This Canadian Cannabis Advisory Ad Is Full-On Trippy

Bruce Barcott, writing for Leafly:

Last week the provincial government of Northwest Territories unveiled its campaign aimed at informing minors about cannabis, and steering them away from its use.

The “augmented reality” animation is by turns mind-blowing, creepy, kinda cool, and in all ways weird.

The whole package has a lot to unpack: actually pretty decent advice; partnering with an authentic young artist from Yellowknife; the local culture incorporated into design, language, and message; and then just the sheer hallucinogenic quality of the thing.

Inane anti-drug propaganda comes a dime a dozen, but this government-sponsored drug education campaign out of Canada is not only halfway decent, it’s also a refreshing attempt at using harm reduction to teach kids the honest truth about drugs.

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This Week in Psychoactives - 1.25.19

CANNABIS

• Does marijuana use really cause psychotic disorders? (The Guardian)

• 2018 Was A Major Year For Cannabis Legislation And 2019 Is Shaping Up To Be Much Bigger (Marijuana Moment)

• New Study on Cannabis and Autism Supports Parents’ Longtime Claims (Leafly)

• Study Debunks Claim That Traffic Deaths Increase On The 4/20 Marijuana Holiday (Marijuana Moment)

• Want To Minor In Cannabis? This SUNY Program Could Be For You (Forbes)

• Virginia Medical Cannabis Bills Clear Senate Committee (NORML)

• First Senate Marijuana Bill Of 2019 Would Force Study On Medical Cannabis For Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

• Massachusetts Dispensary Replaces Lines With App (Ganjapreneur)

• Most U.S. Mayors Support Legalizing Marijuana, Survey Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Cafes Are Coming (Forbes)

• Women And Baby Boomers Are Increasingly Embracing Marijuana, New Market Report Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Weed Website Offers Unpaid Federal Workers Free Medical Marijuana That They Can’t Legally Smoke (Reason)

• Young people in liberal states use more cannabis, but have lower rates of dependence (The Verge)

• DC Lawmaker Proposes Same-Day Medical Marijuana Access And Social Use Spaces (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis equity aimed at helping those most affected by the war on drugs (The News Tribune)

• Future Weed: Formulations, Patents and Where Cannabis Is Going Next (Rolling Stone)

• Federal Judge Rules For Medical Marijuana Grower In Free Speech Case (Marijuana Moment)

• CBS Blocked a Medical Marijuana Commercial From Playing During the Super Bowl (TIME)

• Can Cannabis Actually Boost Concentration? (Civilized)

• Lawmakers File Competing Medical Marijuana Research Bills Amid Language Dispute (Marijuana Moment)

• Potential Contaminants in CBD and THC Oils (News-Medical.net)

• Opioid Addiction Is Now A Medical Marijuana Qualifying Condition In New Jersey (Marijuana Moment)

• On Pot and Psychosis: Five Questions for Alex Berenson (Undark)

• Pennsylvania Governor Announces Statewide Marijuana Legalization Listening Tour (Marijuana Moment)

• The Next Attorney General May Not Bar Progress On Cannabis Policy After All (Forbes)

• Good Luck Getting Medical Cannabis On the NHS (VICE)

• Cannabis can help with better sex, but low doses are key (Global News)

• DC Mayor Considers How To Legalize Marijuana Sales In Light Of Congressional Block (Marijuana Moment)

• 9 Governors Get 'A' Grades for Marijuana Reform, Up From 2 Last Year (Reason)

• Potential 2020 Presidential Candidate Michael Bloomberg Calls Marijuana Legalization ‘Nonsensical’ (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Meet America's Youngest Cannabis CEO (Civilized)

• If these Northeast states legalize adult-use marijuana, they could generate billions of dollars in sales (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Hallucinogenic Strains of Cannabis (Seattle Weekly)

• What LA's First Weed Rave Means for the Future of Cannabis and Nightlife (Civilized)

• U.S. Surgeon General Deletes Tweet About Medical Marijuana And Children (Marijuana Moment)

• Alex Berenson: Pot is not a cure-all medicine – I told the truth and the backlash has been incredible (Fox News)

• The cannabis business is booming — but that’s not necessarily good if you’re an investor (CNBC)

