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This Week in Psychoactives - 4.5.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Guam Legalizes Marijuana Use By Adults (NORML)

  • New Mexico Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization Bill (Forbes)

  • Los Angeles to Erase 50,000 Criminal Cannabis Convictions (Leafly)

  • States With Legal Marijuana Would Be Protected From Feds Under Newly Filed Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Legalization Bill Clears New Hampshire House, but Veto Expected (Leafly)

  • Federally Produced Marijuana Is Closer To Hemp Than Commercial Cannabis, Study Shows (Marijuana Moment)

  • Street cannabis 'contains dangerous amount of faecal matter' (BBC)

  • Wisconsin Voters Approve Multiple Marijuana Ballot Questions (Marijuana Moment)

  • Science Says: Better Orgasms Through Cannabis! (The Stranger)

  • Texas removing hemp from controlled substance list (The State)

  • The EPA Is Funding Research On Using Hemp As A Sustainable Alternative To Concrete (Marijuana Moment)

  • Medicinal use of cannabis based products and cannabinoids (The BMJ)

  • Using Marijuana With Your Partner Increases The Likelihood Of Intimacy, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Georgia on cusp of legalizing medical marijuana (CNN)

  • Medical Marijuana for Autism Law Approved on World Autism Day (The Fix)

  • Will Germany become the world's largest market for medicinal cannabis? (Deutsche Welle)

  • ‘Weed Dip’ Could Help Curb A Smokeless Tobacco Addiction (NowThis News)

  • The Unique Challenges to Recycling Vapes in the Cannabis Industry (Civilized)

  • Legalizing pot is the new Democratic litmus test (Politico)

  • New York Governor Cuomo Leaves Marijuana Legalization Out of State Budget (NORML)

  • Why Is the Cannabis Industry Struggling to Build Social Equity in the City of Angels? An Interview with Kristen Lovell of the Social Impact Center, Los Angeles (Psychedelic Times)

  • PGA Issues Warning To Golfers Using CBD Products (Marijuana Moment)

  • Can marijuana help end the opioids crisis? (The Guardian)

  • The Feds Are Looking To Hire A Professional Marijuana Joint Roller (Marijuana Moment)

  • Oklahoma Medical Cannabis Patients Can Hold Open-Carry Gun Permits (Leafly)

  • “Our lawmakers don’t talk to their constituents.” An Interview with New Mexico Activist Monique Chavez on Why Pot Legalization Failed In Her State (Psychedelic Times)

  • One county’s take on medical marijuana makes some users criminals (Arizona Capitol Times)

  • Hemp Is At The Center Of Fashion, Politics, And Sustainability (NYLON)

  • Florida Lawmakers Want to Limit Medical Marijuana Potency (Leafly)

  • Cannabis stocks mixed ahead of bill proposing protections for weed companies (MarketWatch)

LSD

  • Police suspect LSD contributed to death of Springfield teen (KEZI)

  • Explainer: Can you die from LSD? (The Register-Guard)

  • Man spiked his co-workers' water with LSD because they were ‘too uptight’ (Her)

  • Scary Combination: A Navy Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier and LSD (The National Interest)

  • Bizarre true story of the UK military testing LSD on Royal Marines revealed in incredible footage that shows high soldiers stumbling and climbing (The Sun)

  • The acid test: Here's what LSD does to your brain (The Sydney Morning Herald)

  • From Hollywood to Silicon Beach, L.A. Professionals Are Using LSD to Amp Up Their Careers (LAmag)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • Why Stop at One Campaign to Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms? Oregon Has Two—and They Don’t Get Along. (Willamette Week)

  • Denver Will See Whether Voters Favor Decriminalizing Psychedelic Mushrooms (Weedmaps)

MDMA

  • Psychedelic drug MDMA may reawaken 'critical period' in brain to help treat PTSD (ScienceDaily)

  • Ecstasy use by Australian high school students doubles over three years (Stuff.co.nz)

  • GHB and MDMA are the best drugs for 'enhancing' sex, new study finds (Metro)

AYAHUASCA

  • Scientists studying psychedelic ayahuasca as a potential anti-depressant (CTV News)

  • Great Shamanic Deception: Using Ayahuasca as a Conduit for Sexual Fulfillment (Chacruna)

  • Am I a Sectarian Drug User? A Brief Legal Comment on the Religious Use of Ayahuasca in Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands (Chacruna)

  • Catharsis through vomiting: My experiences with an ancient Amazonian drug at a Haryana farmhouse (Scroll.in)

