This Week in Psychedelics - 1.19.18

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Vermont: Governor Announces He Will Sign Marijuana Depenalization Measure (NORML)
• New House Legislation To Stop Jeff Sessions (NORML)
• Legal Weed Could Create $50+ Billion in Federal Tax Revenue (Reason)
• Guns or marijuana? Firearm-owning cannabis users facing a choice (The Cannabist)
• Cannabis Could Be The Most Profitable Ingredient In Skincare, If The U.S. Government Allows It (Forbes)
• Bill Introduced to Stop Civil Forfeiture Funding of DEA Marijuana Eradication Program (Reason)
• Will Legal Cannabis Save Canadian Agriculture? (High Times)
• Marijuana Law Reform Efforts Advance in States Despite a Hostile Attorney General (NORML)
• Cannabis Comestibles: Building A Better Edible (Forbes)
• Just Intoduced: The Marijuana Justice Act is in the House (NORML)
• U.S. Attorney Warns Oregon About Recreational Marijuana Boom (Reason)
• Bipartisan REFER Act Targets Sessions' War On Cannabis In High Style (Forbes)
• Pennsylvania Residents And NORML To Rally In Harrisburg For Marijuana Legalization (NORML)
• Will Robots Take Over the Cannabis Industry? (High Times)
• Senator Cory Gardner (CO) Addresses President Trump's Hypocrisy on Legal Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Can Landlords Ban Legal Cannabis? Here's What the Law Says (Leafly)
• Marijuana mixes with sex at first-of-its-kind cannabis club event (FOX31 Denver)
• Crime Rate Drops but Uruguay Struggles with Illicit Sale of Cannabis to Tourists (TeleSUR)
• Gavin Newsom on Jeff Sessions' Reversing Policy to Not Prosecute States with Legal Marijuana (ATTN:)
• Cannabis Oversupply in Washington State Drives Prices to Threatening Lows (The Street)
• Report Supports Help for Minorities in Medical Cannabis Industry (Leafly)
• 'Cellular Agriculture' Could Be the Future of Cannabis (Leafly)
• Will Trump Will Divert Funds From Anti-Terrorism To Close Pot Shops? Cannabis CEO's Hope Not (Forbes)
• Copenhagen Caper Exposes Cannabis Crackdown (High Times)
• Cannabis: Brain alterations may explain feelings of alienation (Medical News Today)

LSD

• Microdosing LSD could be a safer option than taking antidepressants, according to expert (Happy)
• 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' review: When LSD evangelist Timothy Leary led the FBI on an international goose chase (Newsday)
• President Richard Nixon and LSD guru Timothy Leary, crazy in their own ways (The Washington Post)
• 50 years ago - Gov. Shafer says LSD blinding story was a hoax (The Times-Tribune)
• Transcript: Justin Barkley blames liquid LSD, psychosis for deadly shooting at Ithaca Walmart (The Ithaca Voice)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic Mushrooms Could Treat Depression Without Going Through 'Emotional Blunting' (Inquisitr)
• Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression (Frontiers in Pharmacology)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Bitcoin Could Bankroll MDMA Into the Mainstream as a Therapy Drug (Inverse)
• Student fell nine floors to his death after drinking heavily and taking MDMA on his night out (Mirror)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• What to Know About Ayahuasca, the Hallucinogen That Blows Your Mind and Makes You Puke Your Guts Out (Men's Health)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• The Psychedelic Cactus Giving People a Spiritual High (VICE)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Ibogaine Clinic by David Dardashti Hopes To Bring More Attention to National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (PR Web)

Dissociatives

• Research Finds Esketamine Effective in Treating the Worst Cases of Depression (Futurism)
• Painkiller ketamine to be tested as preventative for post-surgical chronic pain (Herald Sun)
• Man likely high on PCP when he stabbed mom to death, prosecutor says (NJ.com)

Opiates/Opioids

• Walmart Plans to Offer a Product to Curb Opioid Abuse (TIME)
• On The Hunt For Poppies In Mexico – America's Biggest Heroin Supplier (NPR)
• Afghanistan: NATO Claims Crackdown On Taliban Hashish (High Times)
• To Help Opioid Users, Pennsylvania Tries Deregulating (Reason)
• Governors Ask Trump and Congress to Do More for Fight Against Opioids (TIME)
• The overdose drug naloxone is available in many states without a prescription (American Pharmacists Association)

Kratom

• Kratom Advocates Claim Substance 'Answer to Opioid Epidemic' (Nisqually Valley News)
• Poison control warns of risks associated with kratom (WSET)

