Weekly Psychedelic Links - December 2022

12.2.22

Cannabis

• Biden Signs Marijuana Research Bill, A Historic First For Federal Cannabis Reform (Marijuana Moment)

• Idaho Plans for Medical Cannabis Legalization on the Ballot in 2024 (High Times)

• Ohio Senate Votes To Remove Marijuana Paraphernalia Convictions From Criminal Records And Allow Broader Expungement (Marijuana Moment)

• Police in India Say Rats Ate More Than 1,100 Pounds of Confiscated Weed (High Times)

• Young Americans Are Twice As Likely To Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes, New Gallup Data Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• New Federal Job Applications Won’t Ask About Most Marijuana Use Unless It Was Within The Past 90 Days (Marijuana Moment)

• Many People with Bipolar Disorder Use Cannabis. It May Sometimes Help (Scientific American)

• University Researchers Exploring Cannabis As A Treatment For Covid-19 (Forbes)

• New York’s illicit weed products are weak and full of toxins, study finds (Leafly)

• Medical Marijuana Legalization Linked To Reduced Opioid Use By Cancer Patients, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Pennsylvania Starts Program Providing Financial Assistance to Low-Income Cannabis Patients (High Times)

• Wedding Guest Files Lawsuit Over Pot-Infused Reception Food (High Times)

• These States Almost Legalized Marijuana In 2022 (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Many Trips, Diminishing Returns: Cross-Tolerance Between LSD and DOI (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Former CEO Sues Company That Fired Him for Microdosing LSD in an Investor Meeting (Futurism)

Magic Mushrooms

• DEA Proposes Even Higher 2023 Production Quotas For Psychedelics Like MDMA And Psilocyn (Marijuana Moment)

• Non-profit Organization Marches on Canadian Capital To Fight for Therapeutic Mushrooms (High Times)

MDMA

• The man who took 40,000 ecstasy pills (The Face)

• Climate Lessons from Cambodia’s Illegal MDMA Market (TalkingDrugs)

Ayahuasca

• Why Ayahuasca Is Miley Cyrus' 'Favorite' Drug (And How It Supported Her Veganism) (Benzinga)

• After closing its doors in Canterbury, a church serving hallucinogenic tea vows to reopen elsewhere (NHPR)

• Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats: Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study (Chacruna)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Prison “K2”: The Hidden Center of a Chaotic New Drug War (Filter)

Ketamine

• Laid-off workers can now get a free month of ketamine-assisted therapy services to help with their mental health (Fortune)

• Low-dose ketamine may reduce shivering following spinal anesthesia (Physicians Weekly)

• Ketamine for Depression Poses “Significant Risk to the Public” (Mad in America)

• Study shows how ketamine administration starkly changes neuronal activity patterns in the brain (News-Medical.net)

Miscellaneous

• Berkeley, California Officials Approve Psychedelics Decriminalization Resolution Amid Pushback From Reform Advocates (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian And Mexican Presidents Announce International Effort To Reshape Drug Policy, Condemning ‘Failure’ Of Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Colorado Governor To Appoint Psychedelics Advisory Panel After Voters Approve Legalization Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• Why the “Psychedelic Renaissance” is just Colonialism by Another Name (DoubleBlind)

• Could the Latest Science on Psychedelics Revolutionise the Way We Understand Our Minds? (Men's Health)

12.9.22

Cannabis

• Brittney Griner released from Russian detention in prisoner swap (Leafly)

• Legalization Amendment To Be Added to Missouri Constitution (High Times)

• New Jersey Marijuana Regulators Approve Rules For Public Cannabis Consumption Areas (Marijuana Moment)

• Colombian Senate Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Bringing Country Closer To Ending Prohibition (Marijuana Moment)

• Study: Cannabis Has ‘Uniquely Beneficial Effects’ on People With Bipolar Disorder (High Times)

• Pain relief from marijuana comes from a belief it helps, study finds (CNN)

• Delivery is in the works for New York’s new legal weed stores (Leafly)

• Children are ditching alcohol for marijuana, as 20-year national US study shows a 245% increase (EurekAlert!)

• Oregon recalls thousands of cannabis products over pesticide concerns (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Minnesota Files Lawsuit Against Several Companies for Illicit Edible Sales (High Times)

• As Congress Stalls On Marijuana Banking, New Report Details Public Safety Risk Of Cash-Intensive Dispensaries (Marijuana Moment)

• NORML Report Highlights Citywide Policies Depenalizing Marijuana Law Enforcement (NORML)

• Study: ‘Significant’ negative association between medical cannabis sales, alcohol (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Dispensaries’ Cashless ATM Transactions Get The Ax (High Times)

• Connecticut: Governor Announces Intent to Expunge 40,000+ Marijuana-Related Convictions (NORML)

• Biden’s Health Secretary Shares Marijuana Scheduling News At 4:20—Again (Marijuana Moment)

• Marijuana packaging rebrands can draw consumers, create cohesion, reflect values (Marijuana Business Daily)

• Trend Sees Brands Pairing Top-Shelf Weed, Fine Dining (High Times)

LSD

• Study on LSD microdosing uncovers neuropsychological mechanisms that could underlie anti-depressant effects (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Portlanders Explain Why They’re Waiting in Line for Psychedelic Mushrooms (Willamette Week)

