5-meo-det

This Month in Psychedelics - February 2022

A lot happened in the world of psychedelics in February. A southern U.S. state legalized medical marijuana, scientists created a new way to make 5-MeO-DMT, a follow-up study found psilocybin therapy was an effective treatment for major depression for one year, zebrafish microdosed LSD, and the NFL invested $1 million into cannabinoids.

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Southern states have been among the last to warm up to cannabis policy reforms, but Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with qualifying debilitating conditions like cancer or sickle cell disease. The law went into effect but it may still be several months before dispensaries will open.

Future

Following last month’s news about the DEA trying to criminalize five more psychedelics, a judge granted a hearing for opposition to the proposal. It will take place in May.

Industry

The recent explosion of interest surrounding 5-MeO-DMT has put a strain on the population of Sonoran Desert toads, which has been under threat of being wiped out because of their highly sought-after psychedelic venom. However, scientists may have found a solution to help conserve the species—a new way to farm 5-MeO-DMT that doesn’t involve milking toads. To make matters even better, the company behind this discovery plans to operate in the spirit of open science by supplying other companies with free samples of the substance as long as they make a commitment to open science.

Sustainable iboga is hard to find in the West, but Gabon has taken the first step toward setting up a legal distribution channel for the plant. In this model, participating villages will work alongside Gabon’s Ministry of Forests, a North American iboga therapy center operator, and the NGO Blessings of the Forest.

Money changed hands from the profit sector to a non-profit company this month as MAPS became the beneficiary of a handsome $500k donation from atai Life Sciences’ philanthropy arm, atai Impact.

Research

Published Studies

Ravers and festival-goers often refer to experiencing the dreaded “comedown” after taking MDMA, but a new study indicated that the drug itself doesn’t actually cause comedowns. Instead, factors such as the unknown purity of illicit substances, lack of rest, and becoming dehydrated can contribute to whether they occur or not.

The jury’s still out when it comes to whether microdosing is effective or just a placebo, but another trial found no evidence that microdosing LSD does anything. However, a different study found that giving microdoses of LSD to zebrafish may indicate its potential benefits for humans. As always, we need more research. But especially in the case of microdosing.

New research trials looking at using psychedelics to treat depression reported positive results. One follow-up study found that psilocybin therapy relieved major depressive disorder symptoms for up to one year in most patients. Two studies found that ketamine is capable of alleviating depression and quieting suicidal thoughts. And the first-ever clinical trial of DMT for major depressive disorder showed promise.

Cannabis is often blamed for causing people to become lazy and sit around on the couch wasting the day away. But over the last few years, many studies have found the exact opposite. Another one was added to the pile this month, as it found that consuming cannabis does not result in “amotivational syndrome.”

Future Studies

Concussions have been a big topic in the sports world for the last few years. A lot of effort is going into researching what can be done to recover from head injuries, and the NFL made big moves by investing $1 million into cannabinoid research. Two medical teams will investigate how cannabinoids affect pain management and neuroprotection.

Miscellaneous

You may recall that last year a U.S. sprinter named Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended from competing in the 2021 Summer Olympics due to a positive cannabis test. That was bad enough on its own, but this month Richardson suggested there may be a racist double standard at play after the Olympics allowed a Russian skater to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics even after failing a drug test—for a performance enhancing drug, no less! There are some differences between the two cases, but it does seem a bit questionable, to say the least.

And last up for this recap is a reminder that although psychedelics have the potential of uncovering the truth sometimes, the insights that they give you aren’t always true. It’s tempting to fall into the mental trap of believing that everything you experience while tripping is correct, but if you or someone you know has been feeling that way lately then be sure to check out the linked article above.

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this month’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.

This Week in Psychedelics - 2.11.22

Cannabis

  • South Carolina Medical Marijuana Legalization Bill Officially Approved In Senate, Heads For House Consideration (Marijuana Moment)

  • Maryland Lawmakers Introduce Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill (High Times)

  • UK trial of medical cannabis and long covid to get underway this month (Cannabis Health News)

  • The Super Bowl won’t be lit: no cannabis ads allowed (The Verge)

  • Bill Introduced to Raise THC Limit in Hemp to One Percent (High Times)

  • Cannabis Store Co-owned By Top Virginia Senator Sells Mislabeled Products With Illegal THC Content, Media Investigation Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Study Shreds Cannabis ‘Amotivational Syndrome’ Theory (High Times)

  • Flower still king of US marijuana market, though supremacy waning (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Oklahoma Becomes Marijuana Legalization Battleground Between Advocates, With Legal Challenges And A New Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

  • New York Cracks Down on Illegal Cannabis Businesses (High Times)

  • Missouri Supreme Court Unanimously Orders Medical Marijuana Applicant Disclosures (Marijuana Moment)

  • Pennsylvania Senate committee holds first-ever hearing on legalizing recreational marijuana (WGAL)