  • Inside Chelsea Handler’s Shocking Psychedelic Drug Confession (Radar Online)

5-MEO-DMT

  • Could Bufo toad toxins be beneficial to humans? (NBC2 News)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

  • UAB research study finds that the majority of novel psychedelic drug users are white, college-educated men (Alabama Political Reporter)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

NITROUS OXIDE

  • How Medical Researchers Used to Party (JSTOR Daily)

  • Red Bluff hospital first in Northstate to offer laughing gas for child birth (KRCRTV)

KETAMINE

  • Immunosuppressant May Extend Ketamine's Antidepressant Effects (Medscape)

  • When Nothing Seems to Help Your CRPS, Ketamine Pain Treatments May Bring Relief (Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic)

  • Effect of Ketamine With Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depressive Symptoms (Psychiatry Advisor)

  • FDA Approves Ketamine-Derived Treatment for Depression, But How Are People Really Using It? A Conversation with Kellye Greene of New York DanceSafe (Psychedelic Times)

  • Esketamine and psychedelics will require restructuring mental health care visits (STAT)

  • Study: Alligators on ketamine and headphones to mimic dinosaurs (Digital Journal)

  • Boys rescued from Thai cave were sedated with ketamine (CNN)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • China to Regulate All Fentanyl-Related Drugs as Controlled Substances (TIME)

  • “Nation’s Most Comprehensive Lawsuit”—Now NY Takes On Purdue and the Sacklers (Filter)

  • Fear, Loathing and Fentanyl Exposure (The New York Times)

  • “Tranq Dope”—The Heroin Combo That’s Been Putting Philly to Sleep (Filter)

  • Naloxone remains stable for at least 28 days after enduring extreme conditions: study (The Record)

  • As overdoses rise, New Jersey removes a barrier to treatment for opioid addiction (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • A single-dose antidote may help prevent fentanyl overdoses (Science News)

  • Philadelphia Department of Prisons will begin offering buprenorphine to male inmates again (WHYY)

  • How to stop the opioid crisis (The Washington Post)

  • Philly sees concerning increase in new HIV cases driven by opioid epidemic (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Study Finds Vast Differences In Ease-Of-Use For Naloxone Delivery Methods (PR Newswire)

  • Is Xi Jinping the New El Chapo? (The Trumpet)

  • Opium farming goes unchecked, difficult to locate plantation sites (The Kathmandu Post)

  • Narcan-resistant drug linked to suspected fatal OD, Montgomery County coroner warns (WHIO)

  • How Atlantic City is rethinking addiction amid opioid epidemic (The Press of Atlantic City)

  • Baby Born Prematurely, Addicted to Heroin Gets Second Chance at Life Thanks to Rare Adoption (Clay Center Dispatch)

  • Heroin Is Not Your Friend (Psychology Today)

COCAINE

  • Why Cocaine Turns People into Jerks, a Simple Explanation (VICE)

  • War on drugs has helped cocaine traffickers conquer swathes of Central America, study suggests (The Independent)

  • Man faces multiple felonies after alleged cocaine-fueled melee during concert (Aspen Daily News)

METHAMPHETAMINE

  • Messier Than Opioids, Meth Is Asia's Worst Narcotics Threat (Bloomberg)

  • Do you live near a meth lab? This interactive map will show you (KGUN)

  • Cheap, Nasty, Near You. How Crystal Meth Is Spreading (Bloomberg)

  • 'Completely preventable': 50 young people killed by stroke after using meth, MDMA (The Sydney Morning Herald)

CAFFEINE

TOBACCO

  • Maryland approves raising age to 21 to buy tobacco (The Washington Post)

  • State lawmakers raise age to buy tobacco products, e-cigarettes to 21 (The Buffalo News)

  • Olmsted County raises tobacco age to 21 (Med City Beat)

  • With vaping under fire for potential links to seizures, tobacco-free snuff latest alternative to help smokers quit (USA Today)

  • Alabama Congressman aims to raise the age someone can buy tobacco (ABC 33/40)

  • Could smokers under 21 be barred from buying tobacco products? Texas takes a step closer to raising the age (Dallas News)

ALCOHOL

  • Alcohol, caffeine are common triggers of irregular heart rhythm (Reuters)

  • More adults seeking support for alcoholic parents (BBC)

  • To Combat Binge Drinking, a Search for Chemical Solutions (Undark)

  • Don’t Call Jessica Lareau an Alcoholic. To Her, Words Matter (Boston University)

  • Even low alcohol consumption is bad news for strokes – study (The Guardian)

