methadone

This Week in Psychoactives - 11.15.19

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Cannabis

  • CDC Identifies Vitamin E Oil Additive as a “Very Strong Culprit of Concern” in Vaping-Related Lung Injuries (NORML)

  • First cannabis-based medicines approved for use on NHS (The Guardian)

  • The Media Is Spinning the Latest Weed and Birth Defects Study All Wrong (MERRY JANE)

  • Michigan Teen Receives Double Lung Transplant After 'Enormous' Damage From Vaping (TIME)

  • Ohio bans vitamin E acetate from medical marijuana vapes after CDC links it to lung illnesses (Cincinnati Enquirer)

  • Pew Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Say “Marijuana Should Be Made Legal” (NORML)

  • Bernie Sanders Wants To Legalize Medical Marijuana For Military Veterans (Marijuana Moment)

  • Apple Removing Vaping-Related Apps From App Store Today Amid Public Health Concerns (MacRumors)

  • From ‘Veronica Mars’ to toxic vapes: The rise and fall of Honey Cut (Leafly)

  • You Can Get A Master's In Medical Cannabis In Maryland (NPR)

  • Mass Lifts Ban on Medical Cannabis Flower Vapes, But Oil Carts Still Restricted (MERRY JANE)

  • Marijuana Prohibition Is Delaying Federal Response To Vaping Crisis, CDC Says (Marijuana Moment)

  • Surprise! Michigan adult-use cannabis sales begin Dec. 1 (Leafly)

  • Young Americans Are Smoking More Weed and Less Tobacco, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

  • Millions of Brits using street cannabis to treat chronic health conditions (Health Europa)

  • How Vietnam veterans expanded America’s cannabis strains (Leafly)

  • Cannabis Is the Most Effective Treatment for Endometriosis, Study Finds (MERRY JANE)

  • Neil Young says his US citizenship application is being held up because he uses marijuana (CNN)

  • Illegal Pot Grows Are Poisoning Animals and the Environment in National Parks (MERRY JANE)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Deval Patrick Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

  • What’s Lost When Psychedelic Mushrooms Become Synthetic Psilocybin (DoubleBlind)

  • Taking a Deep Look at Psilocybin for Depression Research (Psychedelics Today)

  • Explorer’s Guide: Microdosing Magic Psilocybin Truffles (Maps of the Mind)

MDMA

  • DJ fell from cliff in Cornwall and died while on MDMA (Cornwall Live)

  • ‘Beautiful’ girl, 15, died after taking MDMA that cost just £2.50 (The Sun)

  • A Guide to Taking Ecstasy as Safely as Possible (VICE)

Ayahuasca

5-MeO-DMT

  • Meet 5-MeO-DMT, the 'powerful' psychedelic that improves depression in one hour (Big Think)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

  • Project CBD releases special report on synthetic cannabinoids and vaping-related lung injuries (Project CBD)

  • ‘Synthetic Marijuana’ Is A Dangerous Misnomer That People Need To Stop Using (The Fresh Toast)

Nitrous Oxide

  • Amazon and eBay 'must block illicit nitrous oxide sales' (BBC)

Ketamine

  • Why ketamine is so good against depression (ZME Science)

Opioids

  • New fingerprinting technology will reveal whether someone has recently used heroin – even if they have washed their hands afterwards (Daily Mail)

  • At-home naloxone kits have reversed over 50K opioid overdoses in B.C.: health authority (Global News)

  • Vancouver pilots new fentanyl-patch program to combat opioid crisis (The Globe and Mail)

  • Mass. Has The First Jail In The Country That's Also A Licensed Methadone Treatment Provider (WBUR)

  • Bill Would Require Ohio Pharmacists Be Educated About Naloxone Law (Statehouse News Bureau)

  • Pa. is treating more opioid overdoses as homicides. Defense lawyers are learning to fight back. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

  • Bill would let Florida schools keep, administer OD antidote naloxone (WPTV)

  • Narcan carries heavy costs (The Salem News)

Cocaine

  • A Pack of Feral Hogs Sniffed Out a Cocaine Stash in Italy (Rolling Stone)

  • Startling number of senior citizens abusing cocaine in the UK (New York Post)

Methamphetamine

  • Why Meth Is Making a Big Comeback (VICE)

  • Meth Has Many Medical Benefits. Stigma Holds Them Back. (Filter)