  • Police Seizure Of Marijuana Dispensary Cash Leads To Federal Litigation (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis platform Leafly closes merger with SPAC, goes public on Nasdaq (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • The Eternal Pricing Struggle of UK Medical Cannabis Patients (TalkingDrugs)

  • Weedmaps Ad Satirizes Plight Of Broccoli Emoji As Marijuana Stand-In On Social Media (Marijuana Moment)

  • Young cannabis users at increased risk of repeat stroke (Medical News Today)

  • Federally Owned Utility Company Walks Back Threat To Block Electricity For Marijuana Businesses (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cali Vibes Rocks Long Beach, Allowing Cannabis (High Times)

  • How does cannabis use affect brain health? Caution advised, more research needed, experts say (ScienceDaily)

LSD

  • Microdose Psychedelics Presents a Molecular Masterclass: The LSD Conference (GlobeNewswire)

Magic Mushrooms

  • Psilocybin microdosing does not reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety, according to placebo-controlled study (PsyPost)

  • Lawmakers say no to bill legalizing psilocybin-assisted therapy in Maine (The Portland Press Herald)

  • Oregon proposes only using one type of mushroom for new psilocybin system, and no pills (OPB)

  • More States Follow Oregon’s Lead Toward Legal Psilocybin Therapy (Lucid News)

  • Usona Identifies Controlled Crystal Engineering Process for Large-Scale Synthesis of Psilocybin Polymorphs (Business Wire)

  • Maine CDC Director Opposes Bill to Legalize Therapeutic Psilocybin (Psychedelic Spotlight)

  • The Many Types of Psychedelic Mushrooms (Truffle Report)

  • Mazatec Shamanic Knowledge and Psilocybin Mushrooms (Chacruna)

MDMA

DMT

Ayahuasca

  • Creating Awareness on Sexual Abuse in Ayahuasca Communities: A Review of Chacruna’s Guidelines (Chacruna)

5-MeO-DMT

  • Scientists Create Cell-Based Psychedelic Toad Venom, a Potential 5-MeO-DMT “Bio-Factory” (Lucid News)

Mescaline

Iboga

  • Osoyoos Indian Band eyes cutting-edge drug treatment centre (Vancouver Sun)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

  • Cybin Announces Grant of U.S. Patent Covering its Proprietary Compound CYB004 (Deuterated DMT) for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Psilocybin Alpha)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Another new weapon to beat Corona, first 'nasal spray' launched in India (News Track)

  • Nitrous Oxide Safe For Dental Procedures In Children With Sickle Cell Disease: Study (Medical Dialogues)

Ketamine

  • Ketamine effectively silences suicidal thoughts, especially in bipolar patients (Study Finds)

  • Researching Ketamine for Social Anxiety Disorder (Truffle Report)

  • Yale researcher receives grant to study effects of ketamine in individuals with epilepsy (Yale Daily News)

  • Trip Tunes: A Conversation with Producer Jon Hopkins About Making Music for Ketamine (DoubleBlind)

  • Ketamine Infusions in the Home May Facilitate Safe Treatment Access During the Pandemic (Pharmacy Times)

Miscellaneous

  • Can microdosing psychedelics boost mental health? Here’s what the evidence suggests. (National Geographic)

  • Utah House Overwhelmingly Approves Psychedelics Study Task Force Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Maryland Senate Bill Would Provide ‘Cost-Free Access’ To Psychedelics For Military Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

  • Psychedelics Offer New Route to Recovery from Eating Disorders (NEO.LIFE)

  • Are Psychedelics the Future of Pain Relief? (VICE)

  • Michigan Activists Submit Psychedelics Decriminalization Language (High Times)

  • DEA Faces Backlash Over Proposed Scheduling Of Five Psychedelic Compounds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Proposed Drug-Decrim Ballot Initiative All Set in Washington State (Filter)

  • Can Psychedelics Make People More Drawn to Conspiracy Theories? (Sam Woolfe)

  • Yes, Psychedelics Do Change Our Metaphysical Beliefs (DoubleBlind)

  • Panel Discusses Coalition Building to Unlock Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelics (The Yale School)

  • Legal Psychedelics: The U.S. Cities Where Psilocybin, LSD And Others Are Decriminalized (Healing Maps)

  • Canada’s Reforms on Psychedelics Are Slowly Taking Shape (Bloomberg)

  • Survey Shows 65% of Affected Americans Want Access to Psychedelic Treatments for Mental Health Conditions (Pharmacy Times)

  • New Polling by Mind Medicine Australia Reveals Over 60% of Australians Support Increased Access to Psychedelic Medicines (Mind Medicine Australia)

  • Big Pharma In Psychedelics: Inside Mindset Pharma’s Deal With Otsuka (Forbes)

  • Using Real-World Evidence to Accelerate Psychedelic Drug Development (Truffle Report)

  • Is city getting ‘high’ on hallucinating drugs? (The Hindu)

  • Drug Euphoria Is a Good Thing, Actually (Filter)

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.

