This Week in Psychedelics - 10.5.18

Cannabis

• California: Governor Signs Legislation Expunging Past Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Some cannabis companies turning to temporary foreign worker program ahead of legalization (Financial Post)

• FDA Says Marijuana Ingredient CBD Doesn’t Meet Criteria For Federal Control (Marijuana Moment)

• Courts Are Beginning to Rule Against Employers Who Discriminate Against Medical Marijuana Users (TIME)

• Legalization Doesn’t Increase Problematic Marijuana Use, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• A Complete History of Marijuana, According To Scientists (Marijuana Moment)

• Canopy Withdraws ‘Chronic by Dre’ Marijuana Trademark Filed By Mistake (Marijuana Moment)

• Legalization: Is it Working? (NORML)

• PepsiCo just became the latest beverage company to say it's looking at the fast-growing cannabis market (CNBC)

• A Cannabis Lawyer in Portland Has an Ambitious Plan to Fund More Women in the Industry (Psychedelic Times)

• Where Missouri’s US Senate Candidates Stand On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Illinois sees sharp rise in medical cannabis applications as cancer patient requests 'explode' (Chicago Tribune)

• Uruguay Lawmakers Won’t Apply Strict Tobacco Packaging Rules On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Voters In Seven States Will See These Marijuana Questions On Election Day (Forbes)

• Win Or Lose At The Polls, Medical Marijuana Is Coming To Utah Under New Deal (Marijuana Moment)

• Boston inches forward with recreational marijuana permits (The Boston Globe)

• Marijuana Legalization and Workplace Safety: A Short-Lived Hysteria (NORML)

• Pot group: Michigan set to net $130M a year in new tax revenue (The Detroit News)

• Two pounds of weed for $20: this is Oregon's medical marijuana program (Rooster Magazine)

• This Lab Raised $10 Million To Expand Cannabis And Hemp Cloning Production (Forbes)

• Marketers Are Putting a New Face on Weed as They Navigate Regulations and Battle Stoner Stigma (Adweek)

• How to Combat Cold Symptoms With Cannabis (Reset.me)

• Nancy Pelosi Says Marijuana Reform Depends On Trump (Marijuana Moment)

• Teens aren’t just smoking cannabis, study says — they’re eating and vaping it, too (Fox 13)

• Cities Across Ohio Will Vote On Marijuana Decriminalization In November (Marijuana Moment)

• This New Cannabis Craze Has Made Early Investors Rich (The Motley Fool)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• The Health Benefits of Magic Mushrooms May Push Them to Legalization (Inverse)

• Why Doctors Want to Reclassify Psilocybin, the Drug That Puts the 'Magic' in Mushrooms (Fortune)

• Psilocybin Healed Me From Crippling Depression And Anxiety (Reset.me)

• The Not-So-Trippy Reason Mushrooms Are Psychedelic (Inside Science)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Weird Science: Octopuses Rolling on MDMA Become More Social (Psychedelic Times)

• University criticised for publishing advice on how to prepare MDMA (PinkNews)

• Coroner’s chilling warning after girl, 14, dies of MDMA poisoning from ‘The Punisher’ super-strength ecstasy pill (The Sun)

• Dad shares final picture of son who died after taking ecstasy for the first time (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Probation ordered for Tampa man who brought South American spiritual ‘tea’ to airport (Tampa Bay Times)

Dissociatives

• The anti-anxiety effects of ketamine are linked to changes in theta brainwaves (PsyPost)

• Ketamine may be used to ease uncontrollable movements in Parkinson’s patients (WCTV)

• Ketamine drug trial to treat alcoholism at Exeter University is recruiting (Devon Live)

• Ketamine for Acute Pain: Highlights from the New Guidelines (Anesthesiology News)

Opiates/Opioids

• Cost of lifesaving heroin withdrawal drug soars by 700% (The Guardian)

• Punjab CM Amarinder backs Sidhu for legalising opium cultivation (The Economic Times)

• Ancient Mediterranean 'Juglet' Contained Traces of Opium (Live Science)

• The $1 Tool That Might Curb the Overdose Epidemic (The Atlantic)

• How the US Stopped a Possible Solution to the Heroin Epidemic (VICE)

Kratom

• Ohio Banning Sales of Kratom and CBD (Pain News Network)

• NLA 'likely' to pass pot and kratom bill (Bangkok Post)

• What is Kratom High and How to Come Down from High Effects? (Kratom Guides)