• Study suggests psilocybin increases mindfulness, especially when accompanied by mystical experiences (PsyPost)

• Amsterdam’s Last Shroom Lounge (DoubleBlind)

• Diamond Therapeutics completes Phase I clinical study of low-dose psilocybin in healthy human subjects (PR Newswire)

• Oregon store allegedly selling psychedelic mushrooms raided (The Seattle Times)

MDMA

• MDMA may be available for medical treatment "as soon as 2024" in US hospitals (Mixmag)

• Wastewater data shows 286% increase in ecstasy use during pandemic (Healio)

• Abuse Potential: Considerations for Rescheduling MDMA and Psychedelics (Psychedelic Science Review)

DMT

• The Gestures of DMT Jesters (Sam Woolfe)

Ayahuasca

• A Canadian psychedelic drug company has created medical grade ayahuasca (Toronto Star)

• Modulatory Effects of Ayahuasca on Personality Structure in a Traditional Framework (Chacruna)

• Declaration of The 4th Brazilian Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference (Chacruna)

Ketamine

• Now Companies Can Buy Insurance To Cover Ketamine Therapy for Employees (Lucid News)

• Using Ketamine to Treat Anorexia (Psychology Today)

• Meta-Analysis of Intravenous vs Intranasal Ketamine (Psychiatric Times)

• Low-dose Ketamine Effective In Reducing The Incidence Of Shivering Following Spinal Anesthesia (Medical Dialogues)

Miscellaneous

• MAPS Found Liable in Wrongful Death Lawsuit (Lucid News)

• Most States Will Legalize Psychedelics By 2037, Analysis Published By American Medical Association Predicts (Marijuana Moment)

• When virtual reality meets psychedelic therapy (Mashable)

• How Will Our Value Systems Affect The Psychedelic Movement? (Maps of the Mind)

• We’re rushing the use of psychedelics as medicine, researchers say (New Scientist)

• Awakn Makes Its Case To Investors (Lucid News)

• Punk Ethos & Psychedelic Practice (Maps of the Mind)

12.16.22

Cannabis

• Recreational Weed Now Legal in Missouri (High Times)

• Connecticut: Adult-Use Cannabis Sales to Begin Next Month (NORML)

• New Hampshire GOP And Democratic House Leaders Team Up On Marijuana Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Here’s how New York’s legal weed delivery will work (Leafly)

• Teen Marijuana Use Remained Stable In 2022, Despite More States Legalizing And Lifting Of Pandemic Restrictions (Marijuana Moment)

• Kansas City: Officials Dismiss Hundreds of Marijuana Cases Following Statewide Legalization Vote (NORML)

• Kansas Lawmakers Plan To Introduce Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill (High Times)

• Prosecution collapses against execs caught up in CannTrust cannabis scandal (CBC)

• Texas Activists Turn In Signatures To Put Marijuana Decriminalization Back In Voters’ Hands After City Council Repeal (Marijuana Moment)

• Massachusetts To Add Lessons on Weed Impairment to Driver’s Ed (High Times)

• Nearly 2 Million Marijuana Convictions Have Been Pardoned Or Expunged In The U.S. In The Past Five Years, New Report Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Australian Residents Could Save $850 Million Annually if Cannabis is Decriminalized (High Times)

• Marijuana Legalization Reduces Arrests Even In States That Already Decriminalized, American Medical Association Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Up to 9% of LSD and psilocybin users report reoccurring effects after drug has worn off (PsyPost)

• Gut Feeling: Links Between LSD, Endocannabinoids, and the Microbiome (Psychedelic Science Review)

Magic Mushrooms

• Florida halts amanita muscaria sales at nation’s only brick-and-mortar retailer (Leafly)

• COMP360 psilocybin therapy shows potential in open-label study in type II bipolar disorder presented at ACNP (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Here’s why police are raiding psychedelic mushroom stores in major cities (Leafly)

• Rat Study Examines Psilocybin as Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (High Times)

MDMA

• The History and Benefits of MDMA, the New Tool in Mental Health Again (Daily Kos)

DMT

• Experiencing a Changa Ceremony at an Oakland Plant Medicine Church (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Aaron Rodgers says doing psychedelic drug ayahuasca helped him overcome his ‘fear of death’ (The Independent)

5-MeO-DMT

• UCL To Lead First-Ever Brain Imaging Study Among Psychedelic Retreat Participants (High Times)

• PsyBio Therapeutics Takes Initial Step to Help Protect the Sonoran Desert Toad as it Files Three New Provisional Patent Applications, Including Intellectual Property Protection for the Biosynthetic Production of 5-MeO-DMT (Psychedelic Alpha)

Peyote

• Inside the battle to save the sacred peyote ceremony: ‘We’re in dire straits’ (The Guardian)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Israeli Based Biotech Company Clearmind Completes IND-Enabling Studies for CMND-100 (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• Ketamine plus therapy could help treat alcoholism, say researchers (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• Verdict in Lawsuit Assigns MAPS 25% Liability and $1M in Damages (Lucid News)

• New center takes multidisciplinary approach to the study of psychedelics (University of Michigan)

• It’s Not Just About Pot. Our Entire Drug Policy Needs an Overhaul. (The New York Times)

• The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on a Psychedelic Experience (Sam Woolfe)