• Goop CCO Is Eyeing CBD, THC, Psychedelics as Wellness Empire Expands (Cheddar)
  

LSD

• Marc Emery Gave LSD, Ecstasy To Underage Girls: Ex-Employees (HuffPost)

• Not a transit point, Kolkata now an LSD market: Cops (The Times of India)

• Police: Ohio student on LSD attacked and grabbed staffers' breasts (NBC4 WCMH-TV)
  

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Psilocybin combined with psychological support might correct pessimism biases in depression (PsyPost)

• Most Oregon Voters Favor Legalizing Psilocybin Mushrooms For Medical Use, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Terminally ill patients to be given magic mushroom hallucinogen (Metro)

• Magic mushrooms to soothe the dying (Crikey)

• Dutch retreat claims magic truffles could be ‘the secret to improving your relationship’ — but do they really work? (The Sun)

• 10 potential risks of taking 'magic' mushrooms (INSIDER)
  

MDMA

• Will MDMA-assisted psychotherapy be covered by health insurance? (Psymposia)

• How does ecstasy kill? (The Conversation)

• Most ecstasy pills tested by WA’s ChemCentre found they contained no MDMA (PerthNow)
  

AYAHUASCA

• Behind the scenes at Kenzo’s ayahuasca-fueled Fall/Winter 2019 show (Document Journal)
  

PEYOTE

• The Supreme Court's 'peyote decision' limited freedom of religion. Is it in trouble? (Los Angeles Times)
  

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Disturbing moment ‘spice zombie’ howls and writhes on ground in front of city centre shoppers in broad daylight (The Sun)

• Police raid two Savannah businesses selling synthetic cannabinoids (11Alive)
  

NITROUS OXIDE

• More women choosing nitrous oxide to help them through labor (KXAN)

• Nitrous Oxide stolen from QA Hospital in Portsmouth (ITV News)
  

KETAMINE

• Ketamine May Be Equally Effective in Anxious vs Nonanxious Depression (Psychiatry Advisor)

• Ketamine Reduced Opioid Need in Severely Injured Subgroup (General Surgery News)

• Hennepin Healthcare ketamine probe recommends more training, internal reviews (KMSP-TV)
  

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Police and Media Keep Spreading the Myth That Merely Touching Fentanyl Can Kill You (Gizmodo)

• Study Links Drug Maker Gifts for Doctors to More Overdose Deaths (The New York Times)

• A New Drug Policy Approach Can Alleviate Poverty in Rural India (Talking Drugs)

• Free naloxone kits, training being offered in Chico after mass overdose (KRCR)

• FDA Pushing for Over-The-Counter Sales of Naloxone (Pain News Network)

• What’s Taking So Long for Naloxone to Be Made Available Over the Counter? (Filter)

• Wound Botulism Outbreak Linked to Heroin Raises Concern of Opioid Epidemic Effects (Contagion Live)

• Thunder Bay paramedics report naloxone use jumped 5 times over previous year (CBC)

• Buprenorphine May Be an Optimal Treatment for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Monthly Prescribing Reference)

• Design team creates a naloxone dispenser (Medical Xpress)

• Post-Naloxone Observation of ED Patients is Focus of Study (Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News)

• Yes, Opium Soaked Tampons Were Actually A Thing Roman Ancients Used To Cure Headaches (Rare)

• Libraries saving lives: Pilot program trains employees to administer naloxone (KPTV)

• The Importance Of Patient-Centric Opioid Prescribing Guidelines (Forbes)

• Vermont prison staff will carry opioid rescue medication Narcan after rise in overdoses (Burlington Free Press)

• Lancaster County tops list for charging heroin dealers with homicide (WITF)

• Volunteer medical first responders not allowed to administer Naloxone (Regina Leader-Post)

• Is Medically Prescribed Heroin the Answer to the Opioid Crisis? (Healthline)

• Rantz: Seattle public health officials give tips to be a better heroin user (KTTH)
  

COCAINE

• Cocaine in London river is making eels 'hyperactive,' researchers say (Fox News)

• Scientists Kept Rats Sober by Deleting Memories of Cocaine (Futurism)

• Steve-O from Jackass admits he once snorted cocaine splattered with HIV-positive blood (Newshub)