  • Brain damage from alcohol lasts up to six weeks after quitting (New York Post)

  • Millennials Are Sick of Drinking (The Atlantic)

  • Hangover free alcohol? Scientist claims he’s created magic recipe (FOX 8)

ABSINTHE

NOOTROPICS

KRATOM

  • FDA Confirms 'Dangerous' Levels of Heavy Metals in Some Kratom Products (Medscape)

  • Drug task force lobbies county to ban sale of opioid-like Kratom (The St. Augustine Record)

  • Commissioners postpone move to ban kratom in St. Johns County (WJXT)

KAVA

KHAT

MISCELLANEOUS

  • D.E.A. Secretly Collected Bulk Records of Money-Counter Purchases (The New York Times)

  • People who ‘microdose’ psychedelic drugs for a month say it increases positive emotions and productivity (PsyPost)

  • Drugs before sex more common in UK than in Europe or US – study (The Guardian)

  • Ralph Metzner, LSD and Consciousness Researcher, Dies at 82 (The New York Times)

  • Philly Councilman Mark Squilla moves to block supervised injection site (WHYY)

  • What Could a Conscious, Psychedelic #MeToo Look Like? (Chacruna)

  • Acetaminophen's Surprising Psychoactive Effects (RealClearScience)

  • On the Eve of the Great Psychedelic Debate (Quillette)

  • Drug Paraphernalia Laws: The “Swiss Army Knife” of the Drug War (Filter)

  • But The Drugs Keep Me Sober (The Small Bow)

  • Philippine Supreme Court Orders Release of Evidence From Duterte’s Drug War (TIME)

  • Supervised injection site supporters countersue feds, saying their Philly mission comes from religious and medical imperatives (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang Pledges To Pardon All Non-Violent Drug Offenders On 4/20 (Marijuana Moment)

  • Let’s Address Four Common Myths About Harm Reduction (Filter)

  • Drug trips, not broken hips: let later life be the age of irresponsibility (The Guardian)

  • In the Space of One Minute, Joe Biden Defends the Death Penalty for Drug Dealers, Asset Forfeiture, and Mandatory Minimums (Reason)

  • The New Science of Psychedelics: A Tool for Changing Our Minds (SingularityHub)

  • Two SOM students explore psychedelic investment opportunities (Yale Daily News)

  • Psychedelic therapy for depression (The Naked Scientists)

  • What's the deal with microdosing? (Stuff.co.nz)

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.

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

Take Rooster Magazine's 2019 Ultimate Drug Survey Now!

There’s a new survey you can take over at Rooster Magazine:

Here it is folks, the completely anonymous and ungraded test you all haven't been waiting for — Rooster Magazine's first annual Ultimate Drug Survey. 

We want to know what it is that makes drug users tick, why they do it, what they have to say about it. The following is a series of questions ranging from your first time to the last bender. We want it all. Again, this is a completely anonymous form and we're totally not cops. We're one of you.

Results of the survey will be posted in next month's issue. Stay tuned online for expanded results as well. 

I just submitted my survey, and you should too. It’s always interesting to see what drug use looks like around the world, and this survey is much faster to fill out than the annual Global Drug Survey.

Street Cannabis ‘Contains Dangerous Amount of Fecal Matter’

BBC:

Traces of E.coli bacteria and the Aspergillus fungus were found by analysts who examined 90 samples bought in and around the Spanish capital.

The samples of hashish were wrapped up in plastic "acorns" were the worst offenders, reportedly because of the way they are smuggled into the country.

Some 40% of these also had the aroma of faeces, the study's lead author said.

Apparently there’s a two-in-five chance of buying literally shitty weed on the streets of Spain.

This Week in Psychoactives - 3.29.19

ThisWeekInPsychoactives.jpeg

CANNABIS

  • Guam Becomes First U.S. Territory To Send Marijuana Legalization To Governor In 2019 (Marijuana Moment)

  • House Will Vote To End Federal Marijuana Prohibition Within ‘Weeks,’ Key Chairman Says (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis Out! New York Drops Legalization From Budget Bill (Leafly)

  • Marijuana Legalization Vote Cancelled Due To Lack of Support In New Jersey Senate (Marijuana Moment)

  • Marijuana Banking Bill Approved By Congressional Committee (Forbes)

  • Louisiana Takes a Step Toward Finally Delivering Medical Marijuana (Leafly)

  • Marijuana Legalization Bill Clears Another Major Hurdle In New Hampshire (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis-related ER visits in Colorado jump threefold after legalization, study says (CNN)