• Would You Be Friends With Your Friends if You Didn’t Do Drugs Together? (VICE)

• Why is Gender-Affirming Care Needed in the Psychedelic Space? (Chacruna)

• How Many Likes Does it Take to be a Psychedelic Thought Leader? (Lucid News)

12.23.22

Cannabis

• First words from Brittney Griner: Thanks Biden, vows to help free others (Leafly)

• Federally Funded Study Finds Teen Use Rates Largely Unchanged by Legalization (NORML)

• Canada Destroys a Record Amount of Cannabis (High Times)

• District of Columbia: Council Members Advance Legislation to Expunge Tens of Thousands of Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Afroman Announces 2024 Run for President (High Times)

• Twitter Stops Suggesting People Who Search For ‘Marijuana’ May Need Drug Treatment (Marijuana Moment)

• Canada’s Cannabis Legalization Is Working Effectively, Annual Survey Suggests (Forbes)

• New Washington Bill Would Allow Interstate Marijuana Commerce (Marijuana Moment)

• New Report Analyzes Medical Pot Patients’ Consumption Habits (High Times)

• Majority Of Texas Voters Back Marijuana Legalization, And Three In Four Support Decriminalization, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• How LSD evolved from CIA mind-control drug to counterculture emblem (Leafly)

Magic Mushrooms

• Quebec covers psilocybin therapy under medical insurance in historic first (Leafly)

• Oregon Psilocybin Entrepreneurs Navigate Business Requirements (Lucid News)

Ayahuasca

• Canadian Company Announces Ayahuasca Pills (Chacruna)

• Music and ayahuasca’s role in treating substance use disorders in men (UC Riverside)

Datura

• Weed responsible for hallucinogenic spinach recall identified as thornapple (The Guardian)

Miscellaneous

• New Bill Tries to Decriminalize Psychedelics in California—Again (DoubleBlind)

• The Myth of the Psychedelic Santa (Lucid News)

• U.K. Police Chiefs Call for Decriminalization of First-Time Drug Offenses (High Times)

• Israel-Based Clearmind Medicine Granted U.S. Patent for Psychedelic-Based Alcohol Substitute (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Placebo Problems: Boundary Works in the Psychedelic Science Renaissance (Chacruna)

12.30.22

Cannabis

• Record Number of Scientific Papers Published About Cannabis in 2022 (NORML)

• Washington, D.C. Passes Bill To Expand Medical Weed Sales (High Times)

• Google Ends Ban On Advertising Certain Hemp And CBD Products In Parts Of U.S. (Marijuana Moment)

• Clinical Trial Finds Cannabis Oil is Well-Tolerated, Effective Insomnia Treatment (High Times)

• Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records To Launch Its Own Cannabis Brand (Forbes)

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Pardons 10, Some Cannabis Convictions (High Times)

• A dying US cancer patient used cannabis to ease pain. His hospital called the police (The Guardian)

• South Dakota Activists File Measure That Could Put Marijuana Legalization On Ballot For Third Election In A Row (Marijuana Moment)

• Is legal weed doomed to be run by big business? (Vox)

• Texas Marijuana Activists Submit Enough Signatures To Challenge Local Decriminalization Repeal, While Another City’s Reform Faces Lawsuit (Marijuana Moment)

Magic Mushrooms

• A single dose of psilocybin improves depression in treatment-resistant patients, but with adverse effects (PsyPost)

• Psilocybin Therapy For Autism-Like Disorder Receives Approval For Phase 2a Clinical Trial (The Dales Report)

• Do Shrooms Go Bad? (DoubleBlind)

MDMA

• MDMA Is Getting Super Popular Among Rich, Young Indians (VICE)

• VA Report Says Psilocybin And MDMA Show Therapeutic ‘Promise’ For Veterans’ Mental Health Conditions (Marijuana Moment)

DMT

• Phase 2a study initiated to examine synthetic DMT for treatment-resistant depression (Healio)

Ayahuasca

• “Nobody Wants A Synthetic-Only Future”: Filament Health Is Formulating Natural Psilocybin And Standardizing Ayahuasca (Healing Maps)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• Tripping Without The Trip: Non-Hallucinogenic Psychedelics (Benzinga)

Ketamine

• Much remains unknown about using ketamine to treat depression—and Colorado doesn't regulate it (The Denver Post)

Miscellaneous

• New York Lawmakers File Psychedelics Legalization Bill For 2023 (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelics Like Psilocybin Are Now Legal In Colorado With Governor’s Proclamation On Voter-Approved Ballot Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• The Multidimensional Worlds of Mariela de la Paz (DoubleBlind)

• Minnesota Medical Association Endorses Decriminalizing Drugs (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic therapies are on the horizon, but who will administer the drugs? (NBC News)

• Psychedelic drugs may launch a new era in psychiatric treatment, brain scientists say (NPR)

• Psychedelics Are Surging—at the Expense of Indigenous Communities (The Daily Beast)

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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 - September 2022

Policy

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to decriminalize psychedelics. In addition to decriminalizing possession of psychedelics, the resolution also allows for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, and engaging in practices with them as well.

Research

A study from the University of Cambridge found that cannabis users do not fit the “lazy stoner” stereotype and actually do not lack motivation compared with non-users. In fact, the research showed that there was no difference in motivation for rewards, pleasure derived from rewards, or the brain’s response when seeking rewards, which helps support the idea that cannabis users can be just as motivated and productive as anyone else.