  • Her baby was stillborn because of meth, police say. Now she’s charged with murder (Los Angeles Times)

Caffeine

Tobacco

  • The Vaping Industry Is Furious at President Trump — Could it Cost Him the Election? (Rolling Stone)

  • Pending Ban on Flavored E-Cigarettes in Massachusetts Authorizes Forfeiture of Vapers' Cars (Reason)

  • Vaping May Be Worse for Heart Health Than Tobacco Cigarettes, New Study Finds (TIME)

  • New York will raise the age to purchase tobacco starting Wednesday (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

  • House votes to ban flavored tobacco, heavily tax vaping products (Boston Herald)

  • Cardiologists warn vaping is so dangerous and addictive it should be banned (Sky News)

  • With vape curbs pending, White House questions FDA tobacco role (Chicago Tribune)

  • More vapers are making their own juice, but not without risks (CNN)

  • What The U.S.-China Trade War Has Meant For North Carolina Tobacco Farmers (WUNC)

  • Minnesota was winning the war on teen tobacco use. Then vaping became popular. (TwinCities.com)

Alcohol

  • Denver Wants to Test Out Public Drinking Zones in 2020 (MERRY JANE)

  • Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: The 'heartbreaking' reality (BBC)

Kratom

Khat

  • Experts Now Warn Chewing Khat Increases Chronic Liver Disease Risk (Newswire)

Miscellaneous

  • Paul Stamets Announces the Launch of First-Ever Microdosing App (The Third Wave)

  • Santa Cruz Will Consider Decriminalizing Psychedelics This Week (Marijuana Moment)

  • Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram are the newest dark alleyways dealers use to sell drugs (Rooster Magazine)

  • Psychedelics as Anti-Inflammatory Agents (Psychedelic Science Review)

  • Festival-goers in Victoria could be subject to pill testing in 2020 under new bill (The New Daily)

  • Study: How Punitive Policies Harm Pregnant Drug Users (Filter)

  • Cincinnati-area high school announces mandatory drug tests for all students beginning in 2020 (WIS TV)

  • Postal Service Unveils ‘Drug Free USA Forever’ Stamp Commemorating 1980s Anti-Drug Program (Marijuana Moment)

  • The Drug Policy Reform Movement Debates Its Next Moves (Filter)

  • The Sydney students synthesising psychedelics for health research (The University of Sydney)

  • CSSDP to provide free drug-testing kits to students (The McGill Tribune)

  • Drug policies used to criminalise the LGBTQIA+ community in Uganda (Talking Drugs)

  • How psychedelics could reduce existential distress for end-of-life patients (The Varsity)

  • What is Psychedelic Microdosing? (News-Medical.net)

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 - 10.18.19

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CANNABIS

  • Study finds endocannabinoid system regulates sperm development (Leafly)

  • Canada Sold $1.1 Billion of Legal Weed in the First Year of Adult-Use Sales (MERRY JANE)

  • Mexican Senate Committees Will Introduce Marijuana Legalization Bill Next Week (Marijuana Moment)

  • Heavy Metal Poisoning May Be Causing the Vaping Illness Epidemic, Lab Suggests (MERRY JANE)

  • How mainstream media botched the vape lung story (Leafly)

  • New California Law Legalizes Medical Marijuana Use at K-12 Public Schools (MERRY JANE)

  • Two More Studies Show Patients Are Replacing Prescription Painkillers With Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Colorado Issues a Massive Statewide Recall for Moldy Weed (MERRY JANE)

  • Grading cannabis strength ‘will improve mental health of users’ (The Guardian)

  • Parkinson's patients to receive cannabis oil in 'pioneering' trial to test drug's effectiveness (iNews)

  • Weed Edibles Are Finally Legal in Canada, But They’re Still Not for Sale (MERRY JANE)

  • Cannabis extract may work as a treatment for cannabis addiction (New Scientist)

  • Thailand Plans Inaugural “World Ganja Festival” for 2020 (MERRY JANE)

  • CBD or THC? Common Drug Test Can't Tell the Difference (The New York Times)

  • Recreational Marijuana Would Create More Than 100,000 Jobs in Florida, Study Says (Miami New Times)

  • UK Government Approves the Country's First Legit Weed Grow for Medical Research (MERRY JANE)

  • Presidential Candidate Wants To Let Americans Legalize Marijuana Through National Referendum (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