Kava

• 'Sweet Spot' With Mike Sugerman: Kava Is All The Craze In Brooklyn (CBS New York)
• Fiji exporter calls for regional kava growers to re-focus (Radio New Zealand)
• Kava Root- A Blessing as Well as Deadly (Simple Recovery)

Khat

• Miraa exporters to Mogadishu boycott trade over high prices (Suna Times)
• Coventry man smuggled 35kg of khat worth £20,000 into the UK (Coventry Telegraph)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Meet the 24-year-old Trump campaign worker appointed to help lead the government's drug policy office (The Washington Post)
• Everyone You Love Did Drugs (Reason)
• How to Use Shulgin's Rating Scale to Describe Your Psychedelic Experience (Psychedelic Times)
• Can psychedelic drugs 'reconnect' depressed patients with their emotions? (Imperial College London)
• Alcohol arrests trend downward while hallucinogens make a comeback (The Exponent)
• L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Accused of Selling Drugs, Offering Protection to Dealers (Reason)
• We Do Drugs Because it Feels Good: An Interview with Dr. Ingrid Walker (Reality Sandwich)
• Transcendental Journeys and Psychedelic Spirituality: Interview with Torsten Klimmer (Psychedelic Times)
• Young Australians Want Pill Testing At Music Fests And Would Heed The Results (HuffPost)
• Dalek, Buff Monster Present Spaced Out: A Psychedelic Collaborative Art Gallery In New York (Magnetic Magazine)
• Is there an end in sight for our country's 'War on Drugs'? (Southgate News-Herald)

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.

Book Review - Getting Higher

Whether you are an experienced psychonaut or a first-time tripper, absorbing understandable and accurate advice about the psychedelic experience before embarking on an entheogenic journey can be extremely valuable. Although I have several years worth of personal experience and tips and tricks that I have picked up from many sources along the way, I was pleasantly surprised to find Julian Vayne's book Getting Higher: The Manual of Psychedelic Ceremony to contain plenty of suggestions and ideas that were new to me, which I will gladly be able to bring to my own psychedelic practice.

A section titled "Setting Out" describes a variety of things that someone may consider doing before embarking on a psychedelic journey, including cleansing the body with a bath or shower, fasting or making other intentional dietary changes, carefully choosing the clothes they are going to wear, cleaning and decorating the physical space, saying prayers or setting an intention, and lighting candles or incense. Additionally, choosing a group of people to trip with that have mutual trust and respect should be a priority. The end of a psychedelic ceremony can involve a formal conclusion to the session. For example, you could give thanks to the spirits of the medicine, extinguish a fire that has been burning through the night, or open the curtains to let the light in, if the experience has happened inside.

The next chapter introduces the concept of practices that can be done outside of psychedelic ceremony that will help you navigate the psychedelic experience. These include breathwork, meditation, various activities involving sound (such as listening to pre-recorded music, making music, drumming, singing, chanting mantras), and a vast array of different types of movements (synchronized or freeform spontaneous dancing, checking in on one's posture and balance, gestures, sensual and sexual activities, etc.).

Another chapter focuses on activities that can be done while high that will guide or intensify the experience for the psychonaut, such as artistic explorations like drawing or painting, consciously consuming content, holding or observing objects that are significant to the tripper, playing games, going on a journey in nature, venturing into a museum on a "museum level" dose, participating at a rave or music festival, experimenting with divinatory practices like tarot or the I Ching, and creating an environment of sensory deprivation like with a float tank. Vayne also goes into great detail about how to plan, organize, and execute an effective medicine circle, which is a way to have a structured—yet highly meaningful—psychedelic experience in a group setting. In fact, there are several descriptions of ceremonies scattered throughout the book that are provided so the reader can gain ideas and inspiration for creating their own unique practice.

Although there can sometimes be a feeling in the psychedelic community that it is imperative to the success of the movement for its members to approach and speak about psychedelics exclusively in a serious manner, Vayne suggests that strict divisions between the concepts of using psychedelics for spirituality, play, and enjoyment are not needed. I tend to agree.

While it is not a primary focus of the book, it does include some scientific research. For example, there is a small section regarding the effects that psychedelics have on the physiological health of the human brain. Research has shown that psychedelics may enhance organic brain processes such as neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain cells to form new connections), and the compounds found in some psychedelics have been demonstrated to cause neurogenesis (the formation of neurons from neural stem cells) in vitro. There are a few more scientific snippets in the book, but it mainly looks at what one can do to create the most optimal conditions for a psychedelic experience.