Yet another placebo-controlled microdosing study found that the benefits from taking sub perceptual doses of psychedelics may be ascribed to the placebo effect. In this experimental study, participants took microdoses of psilocybin and the expectations of both the participants and the study authors were controlled so as to not influence the results. While this doesn’t definitively prove that microdosing effects come down to placebo, it does add fuel to the growing fire that is questioning the practice’s efficacy.

Harm Reduction

Following what appeared to be a trend of people cooking chicken in NyQuil, the FDA may have unintentionally made the practice go viral on TikTok. The cough medicine contains the drug dextromethorphan, which can engender psychedelic effects, but cooking food in it can be dangerous. Inhaling the medication’s vapors during the cooking process can result in overdoses and even damage your lungs, so it’s best to stay away from this strange recipe. Thankfully it seems like most people already understood it was a meme joke though.

Miscellaneous

Years after the unfortunate and tragic death of Elijah McClain by the hands of police, the 23 year-old’s autopsy report had its cause of death changed to “ketamine administration”. The amendment reflects the coroner’s findings that the large dose of ketamine that was forcibly given to McClain was the primary factor in his death.

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.

Weekly Psychedelic Links - September 2022

9.2.22

Cannabis

• Oklahoma Supreme Court Gives Marijuana Activists Temporary Win As They Fight For Legalization Ballot Placement (Marijuana Moment)

• Pharmaceutical Industry Suffers Billions In Losses After States Legalize Marijuana, New Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Harvard Grad Student Dies in Bali From Police Brutality Over Cannabis Arrest (High Times)

• Poll: South Dakota Legalization Initiative in Danger of Failing (High Times)

• More Americans Now Smoke Marijuana Than Cigarettes, For The First Time Ever, Gallup Reports (Marijuana Moment)

• Largest ever independent study into cannabis use (BBC)

• Cannabis researchers say it’s high time to drop ‘lazy stoner’ stereotype (The Guardian)

• Pennsylvania: Governor Launches Effort to Issue Mass Pardons to Those with Low-Level Marijuana Convictions (NORML)

• Ghana's Legal Cannabis Hits a Constitutional Roadblock (TalkingDrugs)

• Joseph Schooling: Singapore Olympic star suspended for taking cannabis in Vietnam (BBC)

• Cannabis industry inches toward sustainability (Chemical and Engineering News)

• New Study Shows Evidence That Low-Dose THC Could Help Treat Veteran PTSD (High Times)

• U.S. Air Force And Space Force Reviewing ‘Common Sense’ Marijuana Drug Testing Policy Change For Recruits (Marijuana Moment)

• Qualitative Study Reveals Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward Medical Pot (High Times)

LSD

• LSD decreases binge-like drinking in a rodent model of alcoholism, but only temporarily (PsyPost)

• Is the Color of LSD an Indicator of Purity? (Lucid News)

MDMA

• Boy, 16, dies in suspected ecstasy-related incident at Leeds Festival (The Independent)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• DEA Backs Off, Won’t Criminalize Two New Psychedelics (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Nitrous Oxide

• Why Some New York Stores Will Require You to Show ID to Buy Whipped Cream (Newsweek)

• Doctors warn of rise in nerve damage linked to nitrous oxide (The Guardian)

Ketamine

• This New, Legal Cannabis and Ketamine Therapy is Designed to Heal Trauma in the Body (DoubleBlind)

• They’re Pushing Cut-Rate Ketamine Therapy on TikTok (Rolling Stone)

• Yukon woman paid $7K for private ketamine treatment, only to learn that the Yukon gov't covers it (CBC)

Miscellaneous

• An Inside Look at the Lawsuit that could “Legalize Psychedelics in Canada” (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• MindMed Completes 1-for-15 Reverse Share Split (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Student Loan Forgiveness Limited By the War on Drugs (High Times)

• Aspen, Colorado Activists Pursue Psychedelics Decriminalization For 2023 Ballot As Voters Prepare To Decide On Statewide 2022 Legalization Measure (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelic Advocate Facing Charges Calls for Help, Law Reform in New York (High Times)

• Is the Psychedelic Therapy Bubble About to Burst? (WIRED)

• In the Wake of Decrim, Police Continue to Target Psychedelics (Lucid News)

• How Psychedelics Might Fuel a Paradigm Shift (DoubleBlind)

9.9.22

Cannabis

• California: Governor Signs Bill Prohibiting Doctors from Discriminating Against Medical Cannabis Patients (NORML)

• Nobody knows how widespread illegal cannabis grows are in California. So we mapped them (Los Angeles Times)

• UK Government Blocks Bermuda From Legalizing Marijuana On Same Day New Prime Minister Takes Office (Marijuana Moment)

• Afroman’s Ohio Residence Raided by Local Law Enforcement (High Times)

• Minnesota Arrests Black People For Marijuana At Much Higher Rates Than White People, State Data Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• New Poll Shows Overwhelming Support for Cannabis Banking Legislation (High Times)

• Companies Turn to THC Beverages as Next Growing Legal Cannabis Market (High Times)

LSD

• LSD-assisted therapy induces rapid and lasting reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms, according to new research (PsyPost)

