cleveland's Cannabis College Is Here to Train Ohio's Next Medical Marijuana Professionals (Merry Jane)
• What Researchers Found in California's Marijuana (ATTN:)
• How and where to attend cannabis-infused dinners (and a cooking class) in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Times)
• The Weed You're Smoking Might Not Be What You Think (ATTN:)
• Texas Has a Medical Cannabis 'Prescription' Problem (Leafly)

LSD

• Microdosing LSD: Author Ayelet Waldman 'finds insight' through drug experiment (ABC)
• LSD gets stuck in your brain — literally. This could help us develop better (health) drugs (ZME Science)
• Acid Flashbacks (VolteFace)
• LSD 'microdosing' trend popular with tech entrepreneurs may be putting their lives at risk, claim Cambridge University students (Daily Mail)
• 'I was given LSD at 14': Inside Australia's notorious cult The Family where children were drugged and brainwashed to believe their female leader was Jesus Christ (Daily Mail)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Teen Dies of MDMA Overdose After Fear of Sniffer Dogs Finding Her Pills (Noiseporn)
• Crime lord offered to kill drug dealers who sold ecstasy to teenager Leah Betts (Mirror)
• Driver took MDMA and crashed into 12 cars (ITV)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• Ayahuasca, meditation and activism: On cultivating the mindful politics of love (Salon)
• Powerful hallucinogenic drug DMT seized by police in New Glasgow (CBC News)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• Stephen Colbert tells Alex Jones to stop 'mixing steroids with peyote' (Monsters & Critics)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine: A Powerful Plan That Could Kick Serious Drug & Alcohol Addictions (Collective Evolution)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• N-bomb inquest told young people need drug education (The Irish Times)
• Man charged in Prince Albert after six people hospitalized following apparent overdoses of psychedelic drug 2C-B (Saskatoon StarPhoenix)
• Daniel Horton from London drowned on holiday in Liskeard after taking what he thought was LSD (Cornwall Live)
• Woman fighting for her life after taking 'bad batch of MDMA' – a month after 20 partygoers were hospitalised with similar drug (Daily Mail)

Dissociatives

• A New Treatment for Depression Could Help Millions of Americans (Digital Journal)
• New antidepressant works on mice in hours, not weeks (Knowridge Science Report)
• RESTORE KETAMINE INFUSION: The New Treatment for Depression That Works in Hours is Now Available in Pensacola Florida (MENAFN)

Opiates/Opioids

• Psychedelics Help Reduce Opioid Addiction, According to New Study (AlterNet)
• Seattle Is Taking a Big Step in the Fight Against Opioid Addiction (ATTN:)
• 25% of all overdoses are from heroin (CNN)
• How Doctors Are Fueling the Opioid Epidemic (TIME)
• Teens Say Heroin Is 'Probably Impossible' to Get (Live Science)
• America's Opium War: How Fentanyl Will Lead All Overdose Deaths in 2017 (Paste)
• China White, Mexico's New Heroin Threatening the United States (InSight Crime)
• The War That Made Asia: How the Opium War Crushed China (The National Interest)
• Naloxone: How it saves lives by reversing the effects of opioids (Ottawa Citizen)
• Bloodletting, voodoo and opium: New Orleans museum spotlights medical methods of the past (The Washington Post)
• What's Disappearing from Veteran's Hospitals Is Alarming (ATTN:)
• Mexican Heroin Cartel Operating in North Carolina (CNS News)
• First 'End Heroin' walk happening in Birmingham this weekend (AL.com)
• Legislators Who Supported Criminal Justice Reform Now Sponsoring Tougher Heroin Bills (Reason)
• Where does heroin come from? (Asbury Park Press)

Kava

• Counting on the Trendy to Revive Kava, a Traditional Drink (The New York Times)
• Kava becomes popular (The Fiji Times)

Khat

• Clerk charged with selling 'khat' at East Raleigh convenience store (The News & Observer)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Is Eating Hallucinogenic Himalayan Honey A Good Idea? (The Alternative Daily)
• Understanding How Psychedelics Therapy Uses Rebirth to Treat Psychological Disorders (Psychedelic Times)
• Photographers in the Philippines Recall Harrowing Scenes of the Drug War (TIME)
• Psychedelic therapy gains traction as evidence based treatment for IPV (Blasting 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 are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

Weekend Thoughts - 2.18.17

Image by Lisa Norwood, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. As automation and artificial intelligence continue to replace human workers in various industries, we can expect robots to be doing more and more of the jobs that we have always had people do. Now that news-writing bots are already part of journalism, it's possible that Think Wilder may eventually replace me with a bot. You'll know the switch has happened when articles come out faster, contain more accurate information, and have a better personality. Stay tuned!

2. So what are we going to do as a society to transition into a world where the robots perform so many tasks that large swaths of the country are unemployed? Bill Gates thinks that we should force companies using robots to pay a robot tax, which would slow down the process while still allowing for innovation. It's an interesting concept, and not one that I had come across previously. My first reaction was "Why would we want to slow down innovation in the first place?", but as I thought about it, I realized that we don't have anything in place to deal with the near-sudden widespread unemployment that automation is going to cause. I'm not sure that this is the best way to tackle the problem, but it's a proposition worth considering, and one that may not have been made by anyone other than Gates at this time.

3. Leaving and re-entering the country just got a lot more complicated. Customs Border Patrol has begun asking U.S. citizens re-entering America to hand over their devices and in some cases, passwords to their social media accounts. If you're planning to leave the country (and come back) anytime soon, especially if you are visiting China or Russia during your trip, it would be well worth your while to read through the article linked above for advice on how to get past Customs without giving up your most sensitive information.

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