  • Mexican Government Launches Poll To Ask Citizens If Marijuana Should Be Legal (Marijuana Moment)

  • Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Legalization Bill In Key Committee (Marijuana Moment)

  • CVS Ignores DEA, Says It’s Already Selling CBD Products (Leafly)

  • Texas: Marijuana Decriminalization Bill Advances Out Of Key Committee (NORML)

  • San Diego Considers Cannabis Cafes (NBC Los Angeles)

  • States With More Immigrants Are More Likely To Legalize Marijuana, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Seth Rogen launches weed company 'to make it easier for people to learn to love cannabis' (CNBC)

  • FDA Chief Clarifies Enforcement Priorities For CBD Products (Marijuana Moment)

  • Flood of products containing marijuana extract puts FDA in a bind (Politico)

  • CBD for sport: legality and benefits (The Sports Daily)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

  • Missouri Man Spikes Coworkers' Drinks With LSD (KOLR)

  • Stanford double checking applications following LSD and admissions scandals (Palo Alto Daily Post)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • Explorer’s Guide: Taking Magic Psilocybin Truffles in Amsterdam (& The Netherlands) (Maps of the Mind)

MDMA

  • 'Popular' schoolgirl, 13, died at home after taking ecstasy (Mirror)

AYAHUASCA

  • We Need to Talk About When People Feel Worse After Ayahuasca (Kahpi)

  • Considerations for Engaging with Amazonian Ancestral Practices, People, and Places (Psymposia)

  • How Ayahuasca Can Be Used to Build Cohesion and Better the World (Reset.me)

  • Wade Davis on the Popularization of Ayahuasca and the Climate Crisis (Reality Sandwich)

  • How Ayahuasca Connected Me To The Divinity Of The Universe (Reset.me)

5-MEO-DMT

  • Study Finds 5-MeO-DMT Effective in Relieving Depression and Anxiety (Psychedelic Times)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

  • Mice tripping on psychedelics help explain neural origins of hallucinations (New Atlas)

  • The Dangers of Synthetic Drugs (The Fix)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

NITROUS OXIDE

  • No laughing matter – nitrous oxide helps to unravel rapid antidepressant mechanisms (Medical Xpress)

  • Florida man was high on erotic-themed nitrous oxide when he killed lawyer, cops say (Miami Herald)

  • Jim Nielsen’s bill to ban sale of nitrous oxide passes committee (Chico Enterprise-Record)

  • Frat denies hazing claims in lawsuit over student's death (San Antonio Express-News)

KETAMINE

  • From Popular Anesthetic to Antidepressant, Ketamine Isn’t the Drug You Think It Is (Discover Magazine)

  • Ketamine: A Promising Novel Therapy for Anxiety and PTSD (Psychiatry Advisor)

  • FDA Approves Ketamine Derivative as Depression Treatment for First Time (Discover Magazine)

  • Ketamine IV Infusions Made Me Myself Again. Here’s Everything You Need To Know (High Times)

  • Esketamine to become available for Yale students (Yale News)

  • Ketamine: can it really be an antidepressant? (The Guardian)

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • Purdue Pharma and Sacklers Reach $270 Million Settlement in Opioid Lawsuit (The New York Times)

  • You can’t overdose on fentanyl by touching it (Vox)

  • As They Profited From the Opioid Crisis, Sacklers Funded Anti-Muslim Network (Sludge)

  • The White House And Federal Scientists Are Pushing The Myth That Marijuana Is Laced With Fentanyl (BuzzFeed News)

  • New York State Sues Billionaire Sackler Family Behind OxyContin (TIME)

  • Want to Reduce Opioid Deaths? Get People the Medications They Need (The New York Times)

  • How I overcame my heroin addiction – and started to live (The Guardian)

  • ‘Mistreatment’ centers shouldn’t be adding to the opioid crisis (Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Vt. committee approves bill decriminalizing drug (WCAX)

  • What NJ is doing to take down unimaginable number of heroin mills (New Jersey 101.5)

  • Mother charged in Mount Holly man's overdose death (The Sentinel)

  • FINDING HOPE: Utah law allows librarians to distribute opioid reversal drug, Naloxone (KiviTV)

  • Pharmacists Role in Providing Naloxone Is Expanding (Pharmacy Times)

COCAINE

  • Here’s What a Legal Market for Cocaine Could Look Like (Filter)

  • 'Special offers' on crack cocaine fuelling big rise in use in England (The Guardian)

  • Deaths from cocaine and fentanyl mixtures a growing concern in Northeast Ohio: What you need to know (Cleveland.com)