• Cocaine found in singer Chris Brown's hotel room not his, he wants to sue rape accuser for defamation: Lawyer (The Straits Times)
  

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Why Crystal Meth Has Made a Big Comeback in Philadelphia (Filter)

• Amid South Dakota's meth epidemic, recovering addict helps others find sobriety (The Dickinson Press)
  

ALCOHOL

• Alcohol-Linked Disease Overtakes Hep C As Top Reason For Liver Transplant (Kaisser Health News)

• New study finds areas in brain that cause alcohol addiction (The Drinks Business)

• Alcohol marketers face sobering times as moderation trend grows (Ad Age)

• Singapore lifts ban on sale of food products containing alcohol (The Drinks Business)

• This Is Why Anne Hathaway Has Given Up Alcohol (Marie Claire)

• Many migraine sufferers wary of alcohol as a headache trigger (Reuters)

ABSINTHE

• Chasing the green fairy: Absinthe, fact and fiction (Earth.com)
  

NOOTROPICS

• Nootropics, or ‘Smart Drugs,’ Are Gaining Popularity. But Should You Take Them? (TIME)
  

KRATOM

• Kratom Vendor Offers Free Product to Federal Employees During Shutdown (Inverse)

• A buying guide for kratom (Augusta Free Press)

• Top health benefits of using kratom (Augusta Free Press)
  

KAVA

• Fiji Kava Applauds Australian Government’s Decision To Ease Kava Import Regulations (Fiji Sun)

• Drinking kava can tackle the root of your stress problems (The Daily Texan)
  

MISCELLANEOUS

• How can we take power away from criminal gangs? Legalise drugs (The Guardian)

• The Pentagon Spent Billions Fighting the War on Drugs Without Even Asking for a Plan (Motherboard)

• A Brief History of Microdosing Research (Psychedelic Times)

• Needle and syringe programmes cost-effectively prevent hepatitis C transmission (Medical Xpress)

• More people in recovery from substance use problems are quitting smoking than ever before (EurekAlert!)

• ‘Example to the world': Sri Lanka president plans to copy Duterte's war on drugs (The Guardian)

• More Companies Should Offer Bathroom Syringe Disposals Like Starbucks (Filter)

• I'm 'coming out' about drugs: it's time get real about pill testing (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Drug deaths at music festivals: one overdose victim 'took up to nine MDMA pills' (The Guardian)

• Three Charts on who uses illicit drugs in Australia (The Conversation)

• SW's resistance to pill testing will drive dealers to sell 'more dangerous drugs', ACT warns (The Guardian)

• Combining Psychedelics with Capitalism May Cause Unintended Side Effects (Chacruna)

• Which ACT politicians have tried cannabis, MDMA and acid? (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Cosmic Sister and #PsychedelicFeminism: Interview with Zoe Helene (Psychedelic Times)

• A Supervised Drug Use Site? Meet the Leaders Behind Denver's Push. (Westword)

• Psychedelics & Meditation – How They’ve Informed Each Other On My Path (Maps Of The Mind)

• Should all drugs be legalised now? (The London Economic)

• Carbondale hosts ‘non-hallucinogenic’ psychedelic seminar (The Aspen Times)

• Reforming Regulation to Promote Medical Use of Psychedelic Drugs (The Regulatory Review)

• Injecting centre for Cork drug addicts still under evaluation (Echo Live)

• What Is Harm Reduction, Anyway? (Filter)

• 'War on drugs' doesn't tackle the drug problem (The Hill)

---

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" 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 Psychedelic Astronaut.

Have you had an experience with synthetic mescaline, peyote, or San Pedro?

Chacruna:

Researchers at Maastricht University are working on a research study about mescaline use, including synthetic mescaline, peyote, and San Pedro. This anonymous internet survey asks questions about your experiences with these substances, including the short-term and long-term effects. If you have ever had such an experience, we would greatly appreciate you completing the survey. If you know of others who have ever had an experience with mescaline, please send them the link and encourage them to participate. This includes people who had such an experience long ago.

The study will permit a better understanding about the phenomenology, interpretation, and acute and enduring effects of mescaline. The hope is that, ultimately, they will receive thousands of responses to the survey so that they can better understand the experiences after ingesting mescaline, resulting in valid and reliable measures of such experiences to use in clinical research. 