I was ultimately extremely impressed by Getting Higher, which contains plenty of legitimate advice for psychonauts wishing to take their trips to new levels of intensity or learn how to move through the psychedelic space more effectively. This book is certainly worth reading, regardless of one's skill level with psychedelics, but I do feel like it may be appreciated more by people who have had a few trips under their belt than by complete novices. Perhaps this will even increase the re-readability of this book—for me at least. Only time will tell. However, I am confident that the suggestions in Getting Higher that I highlighted and/or wrote down in my own notes will be helpful for my own psychedelic practice for years to come.

4/5 stars. 135 pages.

Weekend Thoughts - 1.13.18

Image by Engin_Akyurt, 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 U.S. Customs and Border Protection searched 60 percent more electronic devices in 2017 than it did during the previous year. That has led to concern from privacy advocates who worry that the rise in searches may indicate something nefarious about the administration's stance on immigration and surveillance. However, the good news to come out of this is that customs agents will now need to have "reasonable suspicion" before they can perform a thorough search on devices. The real question now though is, "What constitutes reasonable suspicion?" It's quite possible that even with this change, the number of searches will not decrease in the near future.

2. President Trump has signed an executive order that could make it easier for Internet Service Providers to install high-speed broadband networks in rural areas. This move may help bring reliable and powerful Internet access to these areas, where 39 percent of people do not have access to broadband speeds. However, Trump's latest order will not offer any federal funding to promote broadband in those areas; instead it will expedite federal permitting requirements, which theoretically would make it easier for broadband companies to install and operate wireless towers. And of course he had to follow up this move by saying, "Those towers are going to go up, and you're going to have great, great broadband."

3. The concept of humans having sex with robots is still fairly new (and foreign) to most people, but the technology continues to get more sophisticated and advanced as time marches on. It's worth thinking about the pros and cons of sex robots and how it may affect individuals as well as the species as a whole. All in all, this is a fascinating area of technology that has several layers of complexity, and you may find it worth learning about while it is still relatively unknown to the general public.

4. Brick-and-mortar stores have been having a tough time competing against online retailers recently, and some have begun to turn to automation technology solutions to replace human workers. Think of the self checkout register, for example. Now a six-foot tall robot that is capable of moving about a store, performing inventory tasks for its employer, is beginning to make its way to stores. This machine is able to take photographs of store shelves and determine when items need to be restocked—a job that is still done by a human. For the time being, anyway. So when you see a towering robot in your local brick-and-mortar store, it's probably wise to leave it alone and let it do its job.

5. And for one last piece of news, also related to automation technology—GM plans to release a car without a steering wheel or pedals in 2019. In fact, the car will not have any manual controls or buttons for the passengers (remember, there is no human driver in this vehicle!) to push at all. This release will be dependent on whether or not the U.S. Department of Transportation approves some regulation, but it is exciting to think that there might be a fully autonomous consumer-grade vehicle on the road just next year.

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

This Week in Psychedelics - 1.12.18

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

• Vermont State House Passes Marijuana Legalization (NORML)
• More Americans Want to Legalize Marijuana Than Ever Before (TIME)
• New Hampshire House Votes to Legalize Marijuana Possession and Cultivation (NORML)
• Australia to Allow Export of Cannabis-Based Medicines (Voice of America)
• A Top Cannabis Lawyer on What Losing the Cole Memo Means (Leafly)
• 'Sorry Bro.' Coachella Bans Marijuana Even Though California Just Made it Legal (TIME)
• Democrats and Republicans Reject Recent Action by AG Sessions (NORML)
• Kansas Rep. Steve Alford Apologizes for Racist Comments Linking Black People to Marijuana (TIME)
• Fear of Mexicans, Not Blacks, Led Kansas to Ban Marijuana (Reason)
• Will New York Finally Consider Legalizing Cannabis This Week? (Forbes)
• The challenge of showcasing weed tech at CES (Engadget)
• CHP Seizure of Legal Cannabis Outrages California Farmers (Leafly)
• Oklahoma: Voters To Decide In June On Sweeping Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiative (NORML)
• 4 Things Congress Can Do to Stop a Cannabis Crackdown (Reason)
• Here's Why a Marijuana Crackdown Could Spell Disaster for Republicans (TIME)
• This Marijuana Reform T-Shirt Cost Iowa Taxpayers Half a Million Bucks (Reason)
• Cannabis Crunch Monthly – What's In Store For Marijuana In 2018 (Psychedelic Times)
• Unregulated sales of cannabis oil spike in Iowa (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Light-sensitive THC: Intoxicatingly light-sensitive (ScienceDaily)
• NORML Endorses SQ 788: Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Access Initiative (NORML)
• Canopy Growth: Best Way To Play The Cannabis Industry (Seeking Alpha)
• Federalists Can't Support a Cannabis Crackdown (Reason)
• In the Fight Over LA Weekly, Cannabis Companies Are Caught in the Middle (Leafly)
• SF cannabis stores open for city's first day of recreational pot sales (SFGate)
• Cannabis Insiders Share 2018 Industry Wishes (Forbes)
• 'Breeding Is an Art Form': An Interview with Cannabis Cup Champion, Exotic Genetix (Leafly)
• California Cannabis Rush May Not Bring A Fortune For Stock Investors (Seeking Alpha)
• Elderly Christmas Cannabis Couple Arrested Again, Facing New Drug Charges (NPR)