  • Cocaine making comeback amid opioid epidemic, officials say (WCVB)

METHAMPHETAMINE

  • Florida Woman Faced 10 Years For 'Meth' That Was 'Just a Rock' (The Appeal)

CAFFEINE

  • There's Evidence Coffee Acts on Your Brain Like Cannabis, But in Reverse (ScienceAlert)

  • Myanmar to try growing, exporting more coffee as alternative to opium (Myanmar Times)

  • Mouse Studies Suggest Protective Effects of Caffeine in Parkinson’s Disease (Parkinson's News Today)

  • If you have a daily caffeine habit, do you know how much is too much? (WXYZ)

  • Can Taking Caffeine During Your Workout Actually Be Dangerous? (Runners World)

  • 10 health benefits of living caffeine-free (MDLinx)

TOBACCO

  • As Pa. prisons ban tobacco, new informal currencies arise: chips, ice cream tickets, ramen (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • How Big Tobacco uses Big Tech to hook new smokers (Fast Company)

  • Washington State Legislature Votes to Raise Age for Buying Tobacco to 21 (KPQ)

  • Two more Minnesota cities make 21 the legal age for tobacco purchases (MPR News)

  • New Denver proposal would ban tobacco sales to people under 21 years of age (FOX31 Denver)

ALCOHOL

  • Could ‘alcosynth’ provide all the joy of booze – without the dangers? (The Guardian)

  • Scientists Have Cured Alcoholic Rats by Shooting Lasers at Their Brains (ScienceAlert)

  • Utah's New Beer Law Isn't Lifting Many Spirits (Reason)

NOOTROPICS

KRATOM

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Acid test: how psychedelic virtual reality can help end society's mass bad trip (The Guardian)

  • Researchers examine classic versus novel psychedelic use in United States (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

  • Ralph Metzner, Bay Area expert on hallucinogens, death and psychology, dies (San Francisco Chronicle)

  • German biotech startup raises $43 million for psychedelic medicines (Axios)

  • Stigma Is Barrier to Health Care for People Who Inject Drugs (Boston University School of Public Health)

  • Schedule I Sacrament (Harvard Political Review)

  • Going to Burning Man? The Feds Want You Searched for Drugs (Reason)

  • A New Resource to Measure Good and Bad Drug Policies (Filter)

  • Investors are starting to bet big on psychedelic medicine (CNBC)

  • Wicked Ecstasy: Altered States in The Name of the Rose (The Oak Tree Review)

  • Jump in antidepressant prescriptions in England (BBC)

  • Houston police investigator probing failed drug raid relieved of duty (Chron)

  • Legal Syringe Programs Could Finally Be Arriving in Iowa (Filter)

  • Kensington neighbors angered by potential location of supervised injection site (WHYY)

  • Psychedelic Integration: The Importance of Community and a Daily Practice (Psychedelics Today)

  • Houston Narcs Implicated in Deadly Drug Raid Will Soon Be Receiving Pensions (Reason)

  • Here are 6 psychedelic trips from legal drugs you probably didn’t know about (Raw Story)

  • Could psychedelic medicine be the new cannabis? (Proactive Investors)

  • Are psychedelics the new anti-depressants? (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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.

On the Monday following each edition of “This Week in Psychoactives,” I post a “Last Week in Psychoactives” video recap to my YouTube channel. After that is done, I retroactively add the video to the corresponding blog post. Here is this week’s video recap:

Could ‘Alcosynth’ Provide All the Joy of Booze – Without the Dangers?

Amy Fleming, writing for The Guardian:

[Scientist David Nutt] has long been developing a holy grail of molecules – also referred to as “alcosynth” – that will provide the relaxing and socially lubricating qualities of alcohol, but without the hangovers, health issues and the risk of getting paralytic. It sounds too good to be true, and when I discuss the notion with two alcohol industry experts, they independently draw parallels with plans to colonise Mars.

Yet Alcarelle finding its way into bars and shops is starting to look like a possibility. Seed funding was raised in November 2018, allowing Nutt and his business partner, David Orren, to attempt to raise £20m from investors to bring Alcarelle to market. “The industry knows alcohol is a toxic substance,” says Nutt. “If it were discovered today, it would be illegal as a foodstuff. The safe limit of alcohol, if you apply food standards criteria, would be one glass of wine a year.”

An alternative to alcohol that will get you tipsy or buzzed without allowing you to reach blackout drunk levels, and it doesn’t cause the health issues and hangovers that alcohol does? Count me in.