This Month in Psychedelics - January 2022

There’s a lot to catch up on since last month. For starters, Canadians can now request access to psychedelics, a country became the first in Asia to decriminalize cannabis, a study found that hemp may protect against COVID-19, and a U.S. politician smoked a blunt in a campaign ad.

Just like last month’s recap, there is no video recap of this month’s psychedelic news recap up on YouTube. I’ll have another update about some changes coming to my YouTube channel that should hopefully be out later this week on my channel, so make sure you subscribe there if you’d like to be informed about things on that front.

There’s a lot to get through this month, so without further ado, let’s jump into the news:

Policy

Wins

Kicking off the new year on a positive note, Health Canada granted the ability for patients to request special access to illegal psychedelic substances for therapeutic purposes. Each request will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and the treatment option will be reserved for serious treatment-resistant and life-threatening conditions only.

Thailand made history by becoming the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis. The country’s Narcotics Control Board has already approved the removal of the drug from the ministry’s list of controlled substances and the delisting will go into effect 120 days after being formally signed by the health minister.

Future

A global coalition announced its campaign to internationally reschedule psilocybin mushrooms. The International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative is working toward a worldwide policy change that would enable new research into their therapeutic potential.

In a surprising move, the mayor of London appears to be pushing for decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of cannabis by 18 to 24 year-olds. This pilot trial is still in its early stages but it may signal a potential for some progressive drug policy reform to start coming out of England.

There were several huge victories in the drug policy reform movement last year, and there’s no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, there are already more than two dozen states that might relax their laws involving cannabis and psychedelics in 2022. With any luck, this might be the biggest year for drug policy reform we’ve seen yet.

But not everything is going in the right direction. Last week the DEA proposed adding five more psychedelics to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The substances are: 4-OH-DiPT, 5-MeO-AMT, 5-MeO-MiPT, 5-MeO-DET, and DiPT. If this push goes through then they will be subject to the same laws that restrict the possession, distribution, import, export, manufacturing, and research of psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA.

Industry

While many psychedelic companies are trying to patent as much intellectual property as they can, the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) published a study featuring an open science approach to synthesizing MDMA. Combined with Usona Institute’s recipe for manufacturing psilocybin that was published in 2020, open science like this will greatly benefit the overall psychedelic industry.

Although many people swear by the amazing transformational experiences they’ve had with classical psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, psychedelic companies are attempting to develop a wide range of novel psychoactive substances. This is similar to the work Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin did in the 20th century. However, the difference is that Sasha wasn’t attempting to corner the market on the psychedelic substances with the greatest potential return on investment.

Research

Published Studies

A study showing that hemp compounds may have the potential of blocking COVID-19 from entering human cells went viral this month. But before you run out to your nearest dispensary (or dealer) for some flower to cram in your vape, you should know that 1) This research was not conducted directly on humans, and 2) The results were not related to smoking, vaping, or eating weed. Instead, the study found that two specific cannabinoids (CBDA and CBGA) inhibited the reproduction and spread of coronavirus during in vitro lab tests.

A clinical trial testing the use of ketamine therapy to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) reported positive results. The study found that the treatment—which also featured an AUD-specific form of mindfulness practice—led to a 90% abstinence rate for patients for six months. In addition, the risk of deaths was also reduced by ten times.

The field of microdosing research is still in its earliest stages, and the verdict is still out as to whether it’s actually effective or not. However, another study has found that there may be no difference between microdosing and placebo. More than 50 subjects participated in a double-blind trial exploring whether microdosing psilocybin could lead to improvements in emotional and mental health. There were not any significant differences between the periods when the participants were microdosing and the times they were taking a placebo.

Future Studies

With the opioid crisis getting worse every year and the rate of overdose deaths rising faster than ever before, the U.S. federal government is starting to consider its options for addressing these issues. One future study to keep your eyes on will take a look at using a non-hallucinogenic version of ibogaine for addiction treatment, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse is partnering up with neuroscience startup Delix Therapeutics to conduct the study.

Harm Reduction

Drug checking organizations in New Zealand have detected a dramatic decrease in the amount of eutylone (commonly referred to as “bath salts”) being sold as “MDMA” in the country. The reason for this drop in tainted drugs most likely has to do with the fact that New Zealand embraced the concept of drug checking after legalizing the practice in November.

Miscellaneous

A candidate running for U.S. Senate made a ton of waves when he smoked a blunt in a new campaign ad. Democrat Gary Chambers, who is hoping to be Louisiana’s newest senator, spends the ad’s 37 seconds (which is the amount of time in between each cannabis-related arrest in America) talking about the harms of criminalization. It’s really a must-watch.

Rounding this month’s recap out is a history lesson. New archaeological evidence from Peru indicated that elite members of the Wari Empire consumed hallucinogenic beer-like beverages to power and maintain political control. Similar to the Greek Eleusinian Mysteries, we don’t know everything about what occurred at these parties, but one thing’s for sure—the Waris knew how to throw down!

That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.

Think Wilder is reader-supported. If you enjoyed this month’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.