Magic Mushrooms

• Placebo-controlled study suggests that the benefits of psilocybin microdosing can be explained by expectancy effects (PsyPost)

• Psilocybin Study To Investigate the Serotonin System in Autism (Technology Networks)

• Optimi Health Completes Largest Legal Natural Psilocybin Harvest in Canadian History (Psychedelic Alpha)

• 'Flesh of the Gods': The Trippy History of Magic Mushrooms (VICE)

MDMA

• MDMA Enhances Fear Extinction Learning: From Models to Mechanisms (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Police issue MDMA warning after man dies from suspected drug overdose (Radio New Zealand)

Ayahuasca

• Why Are Scientists Dosing Fish with Ayahuasca? (DoubleBlind)

5-MeO-DMT

• As Use Of The World’s Most Potent Psychedelic Skyrockets, New Site F.I.V.E. Fills An Education Void (Forbes)

Peyote

• Conspiracy and Antisemitism in the Debate Over Peyote Decriminalization (Psychedelic Spotlight)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• New Psychedelic Entactogens: Designer Drugs Produce Designer Effects (Psychedelic Science Review)

Nitrous Oxide

• Laughing gas: 'A 20-second high is not worth losing your life over' (BBC)

Ketamine

• Scientists Discover That a Surprising Factor Improved The Effects of Ketamine in Mice (ScienceAlert)

• Low-dose ketamine is safe and effective to treat children with ADNP syndrome, study suggests (News-Medical.net)

Miscellaneous

• San Francisco decriminalizes psychedelics (Leafly)

• Drug Executions in Iran Are Back on the Rise (TalkingDrugs)

• This Psychedelic Company is Leading the Way on Reciprocity and Holistic Approaches to Healing (DoubleBlind)

• WOC-led psychedelics conference champions gender equality with all-women speakers (Leafly)

9.16.22

Cannabis

• Killings, robberies, extortion. California can’t stop its booming illegal cannabis stores (Los Angeles Times)

• New Zealand Approves Domestic Medical Cannabis Products (High Times)

• World Anti-Doping Agency Set To Keep Marijuana On Banned Substance List, Saying U.S. Didn’t Back Its Removal (Marijuana Moment)

• Biden To Meet With Family of Brittney Griner (High Times)

• Study: CBD Oil Safe, Effective for Autism Patients (High Times)

• Missouri judge blocks attempt to kick legalization off ballot (Leafly)

• GOP Missouri Lawmaker Files Revised Marijuana Legalization Bill, Urging Special Session Action To Compete With Ballot Initiative (Marijuana Moment)

• Pregnant Women in Alabama Are Being Jailed For Smoking Pot (High Times)

• Oklahoma Prosecutors Are Targeting Pregnant Women For Using Medical Marijuana (Marijuana Moment)

• Thai Lawmakers Withdraw Bill to Regulate Cannabis (High Times)

• New Jersey Employers Can’t Punish Workers Based On A Marijuana Test Alone, State Officials Say (Marijuana Moment)

• Nevada Judge Orders State Board to Remove Cannabis from Schedule 1 (High Times)

• Analysis: Legal Cannabis Businesses Associated with Increased Home Values (NORML)

• Weed Legalization in Germany Hampered by EU Laws (High Times)

• What’s Next For Cannabis Mergers And Acquisitions? (Forbes)

• Oregon Officials to Deploy Decoys to Catch Underage Weed, Alcohol Sales (High Times)

• Small Marijuana Growers Could Sell Directly To Consumers Across State Lines Under New Congressional Bill (Marijuana Moment)

• Republican Congressmen Push for Environmental Impact Study on Cannabis (High Times)

• US Court of Appeals: Federal Scheduling of Cannabis “Irrational,” But Not Unconstitutional (NORML)

• In Hawaii, People Prefer Black Market Cannabis to State-Managed Facilities (High Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Scientists have started to examine whether “magic” mushrooms can help in the fight against obesity (PsyPost)

• Oregon Overcomes Bureaucratic Delays to Therapist Training Program Approvals (Lucid News)

• The shroom edibles market proliferates underground (Leafly)

• Revive Therapeutics Provides Update on the Psilocybin Clinical Study for Methamphetamine Use Disorder and Oral Psilocybin Thin Film Strip Program (Psychedelic Alpha)

DMT

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Receives Approval for Groundbreaking Phase 1 DMT Human Stroke Study (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ayahuasca

• Comedian Ron White Shares How Tripping On Ayahuasca In Costa Rica Turned His Life Around (BroBible)

5-MeO-DMT

• ‘I’m not a shaman – I just want to help people’: shoe designer Patrick Cox on his psychedelic toad awakening (The Guardian)

Peyote

• Native American Church of North America Advocates at Capitol Hill for Protections of Peyote (Native News Online)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• Mindset Pharma Receives Scientific Advice from UK Regulator Facilitating Advancement of Phase 1 First-In-Human Clinical Trial Plan for Its Lead Clinical Candidate, MSP-1014 (Psychedelic Alpha)

Ketamine

• New study highlights ketamine’s promise for treatment-resistant depression (Popular Science)

• Dealers Are Giving Discounts on Cocaine and Ketamine in Honour of the Queen (VICE)