  • Kacey Musgraves reveals she penned two songs while tripping and praises LSD for 'opening your mind' (Daily Mail)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • Scientists Want to Try Using Shrooms to Revive People in Vegetative States (VICE)

  • DEA Tracks Down Alleged Denver Mushroom Dealer Using News Articles (Westword)

  • Magic mushrooms are a powerful way to treat depression, addiction, and anxiety (GOOD Magazine)

  • How Magic Mushrooms Can Help Smokers Kick The Habit (NPR)

  • Psilocybin: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know (Heavy.com)

MDMA

DMT

AYAHUASCA

  • Taking Ayahuasca When You’re a Senior Citizen (The New York Times)

  • Is Ayahuasca Made in the Laboratory or with Foreign Plants Just as Good? Enter Pharmahuasca. (Kahpi)

  • The Commodification of Ayahuasca: How Can we do Better? (Chacruna)

  • What's all the buzz about? Montreal woman seeks to demystify ayahuasca (Montreal Gazette)

5-MEO-DMT

MESCALINE

PEYOTE

KETAMINE

OPIOIDS

  • Combat troops at higher risk for opioid, heroin addiction, study says (Military Times)

  • The Opioid Crisis Cost the US Over $600 Billion in Just 4 Years (MERRY JANE)

  • Mindfulness May Benefit People on Methadone (Futurity)

  • The Democratic candidates are calling for locking up opioid executives (Vox)

  • Narcan, a life-saving anti-overdose drug, is now sold online in Tennessee (The Tennessean)

  • The US could learn from how Italy tackled its own opioid problem (Quartz)

  • Philadelphia high school students receive training on how to administer Naloxone (6ABC)

COCAINE

  • Revealed: How much cocaine Londoners are taking every day (Sky News)

  • The treatment of cocaine use disorder (Science Advances)

  • Man Who Was Sentenced to 15 Years for Cocaine Released After it Turned Out to Be Powdered Milk (People)

METHAMPHETAMINE

  • While millions are spent to fight the opioid epidemic, a meth crisis quietly grows in Wisconsin (MinnPost)

CAFFEINE

  • Study: Caffeine use may increase risk of miscarriage (KWWL)

  • Is mixing caffeine and alcohol bad? (Mic)

  • Could coffee byproducts fight inflammation? (Medical News Today)

TOBACCO

  • Judge puts Michigan’s ban on flavored nicotine vaping on hold (Detroit Metro Times)

  • Ohio “Tobacco 21” law goes into effect today (WHIO)

BENZODIAZEPINES

  • Lil Peep’s Mom Alleges His Manager Pressured Him to Abuse Xanax; They Deny It (Vulture)

ALCOHOL

  • National focus on overdose prevention should include alcohol too, study suggests (Medical Xpress)

  • Alcohol industry 'puts pregnant women at risk', researchers say (The Guardian)

KRATOM

  • What is kratom? The popular herbal supplement has caught flak from the FDA (NBC News)

  • Kratom In Indiana – The Legality, Effort, & Recent Update (Kratom Guides)

KAVA

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Scotland’s Ruling Party Unanimously Backs Drug Decriminalization Measure (Marijuana Moment)

  • '60 Minutes' segment explores psychedelics research at Johns Hopkins (The Hub)

  • Two Presidential Candidates Voice Support For Drug Decriminalization At Democratic Debate (Marijuana Moment)

  • How Psychedelic Exceptionalism Harms Drug Users (Filter)

  • Building the Infrastructure for Legal Psychedelic Therapy: Interview with Ronan Levy of Field Trip Psychedelics (Psychedelic Times)

  • People of Color Making a Difference in Psychedelic Healing (Chacruna)

  • Investors hope psychedelics are the new cannabis. Are they high? (The Economist)

  • Portugal Mayor Supports Recriminalizing Public Drug Use (Filter)

  • Stop teaching drug abstinence: Just say no to the era of ‘just say no’ (New York Daily News)

  • How psychedelic drugs treat mental illness differently than traditional medicine (Mic)

  • 10 Calls to Action: Toward an LGBTQ-Affirmative Psychedelic Therapy (Chacruna)

  • My Years in the Florida Shuffle of Drug Addiction (The New Yorker)

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 - 8.2.19

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CANNABIS

  • Thailand set to deliver first batch of medical marijuana (Reuters)

  • Pass the Duchy: Luxembourg’s grand plan to legalize cannabis (Politico)