The team has conducted survey and laboratory studies investigating the phenomenology of psychedelic substance use and this new survey is an important extension of our published and ongoing research. If you are interested in participating or would like to know more about the study, please click the link below to the secure study site. We anticipate that it will take you approximately 30-45 minutes to complete the survey. Your participation is completely anonymous.

If you have any experience with any of these drugs, consider participating in this study.

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This Week in Psychoactives - 1.18.19

CANNABIS

• Governor Signs Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana In The U.S. Virgin Islands (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis in Congress: Why Federally Legal Weed Could Soon Be a Reality (Rolling Stone)

• What Alex Berenson’s new book gets wrong about marijuana, psychosis, and violence (Vox)

• A Study Found That People Enjoyed Sex More When High Than When Drunk (Brides)

• Rhode Island Governor Proposes Legalizing Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Trinidad and Tobago to Decriminalise Cannabis, Consider Legalisation (Talking Drugs)

• Attorney General Nominee Commits To Leave State-Legal Marijuana Programs Alone (NORML)

• The technology behind the world's largest cannabis dispensary (Engadget)

• Now that Canada Legalized, What's Next for Marijuana Law Reform? (Civilized)

• Is CBD a Miracle Cure or a Marketing Scam? (Both.) (Reason)

• New Congressional Bill Would Enshrine Rescinded Marijuana Memo Into Federal Law (Marijuana Moment)

• All the Things the New Anti-Weed Crusade Gets Horribly Wrong (VICE)

• Surging Cannabis Use Drags Down Beer Sales To Its Lowest Ebb, Says Top Analyst (Forbes)

• Cannabis Business Booms But That Does Not Mean A Beverage Alcohol Bust (Forbes)

• Marijuana Legalization Will Be A Top Priority For Hawaii Legislature In 2019 (Marijuana Moment)

• How Dangerous is Marijuana, Really? (The Marshall Project)

• Lawmakers In Portugal Debate Two Marijuana Legalization Bills (Marijuana Moment)

• How Britain became the world’s largest expert in medical marijuana (The Spectator)

• Gubernatorial Report Card: Learn Where Your Governor Stands on Marijuana Policy (NORML)

• Now you can get weed delivered to you anywhere in California, even in cities that ban pot (Desert Sun)

• The mature stoner: why are so many seniors smoking weed? (The Guardian)

• New York Gov. Cuomo Releases Marijuana Legalization Details (Marijuana Moment)

• Is Legalizing Marijuana Too Risky? (The New York Times)

• Canadians Spent $1.6 Billion on Legal Weed in 2018: Report (VICE)

• New York City Cannabis Film Festival Spotlights the Hard Work Towards Legalization — And the Harder Work Still to Come (Civilized)

• Where Presidential Candidate Kirsten Gillibrand Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Where Presidential Candidate Julián Castro Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Don't Call It "Weed," and Other Tips from the Cannabis Media Summit (The New Yorker)

• Oklahoma Cops Jail Four Men for Transporting Legal Hemp (Reason)

• What Brooklyn's First Dispensary Says About Medical Marijuana in New York (Civilized)

• Illinois Governor Pledges To Legalize Marijuana In Inaugural Address (Marijuana Moment)

• Smoking cannabis just once can change a teenager's brain (The Independent)

• The Reasonable Way to View Marijuana's Risks (The New York Times)

• GOP Congressman Refiles Marijuana Research Bill With Important Changes (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis stocks fall after attorney general nominee's comments about marijuana (MarketWatch)

• It's Time To Unshackle Cannabis Research Efforts (Forbes)

• Senators Urge Federal Agency To Update Hemp Policies During Government Shutdown (Marijuana Moment)

• Where the (Legal) Weed At? More States Eye Cannabis Legalization (The Root)

• OPINION: Some growers complacent about using irradiation on cannabis (The GrowthOp)

• Kalamazoo pub looks to become cannabis club (WOOD-TV)

• Bob Marley brand of cannabis-infused drinks on the way (USA Today)

• What It's Like Running a CBD Company as a One-Woman Show (Civilized)

• Sen. Chuck Schumer Welcomes Major Cannabis Company To New York’s Hemp Industry (Marijuana Moment)

