Judge Rules Recreational Marijuana Measure Unconstitutional in South Dakota

Joe Sneve, writing for the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

A Hughes County judge has ruled that a voter-approved amendment to the South Dakota Constitution ending marijuana prohibition in the state shouldn't go forward.

Circuit Court Judge Christina Klinger ruled Monday that Constitutional Amendment A violates the state Constitution on two grounds: It violates the single subject rule, meaning it encompassed more than one topic, and it conflicts with language in the Constitution that provides for its modification.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case, South Dakota Highway Patrol Superintendent Rick Miller and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom argued last month that because Amendment A added an entirely new section to the state Constitution instead of modifying an existing one, it should be considered a revision, not an amendment.

Revisions to the constitution require a convention of state delegates before being placed on the ballot and cannot be done through the petition process, like initiated measures and amendments.

"The failure to submit Amendment A through the proper constitutional process voids the amendment and it has no effect," Klinger said.

What a disappointing blow to South Dakota’s cannabis activists. However, the fight’s not over yet. They’re planning to appeal the case to the state’s Supreme Court, which could overturn the Circuit Court’s decision.


The Plant Spirit Summit

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An intriguing free online event called the Plant Spirit Summit is scheduled to take place later this month from February 22-26 and I thought my readers might be interested to learn more about it. This five-day conference will feature more than 40 Western and indigenous experts on plant medicine and psychedelics, focusing on a variety of related topics, such as:

  • Ancestral Plant Spirit Healing Traditions (Ayahuasca, Iboga, Peyote, San Pedro, Magic Mushrooms, Kambô, and Bufo)

  • The Past, Present and Future of Psychedelic Medicine

  • The Art and Science of Microdosing Transformation

  • Psychedelics and Leadership Innovation

There is a solid lineup of speakers, including:

  • Ninawa Pai da Mata – spiritual leader of the Huni Kuin community of Novo Futuro, on the indigenous cultural renaissance catalyzed by the globalization of ayahuasca and their tribe’s decision to collaborate with outsiders.

  • Wade Davis – celebrated author, anthropologist, ethnobotanist, and filmmaker, who will talk about the impact of the psychedelic renaissance on contemporary culture, as well as about the drug war’s destruction of Colombia and what he considers to be the ultimate sacred medicine of South America (hint: it’s not ayahuasca).

  • Jazmin Pirozek – integrative healer of the Kinosao Sipi Nation, who will share how Amazonian plant medicine of the South is healing the trauma of colonization in indigenous communities of the Canadian North.

  • Bruce Parry – filmmaker and explorer, on the delicate nature of living with remote peoples, egalitarian tribal cultures and his visionary experiences with iboga, ayahuasca, Bufo and ebene (yopo), revealing the surprising reaction that overcame him.

  • Françoise Bourzat – consciousness guide and author, who will share what happens when you integrate indigenous sacred mushroom ceremonies and Western psychology.

  • Cecilio Soria Gonzales – Shipibo indigenous rights activist, on how the Comando Matico initiative is distributing plant medicine through indigenous communities to treat and prevent COVID-19.

  • Shelby Hartman – cofounder of DoubleBlind Magazine, on the medicalization of psychedelics and whether these emergent drugs are all they are hyped up to be.

  • Jeremy Narby – legendary anthropologist and author of The Cosmic Serpent, with advice on how Western ceremony facilitators from the Global North can stop engaging in spiritual extraction of indigenous cultural wisdom, and give back in a meaningful way.

You’ll also hear from Daniel Shankin of the Psilocybin Summit, Carmen Jackman of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Tricia Eastman and Joseph Peter Barsuglia of Psychedelic Journeys, iboga provider and integration coach Elizabeth Bast, visionary artist Chor Boogie, Kyle Buller of the podcast Psychedelics Today, and more.

The Plant Spirit Summit is being produced by Lorna Liana and her psychedelic publication EntheoNation. Lorna discovered her purpose while drinking visionary plant medicines with indigenous shamans in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. She was given a mission: “To leverage emerging technologies to preserve indigenous traditions, so that ancient wisdom can benefit the modern world, and technology can empower indigenous people.”

In pursuit of this mission, Lorna became a new media strategist to sustainable brands, social ventures and visionary entrepreneurs, helping them attract their tribe and ignite a movement around their mission-driven businesses. Through podcasting, video blogging, and social media, she shares the stories of both indigenous people and the world’s foremost experts in psychedelic science, modern shamanism, and consciousness research to inspire each and every one of us to explore the depths of our minds, spirits, planet… and evolve.

EntheoNation is a leading psychedelic media publisher that produces content about plant medicines, psychedelics, shamanism, indigenous cultures and reciprocity, transformative technologies, conscious relationships, and much more. The site features podcast episodes, articles, ebooks, and guides about how you can work with these powerful tools for healing and spiritual growth, and it explores these topics through the multifaceted framework of science, culture, and spirituality.

There is no charge to attend the Plant Spirit Summit, and all sessions will be free to the public for 48 hours. You can grab your complimentary seat by navigating to PlantSpiritSummit.com. I reckon I’ll be pretty busy working on my February monthly recap content around that time but I’ve already registered myself, so maybe I’ll see you there!

Virginia's Senate and House Vote to Legalize Cannabis

WRIC:

State lawmakers voted to legalize marijuana Friday, deciding legal sales will start in 2024 but not yet settling on key details as the push to make Virginia the first Southern state to authorize recreational use continues.

Virginia’s legalization bill is one step away from becoming a law, and Governor Ralph Northam is expected to sign it, which would make the state the first in the South to legalize weed. That’d be a big deal.