• Study Explores Effects of Experimenter Sex on Ketamine Response (Psychiatric Times)

PCP

• PCP (aka Angel Dust) May Actually Have Therapeutic Potential (DoubleBlind)

Datura

• Datura and the psychedelic Tao (Isham Cook)

Miscellaneous

• Atlanta is considering the decriminalization of magic mushrooms and other psychedelics (Leafly)

• Sexual Abuse in Psychedelic Therapy: Important Steps Being Taken to Support Survivors (DoubleBlind)

• Oregon Voters Continue To Support Drug Decriminalization Law They Approved In 2020, New Poll Shows (Marijuana Moment)

• Psychedelics Were the Hot Topic at This Year’s World Economic Forum (Lucid News)

• Local Michigan Lawmakers Vote To Make September Psychedelics Awareness Month After Decriminalization Enacted (Marijuana Moment)

• A Channel for Magic: Ralph Hood’s Mysticism Scale and the Occult Roots of the Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Program (Psymposia)

• Psychedelic Twitter is Swarmed by Plug Bots (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Finding Nuance in the Psychedelic Hype Bubble (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psilera Receives First Patent Allowance for Transdermal Patch Formulations (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Adverse Events in Psychedelic Clinical Trials are Underreported (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psychedelic South: The Quest to find Good Drugs in Alabama (Psychedelic Spotlight)

9.23.22

Cannabis

• Canada to review impact of cannabis legalization four years on (Reuters)

• Marijuana Is Staying On The Banned Substances List For International Athletes, World Anti-Doping Agency Announces (Marijuana Moment)

• California: Governor Signs Legislation Providing Employment Protections for Cannabis Consumers (NORML)

• NY finally approves medical homegrow (Leafly)

• Australian Cannabis Patients Turning to Prescriptions Over Illicit Market, Study Shows (High Times)

• New Yorkers with weed convictions will have priority in retail market, state says (Leafly)

• German Lawmakers Tour California Marijuana Businesses To Inform National Legalization Plans (Marijuana Moment)

• Las Vegas City Council Approves Cannabis Consumption Lounges (High Times)

• Leafly Report: ‘Opt-out’ towns are encouraging illegal marijuana sales (Leafly)

• University of Kentucky Opens New Cannabis Research Center (High Times)

• We spoke to the author of that new study on prenatal cannabis exposure (Leafly)

• Apple Lets Users Search For Marijuana And Pharmaceutical Interactions In Latest iPhone Health Update (Marijuana Moment)

• The Role of Cannabis in Treating Long COVID (High Times)

• Canada’s rich and complicated history of psychedelic research (Leafly)

• Oklahoma: Court Rules that Voters Can’t Decide on Legalization Ballot Measure This Year (NORML)

• Arkansas: High Court Approves Marijuana Legalization Measure for the November Ballot (NORML)

• Majority Of Maryland Voters Back Marijuana Legalization Referendum And Expungements, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Two Out Of Three Missouri Voters ‘Certain To Vote Yes’ On Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Poll: Majority in Minnesota Want Legal Weed (High Times)

• Two In Three Pennsylvania Voters Support Marijuana Legalization, New Poll Shows Amid Key Political Races (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Miami clinic kicks off first national study of LSD, once a ‘public enemy,’ to treat anxiety (Miami Herald)

Magic Mushrooms

• The Viagra of the Himalayas—the World’s Most Expensive Fungus—Faces Serious Decline Due to Growing Demand (DoubleBlind)

• Liquid Culture vs. Spores (Reality Sandwich)

MDMA

• Disruption to Australian ecstasy market following COVID-19 restrictions, report finds (Medical Xpress)

• MindMed Collaborators Dose First Patient in Phase 1 Investigator-Initiated Trial of MDMA-Like Substances (Psychedelic Alpha)

DMT

• Researchers Studying Psychedelic Drug as Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease (High Times)

Ayahuasca

• Packers Bust Out Ayahuasca TD Celebration Weeks After Aaron Rodgers Revealed Psychedelic Use (BroBible)

• Aaron Rodgers Defends Ayahuasca, Says He May Be 'Called' to Take the Psychedelic Again (People)

Peyote

• Native American Church Leaders Ask Congress For Funds To Support Peyote Cultivation And Preservation (Marijuana Moment)

• The Complicated Ethics of Legalizing Indigenous Psychedelic Substances (Ethos)

Iboga

• You Can Now Get Ibogaine-Based Addiction Treatment In A Hospital Setting In Brazil (Forbes)

Nitrous Oxide

• What Nitrous Oxide Showed The Father of American Psychology (Lucid News)

Ketamine

• Looking at Images of People Smiling at You Extends Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine (Neuroscience News)

DXM

• Please don't cook chicken in NyQuil, the FDA asks TikTok users (NPR)

• The FDA may have unintentionally made 'NyQuil Chicken' go viral on TikTok (Engadget)

Miscellaneous

• Math Over Myth: Psychedelic Stock HAVN Life Collapses (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psychedelics face corrupting influence of financial interests (UC News)

• Biden Administration Considers Psychedelic Therapies Task Force (Lucid News)

• Colorado Polls Show Conflicting Results On Psychedelics Ballot Measure That Voters Will Decide On In November (Marijuana Moment)