LSD

• Wormwood review – LSD, the CIA and the mysterious death of an army scientist (The Guardian)
• Nixon's Manhunt For The High Priest Of LSD In 'The Most Dangerous Man In America' (NPR)
• Kacey Musgraves Says a Moving LSD Trip Inspired New Song (Wide Open Country)
• California Man's Plot To Dump Tons Of LSD In L.A. Water Supply Thwarted By Police Is Fake News (Business 2 Community)
• Viktor Ivanelo death: Former Croydon student was found hanged in tunnel after taking LSD (Croydon Advertiser)
• Man who was Tasered while on LSD in 2012 loses lawsuit against Harris County (Chron)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Magic mushroom compound might treat depression by reviving emotional responsiveness in the brain (PsyPost)
• A Spore No More: Magic Mushroom Use Reveals Effective Clinical PTSD Treatment (Sputnik International)
• Hunting for Hallucinogenic Mushrooms in Eastern Europe (VICE)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Quarter of 'MDMA' pills tested turn out to be something else (Newshub)
• Secret bitcoin philanthropist backs research of ecstasy as treatment for PTSD (Stripes)
• Dangerously strong batch of ecstasy going around (Newshub)
• Bank clerk, 29, who 'rarely went out drinking' died from an Ecstasy overdose after mixing the drug with alcohol, inquest hears (Daily Mail)
• Tragic teenager died after taking ecstasy at Leeds Festival: Coroner warns taking illicit drugs like playing 'Russian roulette' (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Ayahuasca/DMT

• How Ayahuasca Made This CEO Unplug from the Matrix (High Existence)
• I Took Ayahuasca and It Did Nothing (Tonic)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• The Ibogaine Conversation Pt 11: Is ibogaine the cure for opioid addiction? It's not that simple. (Psymposia)

Salvia Divinorum

• Salvia Leads Chemists on a Psychedelic Existential Journey (Wired)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Drugs tested at festivals found to be 'much more potent' (Radio New Zealand)
• More festival-goers testing drugs as MDMA substitutes plague black market (TVNZ)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine May Represent an Effective Treatment for the Management of Chronic Noncancer Pain (Clinical Pain Advisor)
• Ketamine shots are a 'powerful' treatment for depression, doctor says (Metro)

Opiates/Opioids

• Scientists Just Solved a Major Piece of the Opioid Puzzle (Wired)
• Could Prescription Heroin And Safe Injection Sites Slow The Opioid Crisis? (KAZU)
• Doctor Had Wife Killed to Keep Her Quiet About Opioid Drug Ring, Police Say (TIME)

Kratom

• Using Kratom To Get Off Alcohol And Withdrawal Symptoms (Kratom Guides)
• CBD Kratom's Customers Swear By Its Product. The Feds Want to Make It Illegal (Riverfront Times)
• Kratom And 5-HTP: Best Supplements To Use For Your Positive Mood And Relaxation (Kratom Guides)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Continuing Further Education with Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)
• Google makes millions from plight of addicts (The Times)
• The Joy of Psychedelic Healing: Interview with Julian Vayne (Psychedelic Times)
• Hamilton's back to use his body as a test subject for the world's craziest drugs (SBS)

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 - 1.6.18

Image by 52schnecke, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

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

1. Two flaws in modern CPUs, dubbed "Meltdown" and "Spectre", may cause billions of computers and smartphones to be vulnerable to security concerns. That's because modern processors use a technique called "speculative execution", which allows them to look ahead at the code they will execute in the future to predict and execute the tasks they will need to perform ahead of time, leaving a trace of that activity in multiple areas of memory. That data is supposed to be protected, but these flaws have shown that in some cases it can be accessed when the processor queues it up. Many device manufacturers have already begun to patch this issue, but it will be worth your while to keep an eye on this story for any future updates.

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