  • Court: DEA Must Explain Its Failure to Act Upon Pending Marijuana Cultivation Applications (NORML)

  • US Government Approves Increased Production of Marijuana for Clinical Research (NORML)

  • Coast Guard Issues Order Barring Active Duty Members From Visiting Marijuana Shops (Marijuana Moment)

  • Scientist Debunks Her Earlier Study That Claimed Weed Causes Brain Damage (MERRY JANE)

  • Chart: Women account for more than a third of marijuana business executives (Marijuana Business Daily)

  • Eggs and Peanuts Could Prevent Birth Defects Caused by Weed (MERRY JANE)

  • New York Governor Signs Marijuana Decriminalization And Expungements Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • At some colleges, marijuana studies are blooming (CBS News)

  • Florida Activists Clear First Hurdle To Put Marijuana Legalization On State’s 2020 Ballot (Marijuana Moment)

  • California Working Toward Certifying “Almost Organic” Cannabis (Filter)

  • Marijuana during pregnancy might be as dangerous as alcohol (Popular Science)

  • CBN Is Another Cannabis Compound With Beneficial Properties (Forbes)

  • Is cannabis use the same as off-duty drinking by workers? Many companies still say no (CNBC)

  • He admits he once smoked marijuana, now U.S. won’t let him re-enter country (Los Angeles Daily News)

LSD

  • The Truth About The Acid-Dipped Cigarette In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Refinery29)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • People Are Hungry for Shroom Legalization, and the Money to Fund It Is Growing (VICE)

  • Could magic mushrooms be the next drug legalized in Canada? (Yahoo! Finance)

  • Undesirable Effects from Magic Mushrooms (Psychedelic Science Review)

MDMA

  • To Spot MDMA Users, Festivals May Soon Roll Out Thermal Cameras (MERRY JANE)

  • Study claims ecstasy and cocaine cause less harm than tobacco and alcohol (Dance Music Northwest)

  • Youngsters have no idea when they are safe to drive after ecstasy use (DutchNews.nl)

  • Victorian schoolgirls safely back home after MDMA scare at camp (news.com.au)

AYAHUASCA

  • Ayahuasca Is About More Than Just You. It’s About Planetary Health. (Kahpi)

5-MEO-DMT

  • Holding 5-MeO Practitioners Accountable for Dangerous Behavior: Interview with Rak Razam and Mario Garnier (Psychedelic Times)

PEYOTE

  • Peyote Is Endangered, Spiritually Sacred and Becoming Legal (HowStuffWorks)

IBOGA

  • Gabon prepares for first international forum on Iboga (Africa Times)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • Coroner's ruling: Corey-James Brown died from smoking synthetic drugs (New Zealand Herald)

NITROUS OXIDE

KETAMINE

  • Ketamine isn't an opioid and treats depression in a unique way (EurekAlert!)

  • Ketamine clinics are arriving in Richmond (WTVR)

PCP

  • PCP-Crazed Man Attacks Officers After Crash In Stafford: SCSO (Patch)

OPIOIDS

  • Your Methadone History Could Soon Be Shared Without Your Consent (Filter)

  • As Opioid Prescriptions Surged in Germany, Opioid Addiction Held Steady, While Opioid-Related Deaths Fell (Reason)

  • Device for Opioid Overdoses Releases Naloxone Automatically (Medgadget)

  • Opioid Patient Worth $200,000 a Year to Purdue, State Says (Bloomberg)

  • Drought Cripples Taliban's Record-High Opium Production Amid Peace Talks (Breitbart)

  • Colorado Wants You To Know About This Life-Saving Drug (Westword)

COCAINE

  • Exclusive NYPD Data Reveals Just How Often Fentanyl Is in Cocaine (VICE)

  • Colombia will spray Chinese glyphosate to control coca (Diálogo Chino)

  • Weird New Kinds Of Cocaine Could Start A “Hidden Epidemic” Of Health Threats (BuzzFeed News)

METHAMPHETAMINE

CAFFEINE

  • Exceeding healthy caffeine limits during pregnancy can be harmful to babies’ health (Consumer Affairs)

  • Coffee Farmers Are In Crisis. Starbucks Wants To Help. (Forbes)

TOBACCO

  • Most Americans Support Raising Minimum Age to Buy Tobacco (Gallup)

ALCOHOL

  • One in 10 Older Adults Binge Drinks, Study Says (The New York Times)