• Algernon Pharmaceuticals Announces Receipt of CDN $450K Cash Refund from Australian Research Program (Psychedelic Alpha)

• Baby Boomers (Re)Discover Psychedelics as Tools for Aging with Grace (DoubleBlind)

• Does Microdosing Impact Meditation? New Study From Beckley Foundation and Quantified Citizen Investigates (Newswire)

• Colombia’s President Tells UN That ‘Democracy Will Die’ If World Leaders Don’t End Drug War And Pursue Different Strategy (Marijuana Moment)

• The Undergrowth of Psychedelic Australia (Kahpi)

• Beyond Michael Pollan: Where to learn more about psychedelics. (Medium)

• Can Psychedelics Help Veterans with Chronic Pain? (Psychedelic Spotlight)

9.30.22

Cannabis

• Switzerland: Revision of Narcotics Act – Switzerland fully legalizes medicinal cannabis (Global Compliance News)

• Free medicinal cannabis to be donated to epileptic children in the UK (Sky News)

• Medical cannabis for doggies, kitties is fully legalized in California (Leafly)

• Medical Marijuana Helps Patients Reduce Use Of Addictive Opioid Painkillers, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Maltese Non-profit Cannabis May be The Way Forward (TalkingDrugs)

• Check in, smoke up and tune out: Cannabis-friendly vacation rentals are catching on (CNBC)

• Despite The Munchies, Marijuana Legalization Is Tied To Lower Obesity Rates, Stereotype-Busting Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Investigators say more than 70% of cannabis growers use illegal water (Santa Barbara News-Press)

• Germany Versus The United States: Which Will Legalize Cannabis First (Forbes)

• As cannabis usage grows, so does the need for employers to revisit their workplace drug policies (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Could Cannabis and Psychedelic Drugs Make Breast Cancer Treatments More Effective? (PR Newswire)

• Federal Marijuana Prohibition Is Putting Patients At Risk Of Consuming Contaminated Products, Study Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Supreme Court trial on homegrow ban reveals a bigger issue in federal cannabis legalization (Leafly)

• Medical Marijuana Patient Plans To Sue Feds For $3.5 Million Over ‘Discriminatory’ Cannabis Raid On Tribal Land (Marijuana Moment)

• Is Big Tobacco Pivoting to Big Cannabis? (High Times)

• Wisconsin Governor’s Push To Allow Ballot Initiatives Could Put Marijuana Legalization Before Voters (Marijuana Moment)

• Majority Of D.C. Voters Support Marijuana Legalization And Oppose Crackdown On Unregulated ‘Gifting’ Market, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Missouri Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiative Leads In New Poll, But With Less Than 50 Percent (Marijuana Moment)

LSD

• Effects of LSD and Psilocybin in Healthy Participants (Psychiatric Times)

Magic Mushrooms

• Connecticut to Offer Legal MDMA and Psilocybin Therapy as Early as Next Year (DoubleBlind)

• DEA Claims Doctors Requesting Psilocybin For Dying Patients Have Commercial Interests (Benzinga)

• Woman’s Breast Cancer Returned Immediately After Dropping Treatment With Cannabis, Shrooms (High Times)

• Psilocybin Shows Gender-Specific Effects on CNS Reactivity and Behavioral Responses (Gilmore Health News)

• Psyence Group Completes Export of Psilocybin Mushrooms to Portugal (Psychedelic Alpha)

MDMA

• MDMA in the UK Is Finally Pure Again (VICE)

Ayahuasca

• Aaron Rodgers fumbles the science on psychedelics. Drugs like ayahuasca can alter the brain—but how? (Salon)

Novel Psychoactive Substances

• 'A lot of MDMA that wasn't MDMA': The early results from inside Australia's first drug testing clinic (SBS)

• atai Life Sciences Announces Initiation of Phase 1 Trial for its MDMA Derivative, EMP-01 (Psychedelic Alpha)

• LSD-Like Molecules Counter Depression Without the Trip (UC San Francisco)

• BetterLife Files Comprehensive Patent for BETR-001 and Other LSD Derivatives (Psychedelic Alpha)

Synthetic Cannabinoids

• A new urine test could help curtail the use of the latest synthetic cannabinoids to enter the drug scene (Medical Xpress)

Ketamine

• Elijah McClain’s autopsy report changed to death by ketamine (Colorado Public Radio)

• Looking at smiling faces extends the antidepressant effects of ketamine (University of Pittsburgh)

Miscellaneous

• How Interdisciplinary Research Could Reveal Psychedelics’ Blind Spots (Microdose)

• New Theory Believes Psychedelics Could Benefit Long-Term Space Travelers (High Times)

• After rocky start, hopes up in Oregon drug decriminalization (ABC)

• Psychedelic drugs: how to tell good research from bad (The Conversation)

• Do You Even Trip, Bro? A Look At Psychedelic Masculinity, From Joe Rogan To Mike Tyson (Benzinga)

• I went to the only psychedelic dispensary in North America—here’s how they do it (The Manual)

• The Racism and Classism Hidden Behind “Moms who Microdose” (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Whole-Body Effects of Psychedelics Part 3 – The Heart (Psychedelic Science Review)

• Majority Of Mainers Support Drug Decriminalization And Other Harm Reduction Policies, Poll Finds (Marijuana Moment)

• Why Tripping at Raves Can Be Just As Healing as Ceremony (DoubleBlind)

• Math Over Myth: MindMed’s Self Destructive Stock Mission (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Men More Likely To Have Substance Abuse Disorder, Women More Likely To Overdose (High Times)

• Psychedelic Retreats Offer Healing Only for the Wealthy (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Psychedelic therapy could reduce anxiety, distress among patients with cancer (Healio)

• The Narrowing of Psychedelic Discourse (Psychedelic Spotlight)

• Is Now a Good Time to Invest In Psychedelics Stocks? (The Motley Fool)

• The Messy Job of a Psychedelic Integration Coach (Psychedelic Spotlight)

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.