• White Rabbit High Tea is a 420-Friendly Wonderland for Grown-Ups (Civilized)

• The MBA graduate who fired up cannabis distribution (Financial Times)

• Marijuana Stock Aurora Cannabis Is Rising After It Bought Whistler Medical Marijuana (Barron's)

LSD

• Acid and the sexual psychonauts (Wellcome Collection)

• This guy wrote a short story about carrier sailors tripping on acid and it’s glorious (Navy Times)

• Doctors warn trippers of severe danger of using LSD-laden 'deadly stamps' (The Nation)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• A Melbourne Hospital Will Trial Magic Mushroom Therapy for Dying Patients (VICE)

• Denver Could Become First City to Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms (Rolling Stone)

• Magic Mushrooms warning as foragers told mild winter has led to abundance of psychedelic fungi (The Telegraph)

• Fun with Anxiety: Why I’m Considering Becoming a Scofflaw (Portland Mercury)

MDMA

• Police dog went to rave and got high on ecstasy (Metro)

• The Future of MDMA: Phase 3 and Beyond (Psymposia)

• MDMA hospitalisation cases in NSW hit record (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• How will MDMA be rescheduled in the future? You may be disappointed. (Psymposia)

• Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian Admit to Doing Ecstasy After Kim Says Made Her Sex Tape While High (People)

• Rugby teenager held after boy fell ill 'taking ecstasy' (BBC)

AYAHUASCA

• Psychedelic drug ayahuasca could help treat diabetes (Rooster Magazine)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• Media moral panic over ‘Monkey Dust’ (again) (AOD MEDIA WATCH)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• What is Synthetic Weed? Know the Side Effects, Street Names and More (Campus Safety Magazine)

• Intoxication from synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists often missed (MDLinx)

• Feds to seek 3-year prison sentence for Capitol Petro owner for selling synthetic marijuana (Madison.com)

• 'Concerning new trends' around synthetic drugs in New Zealand - report (TVNZ)

• Sheffield police 'in far better position' as war on spice drug abuse continues (The Star)

NITROUS OXIDE

• Crawley footballer caught with Sussex’s ‘biggest ever haul’ of laughing gas (Crawley Observer)

KETAMINE

• Crystal Meth, Ketamine 'Godfather' and Former Communist Party Chief Executed (Newsweek)

• Handcuffed, drugged with ketamine: Truth behind Thai cave rescue (news.com.au)

• Ketamine a Viable Alternative to Opioids for Severe Pain In ER (Pharmacy Practice News)

• Ketamine infusions could work better than antidepressants for patients with hard-to-treat depression, anxiety and substance abuse (Daily Mail)

PCP

• PCP-fueled burglar gets 10 years in prison (The Herald-Mail)

• Driver high on PCP has been charged with 5th DUI, New Castle police say (The News Journal)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• New App Uses Sonar to Detect Opioid Overdoses (Scientific American)

• Police dog given Narcan to reverse overdose at Port Canaveral (WFLA)

• Report: Americans Are Now More Likely To Die Of An Opioid Overdose Than On The Road (WBUR)

• The FDA Is Trying to Make It Easier for Drug Companies to Provide Over-the-Counter Opioid Overdose Antidote (TIME)

• Profiting From Death - The Naloxone Money Story (Psychology Today)

• Philly paramedics treated more overdoses last year — but used less Narcan (Billy Penn)

• Man Charged With Homicide For Sharing Drugs With Woman Who Later Died (The Appeal)

• Sacklers Directed Efforts to Mislead Public About OxyContin, New Documents Indicate (The New York Times)

• Exposure to fentanyl doesn’t kill but misinformation does (Philly.com)

• B.C. health official questions value of handing out free naloxone nasal spray (CBC)

• Are Narcan parties real? 'Sounds like something for Hollywood,' addiction expert says (The Enquirer)

• Jackson County deputy recovering from accidental Fentanyl overdose (WJHG)

• New bill would make Naloxone more available (Idaho Press)

• It Happened Here: North Yakima cracks down on ‘underground’ opium dens (Yakima Herald)

• Mass Overdose in California Kills 1, Injures 12 (TIME)

• He was a small-time heroin dealer in Virginia. Four women he dated have fatally overdosed. (The Washington Post)