  • Facebook bans sales of alcohol and tobacco between users (CNBC)

  • Here's the Buzz on Alcohol in Space (HowStuffWorks)

  • How Much Does Alcohol Harm People Besides the Drinker? (Psychology Today)

KRATOM

KAVA

  • MIT Scientists Synthesize The Feel-Good Molecules In Kava, 'Nature's Xanax' (WBUR)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Psychedelic Medicine Is Coming. The Law Isn’t Ready (Scientific American)

  • Another Florida Sheriff's Deputy Arrested For Arresting People on False Drug Charges (Reason)

  • Exclusion, Censorship, Internment: Brazilian Drug Policy Under Bolsonaro (Filter)

  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tripping (The Atlantic)

  • A Reddit user surveyed 650 psychedelic drug users, here’s what they found (Happy Mag)

  • Public university to host ‘psychedelic neuroscience’ symposium (The College Fix)

  • Latest update on drug-related deaths and mortality in Europe (EMCDDA)

  • Why Psychedelic Science Should Pay Speakers and Trainers of Color (Chacruna)

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 - 5.24.19

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CANNABIS

  • Cannabis Compound Eases Anxiety and Cravings of Heroin Addiction (Scientific American)

  • Racial Arrest Disparities Got Worse After Legalization, Study Finds (Leafly)

  • Scientists Now Believe That Cannabis Evolved in Tibet Over 28 Million Years Ago (MERRY JANE)

  • Presidential Candidates Are Cosponsoring A New Marijuana Descheduling Bill (Marijuana Moment)

  • Gun-Related Suicides Fell In California After Medical Marijuana Became Legal, Study Shows (Marijuana Moment)

  • NJ Lawmakers Advance Medical Cannabis, Expungement Bills (Leafly)

  • Luxembourg Unveils Proposals for Cannabis Legalisation Law (Talking Drugs)

  • NFL Teams Up with Players’ Union to Study Weed for Pain Management (MERRY JANE)

  • Legalization Gave Police Time to Fight Real Crime (Leafly)

  • ‘I Can’t Breathe’: Video Shows Grandmother With Arthritis Arrested For CBD At Disney World (Marijuana Moment)

  • As a Deadline for Legalizing Marijuana in Illinois Approaches, a New Poll Finds Strong Public Support (Reason)

  • Texas expansion of medical cannabis nears finish line after Senate approval (The Texas Tribune)

  • Seven-In-Ten Americans Want Federal Marijuana Convictions Automatically Sealed, Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Colorado Cops Can No Longer Use Drug-Sniffing Dogs Without Probable Cause (MERRY JANE)

  • Study: Presence Of THC In Blood Not Associated With Crash Culpability (NORML)

  • CBD Might Help You Cut Back On Drinking Alcohol And Reduce Its Damaging Effects, Study Says (Marijuana Moment)

  • Kansas Set to Allow Low-THC Cannabis Oil Beginning July 1 (Leafly)

  • Dogs Keep Getting Accidentally High by Eating Human Feces with Residual THC (MERRY JANE)

  • A Sniff by a Pot-Detecting Dog Requires Probable Cause and Does Not Justify a Search, Says Colorado Supreme Court (Reason)

  • Facebook Is Finally Getting Sued for Its Anti-Weed Policies (MERRY JANE)

  • In a World of Legal Weed, Michael Thompson Languishes in Prison for Selling It in 1994 (The Intercept)

  • Study: Seniors Report That Cannabis Positively Impacts Their Quality of Life (NORML)

  • Thailand Will Now Turn Confiscated Weed into Cannabis Medicine (MERRY JANE)

  • Portland’s Cannabis Taxes Were Mostly Used to Backfill Police Budgets (Willamette Week)

  • House Committee Approves Immigration Bill With Marijuana Protections (Marijuana Moment)

  • UFC Inks Multi-Million Dollar Deal with Canadian Pot Company to Study CBD (MERRY JANE)

  • Overpoliced, Underrepresented: Racial Inequality and Cannabis Capitalism (Harvard Political Review)

  • Where Presidential Candidate Bill de Blasio Stands On Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

  • Congress Wants To Offer Protections To Universities That Study Cannabis (Big Buds Magazine)

  • Nevada County Directs Nearly $2 Million in Pot Revenue to Help the Homeless (MERRY JANE)