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 - August 2022

Policy

Following last month’s attempt to ban five novel psychoactive substances, which was later withdrawn, the DEA announced a plan to criminalize two additional psychedelic drugs—DOI and DOC. However, shortly after the announcement the DEA backed down and communicated that it no longer intends to place these two substances in Schedule I. While this may end up being a temporary victory, it is still a big win for now.

Industry

The psychedelic industry experienced a lot of movement this month. MindMed put an end to its 18-MC for opioid addiction program and slashed a lot of their early research and development projects. atai Life Sciences also decided to narrow its focus as well, cutting three programs: DemeRx’s noribogaine program, the non-psychedelic drug N-acetylcysteine for brain injury, and Salvinorin A for depression. And finally, Mydecine is looking like it is on the verge of closing due to a lack of funding.

Research

A randomized-clinical trial found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is capable of treating alcohol use disorder. The study had a fairly small sample size of only 93 patients but the effect size was large, with the patients who received psilocybin reduced their drinking by 83% within eight months of their first dose.

Meanwhile, yet another placebo-controlled study found that psilocybin microdosing did not have any significant benefits to creativity, cognition, or perception. This study also had a small sample size, with only 34 participants, but it adds to the pile of evidence accumulating against the idea that microdosing has any tangible benefits that go beyond the placebo effect.

Miscellaneous

NFL football player Aaron Rodgers opened up about how he used ayahuasca to help him with his mental health and propel him to the point where he is at now in his career as the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. This was a pretty big admission in the world of sports, where the use of illegal drugs is a big no-no. Fortunately both his coach and the league were accepting of the news, and hopefully this is the beginning of a trend because it would be great to see even more professional athletes come forward about their experiences with illegal drugs.

However, not all athletes got off so easy. WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for the possession and smuggling of cannabis oil cartridges. Since then she has appealed the conviction and is hoping to overturn the ruling, but there’s no telling how this case will play out in court.

Wrapping up this month’s recap is a video of a wild bear who helped himself to a supply of psychedelic honey and ended up incapacitated in the back of a truck. Fortunately he turned out just fine after coming down from his trip, which I’m sure he’ll remember for the rest of his life!

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 Month in Psychedelics - June 2022

Policy

Thailand legalized the cultivation and sale of cannabis after removing the plant from its banned narcotics list. As such, it has become the first nation to do so in Southeast Asia, which is well-known for having extremely strict drug laws. However, this move does not mean that Thailand has entirely legalized cannabis, as the government is still heavily discouraging personal use for non-medical reasons and officials have warned against smoking or vaping it in public.

Colorado’s governor signed a bill that will allow the state to legalize MDMA prescriptions if and when the federal government eventually allows its therapeutic use. This new legislation would legalize prescribing, dispensing, transporting, possessing, and using MDMA after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it as a prescription drug, which is expected as soon as next year.

Industry

A petition challenging two patents held by Compass Pathways was denied by the Patent Trial and Appeal board. Although the challenger (Freedom to Operate) presented evidence that synthetic psilocybin is not a new invention, and thus should not be patentable, the United States Patent and Trademark Office disagreed. Unfortunately there is no ability for Freedom to Operate to appeal this decision.

Research

Another placebo-controlled study found that LSD microdosing does not improve mood or cognitive ability. Although this doesn’t necessarily mean that microdosing is ineffective, it is more evidence that it may not be as life-changing as its proponents believe it to be.

Harm Reduction

Festivalgoers in England have been warned that a combination of Brexit, Covid-19 lockdowns, and attempts by police to disrupt the supply chain have led to a dangerous increase in fake MDMA. Researchers found that roughly half of substances sold as the drug did not contain any of the advertised compound. Instead, purchasers were buying drugs containing cathinones, novel psychoactive substances, and/or caffeine. Be safe out there folks!

Miscellaneous

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has started running clinical trials to see if psychedelic-assisted therapy is effective at treating a variety of conditions that veterans of recent wars commonly experience. This marks the first time that psychedelic research has been conducted on members of the U.S. military on such a wide scale and hopefully it will yield positive results.

Additional Top Stories

• DARE 2.0 is "Keepin' it Real" in US schools (Substance)

• An Ayahuasca Retreat Claims to Sell 'Miracles.' Former Workers and Guests Say It's Unsafe and Abusive. (VICE)

• Prescription cannabis products with more THC may ease chronic pain, at least a little, study finds (CNN)

• Another Phoenix Church Sues DEA Over Religious Use of Ayahuasca (Phoenix New Times)

• Malaysia Ends Mandatory Death Penalty for Nonviolent Drug Crimes (High Times)

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.