• Madelyn Linsenmeir to Cops in Booking Video: 'I'm Very Ill Right Now' (Seven Days)

• Alternative Development Project in Laos enables former opium farmers to learn about Coffee Cultivation from experts (UNODC)

• Drop in Clallam County opioid deaths attributed to naloxone (Peninsula Daily News)

• What You Should Know About Using Naloxone (WBUR)

COCAINE

• Kings of cocaine: how the Albanian mafia seized control of the UK drugs trade (The Guardian)

• Coke dealers now selling cocaine in eco-friendly reusable packages (Rooster Magazine)

• Born to run: Just not on cocaine (Science Daily)

• Florida man chews up seat of police car after cocaine arrest, officials say (Fox News)

• Cocaine user didn’t know it was fentanyl. He died. Sheriff says the crisis has arrived (The Fresno Bee)

METHAMPHETAMINE

• Cannabis convictions fall in New Zealand while meth still on the rise (Newshub)

• Call to Develop Meth Addiction Meds Mustn’t Obscure Woeful Lack of Access to Existing Tools (Filter)

ALCOHOL

• A new study says the CDC inflated women’s risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies (Quartz)

• How Prohibition Fueled the Klan (The New York Times)

• Genetic risks play part in fetal alcohol syndrome (UW Medicine)

• New study calls to end alcohol ads during sport (AdNews)

• As Americans Drink Less Alcohol, Booze Makers Look Beyond the Barrel (The Wall Street Journal)

• Tough booze ban for WA's Pilbara to reduce alcohol-related violence (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

• Wine is different from other alcohols, not responsible for binge drinking, French minister claims (Fox News)

• 7 states that have strict laws about how and when you can drink alcohol (INSIDER)

• How to know if an opened bottle of alcohol has gone bad (INSIDER)

KRATOM

• Case Study Report: Herbal Supplement Kratom Associated With Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (Neurology Advisor)

• Kratom: Lawmaker pushing bill to make Utah first state to regulate the 'miracle cure' (ABC 4)

• Georgia may regulate popular herbal supplement (FOX 5 Atlanta)

• How To Market Your Kratom Business Legally (Kratom Guides)

• Local doctors warn parents about kratom (WHEC)

KAVA

• Cheers mate: Australia to allow kava imports to bolster Pacific ties (Reuters)

MISCELLANEOUS

• Singapore Creates New Drug Offences with Lengthy Sentences (Talking Drugs)

• The ‘war on drugs’ is ineffective and violates human rights, say researchers and NGOs (Equal Times)

• Overwhelming majority of voters support pill-testing – Guardian Essential poll (The Guardian)

• Former Premier calls for legislation of drugs to stop deaths (Perth Now)

• Psychedelics appear to have promising effects on human well-being — but rigorous research is lacking (PsyPost)

• Watch a Florida Cop Botch a Drug Field Test on Video, Then Arrest an Innocent Man (Reason)

• 'Evidence backs pill testing trials': physicians tell Berejiklian (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Meet the Painter Who Turns His Psychedelic Experiences Into Gallery Art (GQ)

• Denver Mayor Hancock Used To Support A Safe-Injection Site. Now It’s Not So Clear (Colorado Public Radio)

• Serotonergic Psychedelics LSD & Psilocybin Increase the Fractal Dimension of Cortical Brain Activity in Spatial and Temporal Domains (bioRxiv)

• Family of 'beautiful' teen plead for pill testing after suspected festival drug overdose (The Age)

• Drug-testing service in Durham highlights dangers of the illegal trade (Chronicle Live)

• Psychedelics: a lost and found weekend (Financial Times)

• Facing Our Fears With Psychedelic Meditation (Tam Integration)

• Creating While Clean (GQ)

• Four-letter word a flaw in anti-pill testing argument (news.com.au)

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Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this week’s update, please consider helping out by becoming a patron, making a one-time donation, or sharing this post with a friend. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" 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 Psychedelic Astronaut.