This Week in Psychedelics - 2.5.21

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Cannabis

  • Democratic Senate Leaders Announce Steps To Federally Legalize Marijuana In 2021 (Marijuana Moment)

  • Idaho Senate Passes Measure To Block Marijuana Legalization, Even If Voters Approve It On The Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • Marijuana Legalization Bills Headed to Virginia Senate and House (Filter)

  • Top Minnesota Lawmakers File Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2021 (Marijuana Moment)

  • New Mexico Senators File Two Marijuana Legalization Bills, With More On The Way (Marijuana Moment)

  • Maryland Marijuana Legalization Bill Sponsored By Senate President And Other Top Lawmakers (Marijuana Moment)

  • Alabama Senate Committee Approves Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Sustainability In The Cannabis Industry: Truly Going Green (Forbes)

  • Clinical Trial: Whole-Plant Cannabis Extracts Associated with Improved Outcomes in Autistic Patients (NORML)

  • The “Secret Handshake”—A Program Gifting Cannabis to Unhoused People (Filter)

  • Adult-Use Marijuana Legalization Not Associated with Any Rise in Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions (NORML)

  • Mississippi’s high court to hear arguments to block medical cannabis (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Philadelphia: Marijuana Treatment Admissions Drop Eighty Percent (NORML)

LSD

  • Neuroscience study indicates that LSD “frees” brain activity from anatomical constraints (PsyPost)

  • Diamond Therapeutics Signs Agreement with McGill University for Research on Low-Dose LSD (Psilocybin Alpha)

Magic Mushrooms

  • New Jersey Governor Signs Psilocybin Bill To Immediately Reduce Penalties For Possession (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psychedelic Mushroom Bills Filed In Florida And Connecticut As Movement Expands To Multiple States (Marijuana Moment)

  • Federal Judge Decides Against Prison for Denver Mushroom Dealer (Westword)

  • Psilocybin and Neurogenesis: The Long-Term Effects of Magic Mushrooms on Your Brain (Entheonation)

  • COMPASS Pathways announces publication in Frontiers in Psychiatry of paper on therapist training programme for psilocybin therapy (GlobeNewswire)

MDMA

  • MDMA and psilocybin not approved for medicinal use in Australia (9News)

  • MDMA-Assisted Therapy is Less Effective if You Take Antidepressants (DoubleBlind)

DMT

  • Algernon Pharmaceuticals Launches Stroke Treatment Clinical Research Program with Psychedelic Drug DMT “The Spirit Molecule” (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Why Does DMT Pervade Nature? (Reality Sandwich)

Ayahuasca

5-MeO-DMT

  • Psychedelic Toads Pushed To The Limit, Conservationists Urge Synthetic 5-MeO-DMT Option (Forbes)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Mindset Selects Compounds from Its Third Psilocybin-Inspired Drug Family to Move into in vivo PoC Studies (Psilocybin Alpha)

Nitrous Oxide

Ketamine

  • Proposed law could bar SC 1st responders from using ketamine to incapacitate suspects (The Post and Courier)

  • PharmaTher Signs Exclusive Worldwide License Agreement for Patented Microneedle Delivery Technology to Deliver Ketamine (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • PharmaTher Announces Successful Completion of Pre-IND Meeting with FDA for the Clinical Development of Ketamine in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Psychedelic Wellness-Focused Company Delic to Acquire Ketamine Infusion Centers LLC (PR Newswire)

  • Core One Labs Announces Its Entrance into the Ketamine Space with Proposed Acquisition of Ketamine Infusion Centers of Texas (BioSpace)

Miscellaneous

  • Drug Decriminalization Goes Into Effect in Oregon (Rolling Stone)

  • Cambridge City Council Decriminalizes Psychedelics And Urges Police To End Drug Arrests More Broadly (Marijuana Moment)

  • Washington Lawmakers Introduce Long-Awaited Bill To Decriminalize All Drugs And Expand Treatment (Marijuana Moment)

  • Mass General Launches New Center to Study Psychedelics in Psychiatry (Massachusetts General Hospital)

  • Psychedelics as Antidepressants (Scientific American)

  • Health Canada considers amending Special Access Program (Psillow)

  • QAnon shaman turns against Trump, says he would testify that president incited Capitol riots (National Post)

  • Biden Quietly Announces Harm Reduction Among His Drug Priorities (Filter)

  • Timothy Leary’s Castalia Foundation Has Been Co-opted to Promote Conspiracy Theories about COVID and Elite Pedophile Rings (Psymposia)

  • Tryp Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris to Scientific Advisory Board (Psilocybin Alpha)

  • Neuroscience students launch Psychedelic Society (The Glasgow Guardian)

  • Pharmacological Testing in Psychedelic Research (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • How To Setup Music for Psychedelic Sessions (+ 6 More Playlists for Psilocybin) (Maps of the Mind)

  • Marlene Dobkin de Rios: A Case for Complex Histories of Women in Psychedelics (Chacruna)

  • Is Microdosing Psychedelics the Secret to Sobriety? (MEL Magazine)

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 Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalog how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

New Jersey Governor Signs Psilocybin Bill to Immediately Reduce Penalties for Possession

Ben Adlin, writing for Marijuana Moment:

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a psilocybin reform bill into law on Thursday, immediately reclassifying possession of up to an ounce of psychedelic-containing mushrooms as a disorderly persons offense.

The new classification means individuals caught with small amounts of psilocybin are now subject to a maximum $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail or both. Previously the offense was a third-degree crime and carried a penalty of between three to five years behind bars and fines of up to $15,000.

The change puts mushroom possession on par with simple assault, harassment, shoplifting or resisting arrest in New Jersey.

Looks like November's amendment to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in New Jersey was successful after all, although it did end up getting spun off into its own separate bill instead of being crammed in with the state’s cannabis decriminalization legislation.