LSD

  • Repair Of Iconic ’60s Era Synthesizer Turns Into Long, Strange Trip For Engineer (KPIX)

  • LSD could help people overcome alcohol dependency (Mixmag)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • 'A grand experiment': how 'shrooms made Denver America's most drug-friendly city (The Guardian)

MDMA

  • MDMA heads to Phase 3 trials for helping PTSD (Big Think)

  • Australian Politician Outs Herself as “Occasional” MDMA User (MERRY JANE)

  • Embracing Ecstasy: Can efforts to bottle MDMA’s magic transform psychiatry? (The Verge)

  • Losing Religion and Finding Ecstasy in Houston (The New Yorker)

  • Mum of teenager who died after taking ecstasy ‘overwhelmed’ by support (Hambleton Today)

AYAHUASCA

  • The Church Where It’s Legal to Use Ayahuasca (VICE)

  • These Ontario police officers are using ayahuasca to treat their PTSD (Global News)

  • Healing Sexual Trauma with Ayahuasca (Chacruna)

  • James English set to spend four days taking mind-bending drugs in Costa Rican jungle for new documentary (The Scottish Sun)

NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES

  • Emerging threats in addiction: will novel psychoactive substance contribute to exacerbating the ongoing drug overdose epidemic? (Springer Link)

NITROUS OXIDE

KETAMINE

  • Study Finds Ketamine Nasal Spray Effective For Treating Depression: What You Should Know (Forbes)

  • First Sublingual Ketamine Drug for Treatment of Acute Pain to be Evaluated in End-of-Phase 2 Meeting with FDA (Yahoo! Finance)

OPIOIDS

  • How Joe Biden’s Drug Policies Supercharged the Opioid Crisis (Politico)

  • Amid opioid crisis, Texas becomes first state where life-saving drug is sold online (Dallas News)

  • Fighting Fentanyl (The Washington Post)

  • In Cities Where It Once Reigned, Heroin Is Disappearing (The New York Times)

  • State Trooper Said Man Took Bag From Fentanyl Supplier, But Video Demonstrated That the Deal Never Went Down (The Appeal)

  • Improving the use of methadone for drug users with tuberculosis to prevent withdrawal (Medical Xpress)

  • Epic twitter thread from a guy who became an accidental heroin smuggler (Boing Boing)

  • State Senate passes amendment to finance Naloxone bulk purchase program (WWLP)

  • Drug addicts fear arrest if they are caught with kits of lifesaving naloxone (Evening Telegraph)

COCAINE

  • Cocaine use doubles in Britain in five years and purity levels at record high (The Independent)

  • How Your Casual Cocaine Habit Is Affecting Your Health (Refinery29)

  • ‘Cocaine Mitch’ McConnell’s campaign rakes in $70K by selling ‘cartel member’ shirts (Washington Examiner)

CAFFEINE

  • Researchers document impact of coffee on bowels (Science Daily)

  • Mom Is Heartbroken After Son Dies From Guzzling 4 Energy Drinks Per Day, Sounds Warning (The Epoch Times)

  • Barista causes controversy by trying to refuse a pregnant woman caffeine (Her)

TOBACCO

KRATOM

KHAT

  • Starving Yemen's drug problem (CNN)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • How to Legalize Every Drug (VICE)

  • The Scientist’s Drug Dealer: How Researchers Get Illicit Drugs (Discover Magazine)

  • Indonesia Sentences Frenchman to Death for Drug Smuggling (TIME)

  • Getting High Is Damaging the Planet – But Mostly Because of Prohibition (VICE)

  • With Denver’s vote on magic mushrooms, will Colorado anchor a psychedelic medicine revolution? (The Colorado Sun)

  • Activists plan to set up permanent overdose prevention site (Kitchener Today)

  • Drinking Water Should Be Free At All Clubs and Festivals, Here's Why (DJMag.com)

  • Joe Biden Killed Rave Culture (The Slot)

  • 'Sad, Disgusting and Disappointing.' New Mexico Little League Field Littered With Discarded Syringes (TIME)

  • Psychedelics, Sex, and Consent: A Brief History (Chacruna)

  • How to Tell Your Doctor You're Using Drugs (VICE)

  • What's the next step for hallucinogens as a health cure? (Dazed)

  • Dr Richard Evans Schultes’ Explorations with Amazonian Shamans and Medicines (Kahpi)

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:


This Week in Psychoactives - 3.22.19

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CANNABIS

  • Two years after voters approved it, Florida legalizes smoking medical marijuana (CNN)

  • Legal weed for N.J. takes a huge step forward. We now expect final votes next week. (NJ.com)

  • New Mexico Lawmakers Send Marijuana Decriminalization Bill To Governor (Marijuana Moment)

  • Minnesota: Attorney For State’s Largest County To No Longer Criminally Prosecute Marijuana Possession Offenses (NORML)

  • Top Ten Equity Must-Haves in Any Legalization Bill (LinkedIn)

  • Legalizing Marijuana, With a Focus on Social Justice, Unites 2020 Democrats (The New York Times)

  • Support for US Cannabis Legalization Reaches New High, Poll Finds (Leafly)

  • Daily Marijuana Use And Highly Potent Weed Linked To Psychosis (NPR)

  • NORML Responds To Latest Cannabis and Psychosis Claims (NORML)

  • Marijuana Consumers Gain Less Weight Than Non-Users, Study Confirms (Marijuana Moment)

  • Oklahoma: Governor Signs Medical Marijuana Regulatory Measure (NORML)

  • Marijuana Activists Protest John Boehner’s SXSW Speech (Marijuana Moment)

  • Denver’s Teen Marijuana Education Campaign Seems To Be Working, Survey Finds (Marijuana Moment)

  • Medicinal cannabis: 'Patients still in limbo' (BBC)

  • CBD Is In Jelly Beans, Pet Food and Shampoo. But Many Benefits Are Untested (Discover Magazine)

  • U.S. Postal Service Issues Advisory On Mailing Hemp-Derived CBD (Marijuana Moment)

  • Cannabis 101 At The University Of Connecticut (WUNC)

  • Hawaii Lawmakers Approve Marijuana Decriminalization Bill In Joint Committee Hearing (Marijuana Moment)

  • NHL Alumni Study Centres on CBD, Puts THC on Ice (Leafly)

  • Wisconsin Voters Will Decide On More Marijuana Ballot Questions In April (Marijuana Moment)

  • CVS Pharmacy, America's Largest Drug Store Chain, Will Carry CBD Products (Reason)

  • Family sues after Pennsylvania man with 10 pot plants is crushed by bulldozer in police chase (NBC News)

  • South Carolina Lawmakers Approve Medical Marijuana Bill In Subcommittee Vote (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

  • Beto O'Rourke Said He's Never Done LSD (Esquire)

MAGIC MUSHROOMS

  • Most Oregon Voters Favor Legalizing Psilocybin Mushrooms in 2020 Election (Reset.me)

  • Mazatec Mushroom Usage: Notes on Approach, Setting and Species for Curious Psilonauts (Reality Sandwich)

  • Veteran hopeful Denver will vote to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms (ABC15 Arizona)

  • The Decriminalization Train Keeps Rolling – Up Next Psilocybin? (Longmont Observer)

MDMA

  • Genetic reductions in serotonin transporter may cause some people to respond differently to MDMA (PsyPost)

  • UN report attributes rising ecstasy use in South America to electronic music events (Resident Advisor)

  • Ecstasy can cause the user to develop memory problems: study (Top Health Journal)

  • Less cocaine, more MDMA found in Antwerp waste water (The Brussels Times)

AYAHUASCA

  • The “Traditional” Ayahuasca Ceremony Is Probably a Recent Invention (Kahpi)

  • What Does Ayahuasca Have To Do with Ancestors and the Dead? (Kahpi)

  • Ayahuasca Integration Means Facing the Shadow in Daily Life (Kahpi)

  • Integrating Ayahuasca Experiences Requires an Integrated Approach (Kahpi)

  • What Is DMT? How Ayahuasca Tea Affects Your Brain (YourTango)

5-MEO-DMT

  • Short-acting psychedelic offers promising new treatment pathway for depression and anxiety (New Atlas)

  • I Was Recorded During A 5-MeO DMT Ceremony Without My Consent (Psymposia)

PEYOTE

IBOGA

  • What Is Ibogaine? New Details About What Gwyneth Paltrow Calls The 'Next Big Thing' In Wellness (YourTango)

SALVIA DIVINORUM

  • Salvia divinorum: from recreational hallucinogenic use to analgesic and anti-inflammatory action (Dove Press Medical)

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

  • Even low doses of synthetic cannabinoids can impair cognitive performance (EurekAlert!)