This Week in Psychoactives - 1.11.19

CANNABIS

• Read Congress’s New H.R. 420 Marijuana Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Washington Governor to Pardon Thousands of People Prosecuted for Marijuana Prior to Legalization (Drug Policy Alliance)

• Marijuana Legalization Bills Already Filed In Half A Dozen Red States For 2019 Sessions (Marijuana Moment)

• Congress Just Legalized Hemp, but What Does That Mean for CBD? (VICE)

• Weed is safer than alcohol, people believe, yet they respect pot users less than drinkers (Rooster Magazine)

• Alcohol Sales Aren’t Impacted By Marijuana Legalization, Trade Association Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Pot company recalls cannabis product sold in Alberta over contamination concern (The GrowthOp)

• New York Bills Would Allow Medical Marijuana Smoking And Cannabis At Schools (Marijuana Moment)

• Vancouver approves city's first 3 cannabis outlets (CBC)

• Feds To Spend $1.5 Million On Research Into Marijuana’s Lesser Known Components (Marijuana Moment)

• What Advocates of Legalizing Pot Don’t Want You to Know (The New York Times)

• Is Marijuana as Safe as We Think? (The New Yorker)

• New Congressional Cannabis Caucus Takes Shape (Marijuana Moment)

• Cities Across Michigan Ban Legal Marijuana Sales (NORML)

• D.C. Lawmaker Files Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Despite Federal Concerns (Marijuana Moment)

• MPs criticise NHS over failure to prescribe medical cannabis (The Guardian)

• Soda made from cannabis will soon hit store shelves (KOMO)

• Quebec cannabis retailers can't meet demand with limited supply (Montreal Gazette)

• Oregon grew three times as much cannabis as it smokes — and that could change the weed game forever (Rooster Magazine)

• Most Medical Marijuana Patients Stop Or Reduce Pharmaceutical Use With Cannabis, Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Can CBD Support Fertility? (Civilized)

• Federal Officials Recognize How Marijuana’s Legal Status Blocks Research, Documents Show (Marijuana Moment)

• Cannabis Companies Struggle To Become More Sustainable (Forbes)

• New Hampshire Lawmakers File Three Marijuana Bills Ahead Of Possible Full Legalization (Marijuana Moment)

• Massachusetts inching closer to licensing ‘cannabis cafes’ (Boston Herald)

• FDA Officials Confiscated CBD Edibles, Yuma Shop Owner Says (Phoenix New Times)

• Kamala Harris Calls For Legalizing Marijuana And Ending War On Drugs In New Book (Forbes)

• Virginia Lawmaker Adds Full Legalization To Growing List of Marijuana Bills Being Consideration (Marijuana Moment)

• Legalize marijuana to beat Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• The Case for Legalizing Weed (Reason)

• Kansas lawmaker makes racist comments about African Americans, marijuana (The Kansas City Star)

• For racial justice, legalized marijuana must be taxed correctly (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

LSD

• Acid Farmers: The Original LSD Producers that Turned on the World (Prohbtd) 

• Man who drove on LSD convicted of homicide in fatal crash (Madison.com)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

• Psilocybin Decriminalization Backers Submit Signatures for May 2019 Ballot (Westword)

MDMA

• Can Santa Cruz MDMA Research Change Mental Health? (Good Times)

• 'What’s with the dumb warning?': Why young drug users do not believe the agony of ecstasy (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Cultivating Inner Growth: The Inner Healing Intelligence in MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy (Psychedelic Frontier)

• Belarus MDMA Death Case Highlights Danger of Prohibition (Talking Drugs)

AYAHUASCA

• Where Do Ayahuasca Visions Actually Come From? (Kahpi)

• Ayahuasca Joined the Parliament of the World’s Religions (Kahpi)

IBOGA

• How One Ibogaine Clinic Has Learned From Its Mistakes (The Third Wave)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

• Monkey dust 'first of its kind' task force set up to tackle use of illegal substance (Staffordshire Live)

• Super-strength fake ketamine 50 times more potent arrives in UK for first time (Mirror)

• Calculating the fatal dose of novel psychoactive substances (The Pharmaceutical Journal)

• Testing shows Bath-Salt Laced MDMA Circulating Over NYE (Rave Jungle)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

• Slidell man sentenced to 30 years for death of teen who smoked Mojo (WNGO)

• UK to reconsider classification of synthetic drug spice (Financial Times)

• How The Wave Of Synthetic Cannabinoids Got Started (NPR)

NITROUS OXIDE

• New police warning over 'dangerous' laughing gas craze after used cannisters are found in Barwell (Leicester Mercury)

KETAMINE

• Dual studies highlight ketamine’s potential to treat anxiety and addiction (New Atlas)

• Intranasal ketamine as effective as fentanyl at relieving acute pain in kids (MDLinx)

• Harebrained Approach To Treating Depression With Horse Tranquilizer Turns 10 Years Old (PR Newswire)

• Ketamine shows potential in anxious treatment-resistant depression (Healio)

• A Survey of the Thriving Ketamine Infusion Therapy Industry in Denver, Colorado (MENAFN)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

• Former Insys CEO pleads guilty to opioid kickback scheme (Reuters)

• Despite an opioid crisis, most ERs don’t offer addiction treatment. California is changing that. (Vox)

• A White House Report on the Opioid Crisis Overlooks Gender Differences in Addiction (Tonic)

• Heroin vaccine to be tested in Syracuse (WRVO)

• This smartphone app can detect an opioid overdose and save your life (CNBC)

• Most With OD Can Be Discharged From ED an Hour After Naloxone (Medscape)

• D.C. police don’t carry the overdose antidote naloxone. Should they? (The Washington Post)

• I Was Injecting Heroin in the Bathroom While Working at One of the UK's Biggest Papers (VICE)

• Looking Into the Lifesaving Naloxone (The Link)

COCAINE

• Eco-friendly drug dealers are now selling cocaine in reusable plastic vials (Metro)

• Cocaine overtakes opioids as drug-related killer for first half of 2018 (CBC)

• Why Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reform Could Mean Mean Thousands Out of Prison — Including Cannabis Convicts (Civilized)

• Model claims social media influencers use cocaine to stay thin (Courier Mail)

• Cocaine Prevalent Among Footballers In England According To Expert (Pundit Arena)

Benzodiazepines

• How benzos and Xanax culture propel the opioid crisis (CBC)

KRATOM

• Is the Kratom Nature’s Answer to Opioids? (The New York Times)

• Bill prepared to keep kratom legal in Utah (KUTV)

• Does kratom kill? (AlterNet)

• What is American Kratom Association (aka kratom)? (Kratom Guides)

• A Guide of Preparing Kratom Tea (Endo Nurse Magazine)

• Elephant Kratom: What Is Up With This Mysterious Plant Strain? (Kratom Guides)

MISCELLANEOUS

• The extraordinary therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs, explained (Vox)

• UK Drug Checking Study Shows How Coachella Should Do Harm Reduction (Inverse)

• Music festivals are offering to test the safety of people’s drugs, and police increasingly like the idea (The Washington Post)

• Pill testing at festivals leaves room for potentially fatal error (The Sydney Morning Herald)

• Rally in support of festival pill testing organized in Sydney (Mixmag)

• While law makers squabble over pill testing, people should test their drugs at home (The Conversation) 

• How the Sinaloa Cartel is using Chinese chemicals to fuel America's opioid crisis (VICE)

• Democrats Faked Online Push to Outlaw Alcohol in Alabama Race (The New York Times)

• Safehouse hires leader to open Philly’s supervised injection site (WHYY)

• Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret Of Freemasonry (Graham Hancock)

• Psychedelics and Blockchain: Two Technologies Key to Our Future (Chacruna)

• A Journey in Sound: Music in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (Psychedelic Support)

• Best Psychedelic Videos of 2018 (The Daily Psychedelic Video)

• Ian Hamilton: Dry January is no match for the growing harms of alcohol consumption (The BMJ)

• Overdoses Prompt Policy Change in Vermont Prisons (Seven Days)

• Four reasons medication-assisted treatment may not help inmates (CommonWealth Magazine)

• Trump’s Border Wall Won’t Block the Drug ‘Pipeline’ (Reason)

• Two Ayurvedic Tips to Support Winter Psychedelic Integration (Tam Integration)

• Why Drug Traffickers Laugh at Trump's Border Wall (Reason)

• Experience: I manage the drug service in the ‘drug death capital’ of Europe (Medium)

• Traveling High & Tripping Hard by Joseph Davida (Psychedelic Press UK)

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Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychoactives" 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 Psychedelic Astronaut.