Khat

• DNC appeals to govt to ban khat (Dhaka Tribune)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Activists Accuse Bangladesh Government of Killing the Innocent in its Drug War (VICE News)

• Organizer of nude psychedelic parades defends nude psychedelic parades (Rooster Magazine)

• Gov. Brown Vetoes Bill To Open Safe Injection Sites In San Francisco (CBS San Francisco)

• Why is Islamic Art and Architecture So Psychedelic? (Sam Woolfe)

• High Kingdom: Why Animals Take Psychedelic Substances (Kahpi)

• Black Americans Are Being Left Out of Psychedelics Research (Tonic)

• Philippines President Duterte Playfully 'Jokes' About All His Drug War Murders (Reason)

• Exploring Consciousness with Psychedelics (Technology Networks)

• Awe: a putative mechanism underlying the effects of classic psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (Taylor & Francis Online)

• Opening up the future of psychedelic science (The Conversation)

• Ordinary Doses (Real Life)

• Was John Lennon a Better Musician After Taking Psychedelics? (Ultimate Guitar)

• ASU's psychedelic explorers: the Ecstasis Club (The State Press)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.28.18

Cannabis

• Canadians Involved In Marijuana Industry Not Welcome In US, Feds Confirm (Marijuana Moment)

• DEA Reclassifies Plant-Derived Marijuana Medicine To Schedule V (NORML)

• FBI: Marijuana Arrests Spike For Second Straight Year, Far Outpace Arrests For All Violent Crimes (NORML)

• Youth Marijuana Use Isn’t Increasing After States Legalize, Meta-Analysis Of 55 Studies Concludes (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Looks Like An Alien World Under An Electron Microscope (Marijuana Moment)

• Maine Officials Investigating Restaurant That Calmed Lobsters With Marijuana (TIME)

• Lawmaker Pushes For Marijuana Legalization In Kenya (Marijuana Moment)

• Coca-Cola Is Eyeing a Possible Entry Into the Cannabis Market (TIME)

• Brooklyn DA erases 56 marijuana convictions, vacates over 3,000 pot warrants (New York Daily News)

• Seattle judges throw out 15 years of marijuana convictions (BBC)

• Amsterdam’s Marijuana Strategy Means Cops Don’t Have Much To Do, Comedy Central Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Molson Coors Plans To Sell Marijuana-Infused Teas, Seltzers And Beer (Marijuana Moment)

• Wall Street’s Marijuana Madness: ‘It’s Like the Internet in 1997’ (The Wall Street Journal)

• Republicans in a US territory just legalized marijuana (Vox)

• Cannabis Stocks Had A Roller Coaster Of A Week (NPR)

• Are Police Breaking The Law To Campaign Against Marijuana Legalization? (Marijuana Moment)

• How EMTs and Doctors Treat Cannabis Overconsumption (Leafly)

• House GOP Blocks Marijuana Tax Fairness Vote (Marijuana Moment)

• TSA Will Report Weed at LAX to Cops, Who Can't Do Anything About It (Reason)

• Researchers Injected People With THC To Test Their Motor Skills (Marijuana Moment)

• It's Not Just Cannabis Stocks -- Salaries And Jobs In Legal Weed Are Climbing Too (Forbes)

• Why millennials prefer cannabis to booze: ‘Zero enjoyment out of drinking’ (and it’s cheaper) (MarketWatch)

• Willie Nelson Wants To Smoke Marijuana With Trump And Putin (Marijuana Moment)

• Kindergartner can take cannabis drug to school, judge says (Los Angeles Times)

• O’Rourke And Cruz Clash On Marijuana And Drugs At Senate Debate (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot Faux Pas: A Cannabis Club Owner Weighs In On Marijuana Etiquette (WBUR)

• Here’s Where Maine’s US Senate Candidates Stand On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Legal marijuana: Vote for it, even if you aren't going to smoke it (Detroit Free Press)

• Leading Congressional Marijuana Opponent In Danger Of Losing Seat, Polls Find (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Gubernatorial Candidates Disagree On Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• What Happens When You Give L.S.D. to an Elephant? (The New York Times)

• Silicon Valley figures remember Steve Jobs's death — and debate the rumor that he was 'tripping' when he died (Business Insider)

• Could LSD Microdosing Be Beneficial? (Labmate Online)

• Sofia Boutella on Playing a Character Spiked with LSD in Gaspar Noé’s ‘Climax’ (Collider)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Reclassification recommendations for drug in 'magic mushrooms' (ScienceDaily)

• Could "Magic Mushrooms" Help You Stop Smoking? (The Fix)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Pilot Study Finds MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Significantly Reduces Social Anxiety in Autistic Adults (Psychedelic Times)

• Scientists Dosed an Octopus With MDMA and It Engaged In Some Serious Heavy Petting (The Inertia)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• 'Psychedelic Indiana Jones' claims he can 'predict FUTURE' with shamanic drug (Daily Star)

Morning Glory Seeds

• Children eating flower seeds to get high (Click 2 Houston)

Dissociatives

• Ketamine gives hope to patients with severe depression. But some clinics stray from the science and hype its benefits (STAT)

• Party drug used for depression at UW Health amid research on psychedelics (Wisconsin State Journal)

Opiates/Opioids

• A major study questioned the evidence for safe injection sites. It’s now been retracted. (Vox)

• Fentanyl crisis: Is China a major source of illegal drugs? (BBC)

• The Health 202: Congress reaches deal on major opioids' package (The Washington Post)

• Solving America’s painkiller paradox (Vox)

• DEA launches '360 Strategy' to combat heroin and prescription drug abuse epidemic in Baltimore (Baltimore Sun)

• Pulitzer Prize winner Terry DeMio on life as a heroin beat reporter (Psymposia)

Kratom

• FDA Death Data On Kratom Linked To Adulterated Products, Not The Kratom Plant Itself (Benzinga)

• Kratom Dosage In Powder And Capsules (Kratom Guides)

• Kratom In Missouri: Legality And Where To Find Locally (Kratom Guides)

Kava

• Price of kava fluctuates (The Fiji Times)

Khat

• New drug ‘khat’ finds way into Bangladesh (The Independent)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• Capitalism on Psychedelics: The Mainstreaming of an Underground (Chacruna)

• For $1000, These ‘Sitters’ Will Save You from a Bad Acid Trip (VICE)

• The Risks of Long-Term Microdosing (The Third Wave)

• Why I regret my war on drugs (UnHerd)

• When supplies of drugs run low, drug prices mysteriously rise, data shows (Ars Technica)

• Psychedelic Film and Music Festival to feature trippy entertainment ‘for healing’ (AM New York)

• Get Ready for Your Psychedelic Voyage by Reading Experience Reports (Psychedelic Times)

• ‘Without drug traffickers, we’d have peace’: Colombian villagers flee new killings (The Guardian)

• Some 129 countries sign up to Trump's pledge at U.N. to fight drugs (Reuters)

• Making amyl nitrite an illegal drug would be ineffective, warns former AFP chief (The Guardian)

• The Invisible Majority: People Whose Drug Use Is Not Problematic (Filter)

• It's time we walked the talk on treating drugs as a health issue (Stuff.co.nz)

• $18 Million Worth of Cocaine Found in Bananas Donated to Texas Prison, Authorities Say (TIME)

• Does Donald Trump Want To Ban Chocolate, Or Is He Just Confused? (Marijuana Moment)

• Integrating Huichol and Mazatec Wisdom Without Doing Harm: Interview with Mario Gómez Mayorga (Psychedelic Times)

• Sheffield University criticised over 'never inject alone' drug advice (The Telegraph)

• Why doctors should support regulated markets in illicit drugs (The BMJ)

• Drug Tolerance Explained (Psychedelic Heaven)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Capitalism on Psychedelics: The Mainstreaming of an Underground

Erik Davis, writing for Chacruna:

Everyone gets worked up about a showdown, especially when the conflict involves colorful characters and positions you really care about. Like many attendees to the conference Cultural and Political Perspectives on Psychedelic Science, I was familiar with the Statement on Open Science and Open Praxis with Psilocybin, MDMA, and Similar Substances, which had been posted earlier this year on Chacruna and elsewhere. The effort was spearheaded by Bob Jesse, a long-time member of the West Coast psychedelic intelligentsia, and a figure whose ethical, intellectual, and big heart bona fides are impeccable. Intervening in the rapidly developing field of psychedelic medicine, the Statement called for a continuing commitment to scientific integrity, data-sharing, and the spirit of service. It also reflected a growing distrust of the for-profit corporate behaviors that have recently been unleashed in the psychedelic space. Though Jesse was too careful to name names, the main sources of concern were two for-profit companies: Compass Pathways, a one-time nonprofit, now moving aggressively into the psilocybin therapy space in Europe, and Eleusis, a less visible but more cheekily-named outfit that has patented LSD for the treatment of Alzheimer’s.

Scanning the list of names who had signed the Statement, I remarked again on something I noted in a somewhat cranky essay I wrote for Erowid Extracts in 2013: that the science of psychedelics cannot be disentangled from the wider and more multifaceted culture of psychedelics—very much including its underground culture(s). My essay was aimed particularly at MAPS, who at that point had already established its current dominance over the space of “important” psychedelic conferences, all of which stressed the legitimating force of science in their titles and content. My main point was that if the “Multidisciplinary” in MAPS’ name was going to count for anything beyond a groovy brand, the organization had to actually open the doors of the discourse it managed to disciplines other than science and clinical research. Though trained in the humanities myself, I was particularly concerned with the social sciences, which I hoped would provide some of the critical, contextualist, anthropologically-informed, and politically sophisticated correctives to the mainstream juggernaut of individualistic psychedelic pharmaceuticals already in motion.

This must-read essay thoroughly unpacks the ongoing debate concerning MAPS’ involvement with controversial businesspeople, the military-industrial-medical framework, and other elements of mainstream culture. Davis properly recognizes the important role that the underground psychedelic community has played while simultaneously dismantling the idea that this so-called “community” ever existed in the first place. Some people in this space, like DMT Nexus’ David Nickles, are beginning to question the direction that the psychedelic movement is headed, and knowing where we’re collectively going is seemingly becoming more and more important. We ought to make sure that the leaders of this movement have pure intentions and a shared vision of direction, otherwise we run the risk of ending up somewhere we didn’t want to go.

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Post Permalink

Rally to Legalize Psychedelic Medicine and Nude Love Parade

Gypsy Taub, writing for My Naked Truth TV:

Dear friends,

we are going to have another rally to legalize psychedelic medicine followed by a nude love parade.

The rally will start at the San Francisco City Hall and the parade will march through Haight to Stanyan and back to the City Hall. […]

Body freedom activist and founder of a psychedelic clinic and rehab for street kids in Mexico (Jerry Garcia Family Healing Clinic) Gypsy Taub organized the first legalization rally on August 19, 2018. It took place at Jane Warner Plaza in San Francisco and was followed by the 3rd annual Nude Summer of Love Parade.

The second rally will take place in front of the San Francisco City Hall on Saturday, September 29th and will be followed by a Nude Love Parade through Haight Street.

If you support the movement to legalize psychedelics and like naked people—or if you’re a naked person yourself—you may want to check out this event on Saturday. The group held its first event last month and it was a success. Even dearer to my heart is the fact that they dedicated it to Jerry Garcia. He would’ve loved it.

The group wants to have a bigger and better event this go-around, so feel free to spread the news and share this post with anyone who might be interested.

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Post Permalink

This Week in Psychedelics - 9.21.18

Cannabis

• South Africa Decriminalises Personal Cannabis Use and Cultivation (Talking Drugs)

• Governor Signs Marijuana Legalization Bill, Making History In US Territory (Forbes)

• Louisiana Congressman Wants To Drug-Test All of Congress (Reason)

• The first country to legalize pot is taking it slow (CNN)

• Coca-Cola Is Eyeing the Cannabis Market (Bloomberg)

• What Is CBD Oil and Why Do People Take It? (Discover Magazine)

• Can Canadian Online Cannabis Retailer Namaste Technologies Become The Amazon Of Cannabis? (Forbes)

• Massachusetts Credit Union to Provide Banking Services for Cannabis Companies (High Times)

• Feds Would Compile Tips For Growing Marijuana Under Proposal Advancing In Congress (Marijuana Moment)

• Cody Johnson Interview: Cannabis as a Unique Psychedelic and more (Ganjly)

• Marijuana References In Popular Music Are On the Rise, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• This Oil Infusion Appliance Is The KitchenAid Of Cannabis (Forbes)

• Canadian Marijuana Users, Workers, Investors Will Face Lifetime Bans from Entering the U.S. (Reason)

• Democratic lawmaker calls on DHS to clarify border rules for Canadian marijuana users and workers (Politico)

• Louisiana regulators remove patient cap on marijuana doctors (Associated Press News)

• Congressman Wants Feds To ‘Buy American’ Marijuana Instead Of Importing From Canada (Marijuana Moment)

• Election 2018: A Complete Guide to Cannabis on the Ballot (Leafly)

• Beto O’Rourke Slams Drug War And Police Killing Of Botham Jean At Dallas Event (Marijuana Moment)

• Dagga smoking an entry point to more serious drugs – Cele (Daily Maverick)

• Association of Cannabinoid Administration With Experimental Pain in Healthy Adults (The JAMA Network)

• Police Are Using Pot to 'Smear' a Dead Man, Say Botham Jean Family Attorneys (Reason)

• Jeff Sessions Breaks Cannabis Silence To Spread Fake News About A Marijuana ‘Myth’ (Marijuana Moment)

• California Police Chief Claims Legal Weed Delivery Could Lead to ‘Assaults and Homicides’ (Reason)

• Congressional Black And Hispanic Caucuses Focus On Marijuana Reform At Events (Marijuana Moment)

• ‘My son is proof medicinal cannabis works’: Alfie Dingley is now seizure-free and learning to ride a bike (inews.co.uk)

• Marijuana Legalization Debated By Ohio And New Mexico Gubernatorial Candidates (Marijuana Moment)

• U.S. should follow Canada's lead, allow military to smoke marijuana (Rooster Magazine)

• California Gov. Jerry Brown Keeps Saying Mean Things About Marijuana Consumers (Marijuana Moment)

• Kristen Bell Reveals She Smokes Marijuana Once a Week and Might Host an Ecstasy Party (Us Weekly)

• Trump FDA Chief More Worried About Teens Using Marijuana Than Nicotine (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana Museum Opens in Las Vegas to Celebrate All Things Cannabis (TIME)

• Shorting cannabis stocks is getting costly (CNBC)

• PETA Says Getting Lobsters High On Marijuana Doesn’t Make Eating Them More Humane (Marijuana Moment)

• Hollywood's Red Carpet Was Sprinkled With Hints Of Cannabis Green For Television's Biggest Night (Forbes)

• Top Cop Caught On Tape Making Racist Comments About Marijuana Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• This Canadian Pot Company Had An Unbelievably Wild Day on the Stock Market (TIME)

• Marijuana Opponent Compares Legalization To Deadly Hurricane Florence (Marijuana Moment)

• Let Us Congratulate These Florida Cops for Keeping 11 Pounds of Weed Off the Streets (Reason)

• New York Lawmakers Schedule Marijuana Legalization Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

• The medicinal cannabis panel is already failing children like my daughter (The Guardian)

• Cannabis Plant-Raised Pork Is Now a Thing (and It’s Delicious) (Leafly)

• How high can the world's most-valuable cannabis company go? (Quartz)

• Cannabis Stocks Will Make More People Rich Before Diving (Forbes)

• Authorities Smoke Out Cannabis Products at Church Properties (NBC Southern California)

• Lawmaker Presses Trump Official On Banning Canadians From US For Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Retail investors in Canadian cannabis are 'buying air,' analyst says (CNBC)

• Job training for cannabis retail staff coming soon to Alberta (Grow)

LSD

• First Ever Trial to Study the Effects of Microdosing LSD Began This Month (High Times)

• What do blind people see when they take LSD? (Health24)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

• Legalizing Psilocybin Could Be The Next Frontier In Drug Policy Reform After Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Like 4/20, mushrooms have their day: 9/20. 'It'll catch on.' (Rooster Magazine)

• Prof David Nutt reveals how those people with depression who took magic mushrooms are doing now (The Canary)

• Mushroom legalization in Colorado gains both political and legal support (Rooster Magazine)

MDMA/Ecstasy

• Octopuses Rolling on MDMA Reveal Unexpected Link to Humans (Inverse)

• Elementary School Boy Accidentally Shares Father’s Ecstasy with Friends Thinking It was Candy (Nextshark)

• Clint Eastwood’s daughter Francesca has a drug-fuelled threesome in new movie MDMA (The Sun)

• Student, 22, died after taking £7 MDMA to celebrate the end of her university exams (The Sun)

• A guide to taking MDMA for the first time (The Tab)

• MDMA, the main ingredient in ecstasy, could be key in helping veterans with PTSD (CBS News)

• What is MDMA? Effects of ecstasy drug and how dangerous it really is (Mirror)

Ayahuasca/DMT/5-MeO-DMT

• Ayahuasca stirs up debate over its effects (Kahpi)

• DMT trip 'feels like dying' - and scientists now agree (BBC)

• Welcome Home: My 5-MeO-DMT Experience (Maps Of The Mind)

• Mother-of-one musician, 32, who went to mountain retreat for hallucinogenic treatment in bid to beat her epilepsy died after seizure on Middle East trip (Daily Mail)

• Ayahuasca Research Boosts Brazilian 'Psychedelic' Science (Folha de S.Paulo)

• Was the Prophet Muhammad Tripping on DMT? (SF Weekly)

• The Marbella retreat run by a British accountant where guests pay £500 to get high on mind-bending drug blamed for student's death (Daily Mail)

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

• “Healing Powers” Heads to Spain to Feel the Psychedelic Sensations of San Pedro (MERRY JANE)

Iboga/Ibogaine

• Positive outcomes after ibogaine detoxification linked to persisting changes in mood and life perspective (PsyPost)

Salvia Divinorum

• The Strange Realm of Salvia Research (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

• Spice Users are Becoming a Cruel Online Joke (VICE)

• Huge rise in ambulance callouts to deal with spice users (The Guardian)

Dissociatives

• Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine Appear to Require Opioid System Activation (Psychiatry Advisor)

• Police: Woman who caused disturbance was on PCP (Rutland Herald)

Opiates/Opioids

• The Federal Agency That Fuels the Opioid Crisis (The New York Times)

• New Heroin User Numbers Are Dropping Amid A Fatal Overdose Epidemic (BuzzFeed News)

• The Health 202: Obscure provision in House opioids' bill could restart war on drugs (The Washington Post)

• As opioid death toll worsens, California doctors will soon be required to perform database checks (Los Angeles Times)

• To avoid overdoses, some test their heroin before taking it (ABC News)

Kratom

• Everything I Learned About Using Kratom for Pain (Pain News Network)

• Man electrocuted in Satun allegedly trying to steal kratom leaves (The Nation)

Kava

• Captivate Your Senses With Kava (ProHealth)

Khat

• Khat (Plant) Market Segmented by Type, Application, Offering and Geography to 2023 (TheBusinessTactics.com)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

• The Dire Need for Systemic Critique Within Psychedelic Communities (Chacruna)

• Justice Department Inspector General to Investigate DEA Program Linked to Massacres in Mexico (ProPublica)

• Are Music Festivals to Blame for Overdose Deaths? (The New York Times)

• Defqon.1 deaths: sniffer dogs don't deter revellers from drug use, researchers find (The Guardian)

• 'Absolutely tragic': Premier vows to shut festival down after two overdose deaths (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Lab Testing Anomalous Street Drug Samples in Kensington Philadelphia (Medium)

• A different kind of house call: Teams bring addiction care to patients, wherever they are (STAT)

• Trump Administration Plans U.N. Meeting to Ramp Up the International Drug War (The Intercept)

• Psychedelic Sea Sponges to the Colorado River Toad: Magic Medicine is a Rabbit Hole of Hallucinatory Wisdom (High Times)

• Drugs, Alcohol and Suicide Are Killing So Many Young Americans That the Country’s Average Lifespan Is Falling (TIME)

• Pop-Up Museum Psychedelic Robot Coming to The Crescent (Dallas Innovates)

• Colombia cocaine production acreage at 'record level' (BBC)

• Britain's drug testing charity is ready to roll out in Australia (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Psychedelic drugs could mimic near-death experience: study (CTV News)

• Opening the Mind with Psychedelics (GR|MAG)

• The Origin Story of Con Ciencia Indígena: Interview with Mario Gómez Mayorga (Psychedelic Times)

• Over four decades, an 'inexorable' epidemic of drug overdoses reveals its inner secrets (Los Angeles Times)

• People my age shouldn't be dying at music festivals. Pill-testing saves lives (The Guardian)

• Why Canada Should Legalize Psychedelics Next (VICE)

• The psychedelic drug debate: why Buddhist ethics matters (Patheos)

• ‘Psychedelic Indiana Jones’ drug expert claims LSD, mushrooms and MDMA ‘to be made legal’ (Daily Star)

• Cure for cocaine addiction in reach, say scientists (The Guardian)

• Psychedelic Drugs to Treat Depression, PTSD? (WebMD)

• LSD, Magic Mushrooms, and “Tripping All the Time” (SFGate)

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.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.