  • Identifying Metabolites of Synthetic Cannabinoids (News-Medical.Net)

  • Owner of Madison convenience store chain gets 30 months in prison for synthetic marijuana, contraband tobacco (Madison.com)

  • Yeast Could Help Fill Demand for Cannabinoid Compounds (Drovers Magazine)

NITROUS OXIDE

  • Some Women Turning To Laughing Gas As Alternative To Drugs During Childbirth (CBS Philly)

KETAMINE

  • Scientists Gave Alligators Ketamine and Headphones to Understand Dinosaur Hearing (Motherboard)

  • High Holy Strangeness: A Playlist for Ketamine by Eric Sienknecht (Chacruna)

  • Ketamine Prohibition Across the Globe Has Deadly Effects (71 Republic)

  • VA to offer new ketamine-based nasal spray to help combat depression (Task and Purpose)

  • Long known as a party drug, ketamine now used for depression, but concerns remain (San Francisco Chronicle)

PCP

OPIATES/OPIOIDS

  • FDA to Review Higher Dose Naloxone Injection for Opioid Overdose Treatment (Monthly Prescribing Reference)

  • Opium prices plummeted as much as 80% in 2018, hurting farmers (Mexico News Daily)

  • Methadone Helped Her Quit Heroin. Now She’s Suing U.S. Prisons to Allow the Treatment. (The New York Times)

  • Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic's Third Wave Begins (NPR)

  • Naloxone use up as overdose deaths begin to plateau (WBIR)

  • Puerto Rico approves sale of naloxone amid opioid crisis (Medical Xpress)

  • Former DEA official now working for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma (NBC News)

  • Naloxone now available at every emergency room in the state (Journal Inquirer)

  • Vermont state trooper exposed to suspected heroin revived with Narcan (UPI)

  • Vermont’s police chief said cops risk death from opioid exposure. He’s wrong. (PolitiFact)

  • Opioid response team offers help, hope to overdose survivors (KENS5)

COCAINE

  • Bristol named cocaine capital of Europe (Mixmag)

  • Cocaine Poses Silent US Drug Threat as Production Nears Record Levels (Homeland Security)

METHAMPHETAMINE

ALCOHOL

  • Scientists hunt down the brain circuit responsible for alcohol cravings (ScienceDaily)

  • Elementary school bans kombucha over alcohol content (The Takeout)

  • Big Alcohol Is Bracing for a More Sober Future (Bon Appetit)

  • The dangers of alcohol extend to those who don’t even drink (Earth.com)

  • Contrary to folklore, alcohol does not help with rheumatoid arthritis (Cosmos)

  • Now, There Is Zero Proof That Alcohol Is What Makes A Great Cocktail (NPR)

  • March Madness Alcohol Study Shows One Demographic Is Affected the Most (Inverse)

  • Is ‘Breaking the Seal’ When You Drink Alcohol Really a Thing? (SELF)

KRATOM

KHAT

  • Somalia- Khat-Munching: A Connecting Factor in East Africa (MENAFN)

MISCELLANEOUS

  • Activists Plan Initiative To Decriminalize Psychedelic Drugs In Oakland (Marijuana Moment)

  • First supervised drug injection site in U.S. offered lease in Philadelphia’s Kensington district (Philly.com)

  • It’s Time to Reject the Racist “Drug Dealer” Stereotype (Filter)

  • 'It's about saving lives': inside the UK's first licensed drug testing service (The Guardian)

  • Germany named drug use capital following Europe-wide sewage study (Deutsche Welle)

  • Psychedelic pioneer, consciousness researcher Ralph Metzner dies in Sonoma (Sonoma Index-Tribune)

  • “Addicted to the War on Drugs” Is Right, Despite the Rhetoric (Filter)

  • What Groovin the Moo musicians think about the pill testing trial (The Canberra Times)

  • The European Psychedelic Renaissance: Interview with Dr. Henrik Jungaberle (Psychedelic Times)

  • Hallucinogen Therapy Is Coming (Nautilus)

  • From “Meth Crisis” to “Opioid Crisis” to “Fentanyl and Meth Crisis” to… (CATO Institute)

  • Legalization Is the Only Viable Drug Policy (Project Syndicate)

  • Here are the 10 most seductive drugs — and their fascinating histories (AlterNet)

  • What's the deal with microdosing? (The Telegraph)

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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.


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: