star wars

Book Review - Decomposing The Shadow

DecomposingTheShadow.jpg

After seeing James W. Jesso's byline on several articles on the web and stumbling across his podcast Adventures Through The Mind (highly recommended, by the way!), I decided to check out his book Decomposing The Shadow: Lessons from the Psilocybin Mushroom. I went into my reading experience with little understanding about what the book is all about, but from Jesso's descriptions of the book in the early podcast episodes, I knew that he considers psilocybin mushrooms to be his primary plant teacher and that the book is an attempt to develop a conceptual framework that can be used to better put into language the psychedelic experience.

The first part of the book covers his personal experiences with psychedelics, including a strong focus on the relationship that he has developed with psilocybin mushrooms. Jesso then goes into an brief explanation of magic mushrooms and a concise history of psychedelics, covering topics like Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, the Good Friday Experiment, Ram Dass, and the psychedelic sixties. The middle section of the book is titled A Conceptual Framework, and it attempts to build a vocabulary of terms that can be used to define various aspects of the psychedelic experience. This section is definitely valuable, but it was a bit too academically-oriented for me and didn't hold my interest the same way a truly captivating piece of writing does. However, I did find it to be helpful for understanding various parts of a psychedelic experience and may incorporate some of the defined terms into my own psychedelic language. Ultimately, this particular section just felt a bit too textbook-like to me. The last few sections of the book focus on obtaining value from one's experiences and miscellaneous commentary about psychedelic-related topics, including an intriguing analogy between the psychedelic experience and the Dagobah scene from Empire Strikes Back that I quite enjoyed.

So—should you read this book? If you're interested in learning new terms to describe your psychedelic experiences, the history of psychedelics, spiritual work, or the formative psychedelic experiences that the author had, then the answer is yes. However, if you're not into any of those things then you may not get much out of this one. Ultimately, I found it to be a really well-written book and I'll definitely be checking out the rest of the author's works.

4/5 stars. 154 pages.

This Week in Psychedelics - 12.2.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • On His Way Out the Door, Obama Suggests Marijuana Should Be Legal (Reason)
  • Berlin to Legalize Cannabis Coffee Shops? (Weed News)
  • Legalising cannabis and opium in India (The Asian Age)
  • Some State Leaders Challenging Marijuana Election Results (NORML)
  • Teva Pharm to market medical cannabis inhaler in Israel (Reuters)
  • Opinion: WHO's Silence on Cannabis (The Scientist)
  • The Cannabis Exception to the Second Amendment (Reason)
  • Mapped: The countries that smoke the most cannabis (The Telegraph)
  • Meme Sums up the Debate on Marijuana Use by NFL Players (ATTN:)
  • New Yorkers Will Soon Be Able To Use Pot For Chronic Pain (TIME)
  • Hunter S. Thompson's Widow Plans to Clone and Sell His Marijuana (TIME)
  • First Vape Lounge for Cannabis Patients Opens in Rome (Leafly)
  • GP Michael Harty claims Bill aims to legalise recreational cannabis (Irish Times)
  • Investors Hoping To Ride High On Trailblazing Marijuana Company (TIME)
  • Texas lawyers sing about why you shouldn't eat weed in front of cops (Boing Boing)
  • Minnesota OK's medical pot for post-traumatic stress disorder (MPR News)
  • Pet owners use cannabis for animal ailments (The Recorder)
  • Medical cannabis could see movement in Iowa (Des Moines Register)
  • The Stranger's Cannabis Gift Guide (The Stranger)

LSD

  • The Science Behind LSD Flashbacks: Truth or Myth? (The Science Explorer)
  • The Last Word: Carrie Fisher on LSD, Death and Sex With Han Solo (Rolling Stone)
  • LSD, Sophia Loren and living in Batchelor Hall: thing you didn't know about Cary Grant (The Telegraph)
  • Retracing the Steps of Psychedelic Outlaws on an LSD Mission From God (KQED)
  • Exploding Cigars To LSD Poisoning, These Are The Craziest Plots To Kill Fidel Castro (ScoopWhoop)
  • Accidental Discoveries: LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) (Daily News & Analysis)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Magic mushroom ingredient psilocybin could be key to treating depression - studies (The Guardian)
  • Psilocybin: A Journey beyond the Fear of Death? (Scientific American)
  • I Took A Psychedelic Drug for My Cancer Anxiety. It Changed My Life (TIME)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • MDMA could be on the market legally by 2021 (Popular Science)
  • How MDMA Treats PTSD: Everything You Need to Know (Rolling Stone)
  • FDA Approves Final Stage of MDMA Drug Trials (Reason)
  • Couples and the Love Drug: Integration Therapy With Your Partner After a Difficult MDMA Experience (Psychedelic Times)
  • The Past, Present, and Future of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy - Preparing for a Post-Prohibition World (SFStation)
  • Can MDMA help combat post-traumatic stress disorder? (CBC News)
  • Three who died after Hard Summer rave overdosed on Ecstasy, coroner says (Los Angeles Times)
  • Funeral held for Jamie Burns who died after taking tablet during Belfast night out (Belfast Telegraph)

Ayahuasca/DMT

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

  • Peyote has no bearing on church registration (Mexico News Daily)
  • Scalia's Legacy Is Great, But Don't Forget The Bind He Left Us In (ValueWalk)

Iboga/Ibogaine

  • An Ancient African Remedy Helped Me Kick My Opioid Addiction Overnight (Woman's Day)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

  • Two 13-Year-Olds Killed By Drug More Powerful Than Heroin (KIIS)
  • A new kind of high (Deccan Chronicle)

Dissociatives

Opiates/Opioids

  • When it comes to opioids, a stronger naloxone dose will save lives today (The Hill)
  • This Drug Reverses Overdoses, But 3 States Make It Hard to Get (Governing)
  • Walgreens makes Naloxone available without prescription in Louisiana (WWLTV)
  • Israeli Cannabis Inhaler May Get Tested With Opium Poppy Next (Bloomberg)
  • Rising Price of Naloxone Concerns Some Addicts' Families (EMSWorld)
  • One Solution to the Threat of the Opioid Epidemic Spreading HIV (ATTN:)
  • Opinion: Geographic shifts in heroin production caused more powerful strains (Maroon)
  • More than 30 percent of North Koreans use meth, opium (UPI)
  • The most horrifying mannequin challenge you'll see: Campaigners create video which shows the scene of a 'heroin overdose' to draw attention to epidemic sweeping America (Daily Mail)

Kratom

  • We Still Have A Chance To Stop Kratom Prohibition – DEA Wants To Hear Your Thoughts (Reset.me)
  • Kratom Research Gains Supporters in the Race to Replace Opioids (Inverse)
  • Kratom: The Bitter Plant That Could Help Opioid Addicts—if the DEA Doesn't Ban It (Wired)
  • Kratom and Adderall combination, does it really work? (Kratom Guides)

Kava

  • What is Kava Kava used for? How well does Kava work for anxiety? (Kratom Guides)

Khat

  • ROP increases border patrolling to crack down on khat smuggling (Muscat Daily)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • From Rapé to Mapacho: Uncovering the Ceremonial and Medicinal Benefits of Sacred Tobacco (Psychedelic Times)
  • Psychedelics and MDMA are helping cure PTSD, addiction, depression and anxiety (News.com.au)
  • Random drug testing is a scam on behalf of big pharma (Echo Net Daily)
  • Ross Ulbricht's Lawyers Think There's More Evidence of Law Enforcement Misconduct in the Silk Road Prosecution (Reason)
  • Global Drug Survey set to peel back curtain on professionals microdosing on LSD and magic mushrooms (The Sydney Morning Herald)
  • Study Concludes Alcohol is More Harmful Than Psychedelics (Collective Evolution)
  • Q&A - Shane Mauss on The Chemistry of Comedy and Psychedelics (303 Magazine)
  • It's time to give psychedelic drugs another look (USA TODAY)
  • Researchers Say Psychedelic Drugs Could Help Cure Addiction (IFL Science)
  • Psychedelics reduce anxiety, depression in patients, study finds (The Baltimore Sun)
  • Legalizing entheogens? (Telluride Daily Planet)
  • Trump Picks El Chapo to Run D.E.A. (The New Yorker)
  • Conviction rate in drug trafficking sees steep spike in four years (The Times of India)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Week in Psychedelics - 3.11.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • Legalizing Weed Has Done What 1 Trillion Dollars and a 40 Year War Couldn't (Disinfo)
  • Federal Agents Seizing Far Less Marijuana At Southern Border (NORML)
  • 'Erowid' Analysis Finds People Like Cannabis No Matter What Other Drug They Take (Inverse)
  • These Cannabis Activists Want To Get Arrested In Front Of The White House (ThinkProgress)
  • FDA Sends Warning Letters To Cannabis Companies Over False Claims (Forbes)
  • 5 Rare Disorders That Can Be Treated With Marijuana (ATTN:)
  • This Ivy League doctor believes in medical cannabis' potential (The Cannabist)
  • Study: Cannabis' Influence On Driving Performance Differs Significantly From That Of Alcohol (NORML)
  • Signature Snafu May Doom Maine Marijuana Measure (Reason)
  • Cannabis legalisation in UK 'would raise £1bn a year in taxes' (The Independent)
  • Doctor Destroys Cannabis Myths Once And For All (Illegally Healed)
  • Passage Of State Medical Marijuana Laws Don't Influence Youth Use (NORML)
  • Cannabis Grower, Dispensaries To Donate One-Tenth Of Sales To Bernie Sanders' Campaign (Inquisitr)
  • US Senators' Views On Medical Cannabis and DEA (NORML)
  • Is "kosher" cannabis Israel's next big export? (KRON4)
  • Wikileaf makes finding the best weed, at the best prices, easy (Boing Boing)
  • 9 Problems With the Marijuana Rules Proposed by Massachusetts Legislators (Reason)
  • Cannabis providers discuss future at private meeting in Missoula (NBC Montana)
  • Meet the Man Who Hopes To Stop Marijuana Legalization in California (Reason)
  • Colorado Springs Shuts Down Its Cannabis Clubs...in Eight Years (Reason)
  • Cannabis and Sleep: 10 Things to Know About Your Herbal Nightcap (Leafly)
  • New Jersey 'Weedman' Says Closing Pot Temple Violates Religious Freedom (TIME)
  • 'Uncle Spliffy' Seeks To Change Negative Perceptions About Cannabis And Sports (The Weed Blog)
  • Cannabis Science 101: The Physics and Chemistry of the Joint (Leafly)
  • It's Time To Get Over the Prejudice Against Marijuana! (NORML)
  • Cannapics: 7 Stunning Images of Cannabis Joints (Leafly)
  • Police recover 9000 cannabis plants in Nelson-Marlborough aerial operation (Stuff.co.nz)
  • Cannabis in First-Episode Psychosis Linked to Poor Outcomes (Medscape)
  • Couple accused of murdering their 21-month old daughter kept skunk cannabis in the toddler's Tommy Tippee drinking cup, court hears (Daily Mail)
  • Cannabis should be legalised and regulated, Lib Dems say (BBC)

LSD

  • Could cuddling and LSD become the norm at work? (The Vancouver Sun)
  • Star Wars animator took LSD during production: 'I got to the green screen and it was like 'Aaagh, I took way too much' (The Independent)
  • What are the Benefits of LSD? Rethinking Acid as a Therapeutic Medicine (Psychedelic Times)
  • Some People Swear That 'Microdosing' LSD on the Job Makes You a Better Worker (TIME)
  • An LSD trip story: "Went to a Donald Trump speech on acid SUPER BAD VIBES" (Boing Boing)
  • Student arrested for LSD in City Hall (The GW Hatchet)
  • N.J. woman skipped court on LSD charge, prosecutor says (NJ.com)
  • Man pleads not guilty to selling LSD (Daily Citizen)

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

  • Researchers seek spiritual leaders for magic mushroom study (Extract)
  • Chicago man with psychedelic mushrooms arrested Friday (The News-Gazette)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • What It Was Like to Be Part of a Major Ecstasy Ring in the 90s (VICE)
  • The Disturbing Truth About How Ecstasy Affects the Brain (Mic)
  • Thames Valley Policeman Ryan Sproat dismissed for taking MDMA at nightclub (Metro)
  • UC Santa Cruz MDMA Ring Busted; Sorority, Fraternity Members Jailed (CBS)
  • Narcotics Agency Chief: Islamic school students mistaking ecstasy for vitamins to make them pray longer (Coconuts Jakarta)
  • Ecstasy caused death of UC Irvine student who went to rave in San Bernardino County, coroner says (Los Angeles Times)
  • Former Canberra doctor who used MDMA suspended for two years (The Canberra Times)
  • New Research Aims To Reveal Cognitive Deficiencies In MDMA Users (Your EDM)
  • MDMA Use May Damage Serotonin Receptors In The Brain, Risk Cognitive Impairment (Medical Daily)
  • Ever taken MDMA? Then this news might concern you (Metro)

Ayahuasca/DMT

Peyote/San Pedro/Mescaline

  • Finding Psycho Spiritual Healing with a Huachuma Healing Ceremony (Psychedelic Times)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

  • DOB and 2C-B: The Controversial Legacy of Alexander Shulgin's Research (Psychedelic Times)
  • Three schoolboys aged 15 fighting for life in hospital after taking legal highs 'similar to LSD' (The Sun)
  • Father Of Round Rock Man Accused Of Choking Nurse While On K2 Disputes Police Account (Patch)
  • College student from Salem admits peddling synthetic hallucinogen (The Salem News)
  • Minnesota man gets 9 years for selling synthetic LSD (La Crosse Tribune)

Dissociatives

  • What It's Like to Treat Severe Depression With Ketamine (New York Magazine)
  • Paramedics to give ketamine to patients high on flakka (EMS1)
  • 'I was shocked': Man arrested at customs after friend's ashes test positive for illegal drug (CTV News)
  • Police Cripple 'Chinese Connection', Seize Ketamine Worth RM1.3 Million (Bernama)
  • West Haven man on PCP arrested after trying to smother baby (Fox 61)
  • Man high on PCP assaults women at Glen Burnie Target, police say (WBAL)
  • Prosecutor: Driver in Crash That Killed Teens Was on PCP (ABC)

Opiates/Opioids

Absinthe

  • Of Absinthe and Garden Laws (Patheos)

Kratom

  • Shelby Co. officials want stores to stop selling Kratom (WBRC)
  • Five men arrested for growing 'kratom' trees in Bangkok (The Nation)
  • Group working to keep Kratom legal says it's a harmless herb when used properly (WBRC)
  • Kratom: Opiate Withdrawal Help or Another Barrier to Addiction Treatment? (GroundReport)
  • Parents and lawmakers call for Kratom ban (ABC33/40)
  • Red Vein Thai Kratom Effects and Benefits (Kratom Guides)

Kava

Khat

  • How a mild stimulant generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year (GlobalPost)
  • Third arrest made at O R Tambo in suspected drug syndicate (News24)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • Do Psychedelic Drug Laws Violate Human Rights? (The Atlantic)
  • Iran Is About to Execute Another 100 Prisoners for Drug Offenses (VICE News)
  • How 5 Common Drugs Affect Sex (ATTN:)
  • Mexican Drug Lord 'El Chapo' Launches PR Blitz for Better Conditions (TIME)
  • The 5 Pills You Definitely Shouldn't Mix With Alcohol (ATTN:)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Week in Psychedelics - 1.1.16

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Cannabis

  • A Look Back at 2015; and Ahead to 2016 (NORML)
  • Marijuana Legalization 2016: Which States Will Consider Cannabis This Year? (International Business Times)
  • Best Marijuana Moments of 2015 (ATTN:)
  • California Gets Ready for Legal Marijuana (Reason)
  • FDA Weighs in on Rescheduling Cannabis (Leafly)
  • The 10 States Where It's Easiest to Get Weed (ATTN:)
  • Exchanging Pot Brownies for 'Donations' Is Still a Crime in D.C. (Reason)
  • Parents find success treating kids' epilepsy, autism with cannabis oil (Vancouver Sun)
  • Colorado Cannabis Credit Union Demands Access to the Federal Reserve System (Reason)
  • Nonprofit gives out A THOUSAND free joints to homeless stoners for Christmas in Denver (Daily Mail)
  • Kosher Marijuana: New York Company Says Medical Cannabis Conforms To Jewish Dietary Law (International Business Times)
  • Congress Did Not Legalize Medical Marijuana (Reason)
  • Should Grandma Smoke Pot? (Reset.me)
  • 2015: The Year In Review – NORML's Top 10 Events That Shaped Marijuana Policy (NORML)
  • Crossing the green line: The first cannabis company on Wall Street (The Telegraph)
  • Colorado Settlement Suggests RICO Nuisance Suits Will Hinder Legal Pot Industry (Reason)
  • Colleges Ease Athlete Punishments for Cannabis (Leafly)
  • Now You Can Buy Kosher Marijuana (TIME)
  • The Difference Between Indica and Sativa (ATTN:)
  • 5 Ways Cannabis Creams Help You Chill (Civilized)
  • After 6 months, stakeholders assess Minnesota medical cannabis program (Twin Cities)
  • Indoor farming: Good for cannabis, not so good for food (Gigaom)
  • Six Resolutions for the Cannabis Community in the New Year (Willamette Week)
  • Cannabis Can Gives Free Pot to the Homeless on Christmas Eve (Westword)
  • Mentor Capital Has Five Best Congressional Cannabis Resolutions (Business Wire)
  • NORML's Weekly Legislative Round Up (NORML)
  • World's first kosher cannabis will let Jewish people enjoy medical marijuana (Mirror)
  • Doctors urge cannabis caution for children with chronic diseases (The Vancouver Sun)
  • Summer sun prompts police warning about cannabis growers (Manawatu Standard)
  • Latest: Trio charged for possession of over $10M worth of cannabis (Antigua Observer)
  • ChocoHigh! Chocolate with cannabis goes on sale in Siberia for $3 a bar (RT)
  • Boy, eight, 'kept locked in a tiny shed on illegal cannabis farm was left there forgotten for THREE WEEKS with just chips and a box of muesli bars' (Daily Mail)

LSD

  • Animator dropped acid while creating 'Return of the Jedi' (New York Post)
  • An Interview with the Author of Psychedelic Psychiatry: LSD From Clinic to Campus (Slice Today)
  • Oscar-winning Star Wars animator admits he took LSD while working on 'Return Of The Jedi' (Raw Story)
  • Phil Tippet Took LSD While Animating 'Return of the Jedi' (Inverse)
  • A 'Star Wars' Animator Admits He Took LSD While Working On 'Return Of The Jedi' (Maxim)

MDMA/Ecstasy

  • Ask the Lawyer: Drug penalties depend on what member knows about drug (Military Times)
  • Five youths rushed to hospital after taking ecstasy at Aberdeenshire house party (Press and Journal)
  • MDMA warning to Southport's clubbers (Southport Visiter)
  • Nigerian Sentenced To Death For Drugs Smuggling In Malaysia (NAIJ)
  • 16-year-old using a wheelchair after taking Ecstasy (The San Fransisco Globe)
  • Teen accused of intending to supply ecstasy at Field Day music festival granted strict bail (Courier Mail)
  • The new party drug threat you NEED to know about (LOOK)
  • Police issue warning amid fears of dangerous batch of ecstasy (The Independent)
  • Teenager charged over supplying ecstasy at Boxing Day races at Broadmeadow (Newcastle Herald)

Ayahuasca/DMT

  • Ayahuasca: a Possible Cure for Alcoholism and Depression (Motherboard)
  • Effects of Long-Term Ayahuasca Administration on Memory and Anxiety in Rats (PLoS)
  • Portland Fuckboy in Band Called 'Black Pussy' Says Psychedelic Drug DMT Will Cure 'PC Culture' (The Muse)

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

Dissociatives

  • Ketamine To Be Helpful in Depression And Overeating (Capitalberg)
  • Rat Study IDs Brain Circuit Activated By Ketamine (PsychCentral)
  • An Anthem for Ketamine (EMSWorld)
  • Why overeating tends to make us depressed (Free Malaysia Today)
  • Man on PCP gets on KCATA bus, says he's been shot (KMBC)
  • Ketamine May Aid Antidepressant Development (Pharmacy Times)
  • Ketamine worth Rs 2.5 crore seized in Bhiwadi factory raid (The Times of India)
  • Vet office burglarized for second time in month (Daily Journal)
  • Powerful anesthetic drugs stolen in Indiana animal hospital burglaries (WTTV)

Opiates/Opioids

  • FDA Comments on Nasal Naloxone Dose Concerns (MedPage Today)
  • Good and Bad News on the Heroin Front (Patch)
  • Heroin for the Holidays (Reason)
  • Portraits Of Those Killed By Heroin Bring Healing And Awareness (NPR)
  • Law freeing drug antidote for public use has saved hundreds of lives (The News & Observer)
  • Cape Cod: America's Heroin Hot Spot (The Daily Beast)
  • 'I have been reborn': Recovering young addict offers hope to others (Today)
  • HBO's 'Heroin' Is a Harrowing, Necessary Documentary About Addicted Teens (Flavorwire)
  • Fentanyl suspected cause of dozens of overdoses in BC (The Globe and Mail)

Absinthe

  • Five things you thought you knew about absinthe (Los Angeles Times)
  • Vom Fass sells absinthe, liqueurs and flavored oils on the Plaza (The Pitch)

Kratom

  • Rapid Use of Kratom in Western Countries (Kratom Guides)
  • Kratom Being an 'Organic' Opiate Withdrawal Solution – 100% Works (Kratom Guides)

Kava

Khat

  • Tanzania: Police Destroy Khat Farms in Operation (All Africa)
  • Bids to smuggle khat, marijuana foiled; five persons arrested (Muscat Daily)

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

  • The Year's Best Drug Scares (Reason)
  • Music Fesivals, Drugs And Pill Testing (The Huffington Post)
  • The best psychedelic videos of 2015 (The Daily Psychedelic Video)
  • The Puzzling Persistence of Pee Tests (Reason)
  • Beyond Zero and One: Machines, Psychedelics, and Consciousness by Andrew Smart review - inside the minds of computers (The Guardian)
  • Toad venom on filmmaker's menu (Echo Net Daily)
  • Skateboarders and Artists Totally Flipped an Abandoned Church Into a Psychedelic Skatepark (RYOT)
  • Psychedelic Themed Nintendo is The New Trend (Clapway)
  • Why NASA released this psychedelic, technicolor video of Pluto (The Washington Post)
  • See: NASA's New Horizons paints Pluto in psychedelic Christmas colors (IBNLive)
  • NASA releases psychedelic new footage of Pluto, capture by New Horizons (Blastr)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the news links presented here. The purpose of this column is solely to catalogue how psychedelics (and other psychoactives) are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation.

This Year in Psychedelics - 2015

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Image by Dahtamnay, courtesy of Creative Commons licensing.

Happy New Year's Eve! 2015 has been yet another interesting year to follow psychedelic news—both the factual representations and wildly inaccurate media "reports" have brought a lot to the table. This article will present the major themes and trends that were found in the latter half of the year, beginning on the June 5th, which corresponds with this year's first This Week in Psychedelics article.

First, I want to provide a bit of background on what it took to get here. I have been an avid Reality Sandwich reader since 2007, and I looked forward to each new edition of Neşe Devenot's This Week in Psychedelics column. Every week, she posted links to news articles from the mass media that referenced psychedelics and other similar psychoactive substances.

Each week's collection of links attempted to be as unbiased as possible, demonstrating how various forms of mass media represent psychedelic culture and psychoactive substance use. This always included articles that shed psychedelics in a positive light as well as articles that demonized their use (including many articles that are factually incorrect and/or misguided representations of psychedelics).

Devenot gave up "This Week in Psychedelics" more than two years ago to pursue what has proved to be an extremely successful career in academia. This year I was able to successfully bring the column back—first on Think Wilder, and then on Reality Sandwich as well. The following is my analysis of this year's coverage of psychedelics and similar psychoactive substances.

Cannabis

Cannabis was in the news a lot this year, with articles being published on topics including drug policies, newly-discovered medical applications, cannabis scientific research, the fledging cannabis industry, a slew of hilarious poorly-executed drug delivery attempts, and more.

To begin, there were pro-cannabis drug policy movements at the state level across the United States of America, as well as on the international stage in countries like Italy, Australia, Mexico, Iran, and Colombia. Canada legalized cannabis oils and edibles, and its new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has proudly announced plans to completely legalize the plant.

Stories about cannabis oils and their affinity for helping young children with a variety of needs were aplenty. The medical uses for cannabis expanded even further, with focuses on cannabis benefits for ailments such as epilepsycolon and kidney cancers, low sex drives, broken bones, social anxieties, celiac disease, insomnia, schizophreniaAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Cannabis was also found to help with weight losspain management, and drug addiction treatment. Cannabis research included studies on cannabis-involved driving and an upcoming study that will look into cannabis for assisting military veterans that have PTSD.

In the area of cannabis-related crime, London police were astonished to find a cannabis "forest" as big as a soccer field. Cannabis dealers missed the mark at least three times this year, including the time that $10,000 of cannabis fell out of the sky onto a family's home, when 50 pounds of pot were accidentally mailed to the incorrect address, and when a man found cannabis stashed in an Arizona Iced Tea can that he purchased at Walmart. The FBI released data showing that there is a cannabis-related arrest every 45 seconds in the U.S.

Candidates involved with the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election have had to confront the cannabis issue several times, and this will most likely continue into next year as the election cycle continues. The cannabis industry was covered thoroughly, with topics including how women are finding success in the industry, cannabis-themed vacation resorts, and tons of cannabis exposCannabis churches began popping up to encourage and celebrate the spiritual use of (and argue for the religious right to use) cannabis. Hemp began to once again make its way as a popular building materialRussia threatened to block Wikipedia over a specific cannabis article. And finally, Australia's pitiful anti-cannabis "stoner sloth" campaign backfired terribly and was ridiculed on social media.

LSD

The main story about LSD throughout the year involved the concept of microdosing, which is not exclusive to LSD but usually involves one of the classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and mescaline-containing cacti). The media seemingly could not get enough of headlines comparing tiny doses of LSD to cups of coffee, and the topic was covered in a generally-favorable manner.

A man died after being left hogtied for an hour by police following a Widespread Panic show, and there have been conflicting evidence found by various autopsies performed as to whether he died from LSD toxicity (which would literally be the first occurrence of a lethal LSD dose) or from rough treatment by the police officers. In fact, LSD was blamed for several fatal "overdoses" this year, although those deaths would likely be more accurately attributed to psychoactive research chemicals like 25i-NBOMe.

Scientific studies showed that LSD can enhance the emotional response to music. Other studies looking at  the potential efficacy of LSD that are currently ongoing focus on the treatment of depression, cluster headaches, and smoking cessation.

This year also birthed the creation and performance of LSD: The Opera, and a fascinating history of the connection between the CIA and LSD.

Psilocybin/Magic Mushrooms

Compared to cannabis and LSD, there wasn't as much media coverage of psilocybin mushrooms (or "magic mushrooms" in general) this year, but two highlights include Russia banning Reddit over a single 'shroom thread and a lot of articles detailing the connection between amanita muscaria mushrooms and the origins of Christmas, including one I published last week.

Current research studies are looking into the application of psilocybin to treat depression, general anxieties, cluster headaches, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), smoking cessation, end-of-life anxiety in terminal cancer patients, schizophrenia, and the effect of psilocybin on longterm meditators.

MDMA/Ecstasy

MDMA and ecstasy experienced a bit of both sides this year, with a lot of negative media coverage focused on things like overdoses and deaths as well as positive reports concerning the findings of ongoing MDMA scientific research studies.

There were many articles covering MDMA-related overdoses and deaths, although it is not certain that MDMA was the actual substance involved in every one of these articles. The media tends to over-report deaths that might possibly be related to MDMA, which are actually few and far between, while ignoring the deaths and other issues caused by alcohol. Due to these incidents, there were many efforts made by authorities to ban raves entirely, which is a bit odd because that seems a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water. There were also warning about ecstasy tablets being "too pure", which sounds confusing at first but ultimately makes sense within the full context. Although drug users would most likely appreciate receiving extremely-pure drugs, if they are accustomed to taking a large dose because all they have been acquiring in the past is not actually the drug they thought it to be, then when they receive the real thing and take the same dose, it can be too large and cause several issues. As happens every year, parents were warned in October that their children may be given ecstasy tablets disguised as candy, an assertion that doesn't make any sense, as drug dealers sell drugs to make profit, not to give away for free to children.

Regarding MDMA-related scientific studies, the DEA approved a study that will look at treating anxiety with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, and ongoing studies include MDMA's potential role in helping people on the autism spectrum and sufferers of PTSD. There was definitely more negative coverage of MDMA than positive coverage, but the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is well on its way to legitimizing MDMA in the eyes of the FDA due to its it's decades-long dedication to psychedelic research, and is still on target to legalize MDMA to be used for psychotherapeutic use by 2021.

Ayahuasca/DMT

A Hebrew professor set forth an argument that Moses was under the influence of DMT when he saw the "burning bush". There have been claims of a legal ayahuasca church in the U.S., but the church's actual legal standing has been called into question.

Sadly, as has been the case for the past few years, ayahuasca was involved in the death of at least two people this year. One man died in Peru as a result of a tobacco purge ceremony, but ayahuasca was mentioned in the story because he was also in Peru to experience the medicine. And another man was stabbed to death by a fellow ayahuasca ceremony participant in a rare display of ayahuasca-related violence.

Ongoing scientific studies regarding ayahuasca include the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. A study also found that ayahuasca drinkers regularly have improved mental health.

Iboga/Ibogaine

Iboga and ibogaine were mainly presented as detox treatments for opiate and methamphetamine addictions, which has been found to be extremely successful for many. There was also a powerful account of how iboga helped a schizophrenic drug addict reclaim his life.

Salvia Divinorum

Aside from being announced as another potential plant useful for treating substance abuse and addictions, salvia divinorum didn't show up much in the media at all this year.

Synthetic Cannabinoids/Psychoactive Research Chemicals

There was quite a bit of media coverage earlier in the year a scourge of the synthetic cannabinoid blend called "spice" (also known as "K2") in the northeast, but that story has mostly died off as of late. There has been a lot of negative coverage of the compound 25i-NBOMe (also known as "N-Bomb") and there was an interview with the man who originally synthesized it. "Legal highs" have been making their way into jails and prisons by being soaked into letters and pages of books. And a homeopathy conference ended terribly after attendees erupted in panic after being dosed with 2C-E.

Dissociatives

Protesters in the United Kingdom staged a demonstration against the Psychoactive Substances bill by inhaling nitrous oxide in front of the Parliament building. Basically every PCP story was framed in a negative light and played up an illegal act performed by someone high on the substance.

Ketamine had a lot of favorable coverage due to studies showing that it is helpful in treating depression. And due to the increased media coverage, governments around the world began considering placing ketamine under a stricter class of illegal drugs, which has worried veterinarians, pharmacists and medical health professionals because that may prevent them from being able to access the drug, even for legitimate medical reasons. Finally, a lot of time was spent arguing about whether or not a man fed ketamine to a seagull, even though he denied having done so.

Opiates/Opioids

Heroin use is in America is way up and so are overdoses—in fact, heroin usage has been widely described as an “epidemic”. Since it is mainly affecting white and middle class folks, this year's victims of heroin addiction have been mostly pitied, rather than lambasted as in years past. Still, the heroin issue has thrust the horrors of the drug war into even more people's faces, and it may prove to have a positive effect on drug policies overall.

Fentanyl found in heroin has led to an increase in overdoses, and research is showing that legal prescription drugs are leading people to become addicted to heroin and in many cases, die from overdose. The overdose drug naloxone has been in the media spotlight—information about it has spread fairly rapidly, and the FDA approved a nasal spray version for easier application.

Kratom/Kava/Khat

There has been a series of back-and-forth debates on the issues of safety and efficacy with regard to these plants, and kava in particular has been focused on recently with research into the effects of driving under the influence of the plant. Other than those topics the majority of coverage on these plants has been related to seizures by law enforcement.

Miscellaneous Psychedelics/Psychoactives/Drug Policy

Psychedelics have made their way into mainstream entertainment, being talked discussed in songs written by musicians like A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and Miley Cyrus. Many celebrities and other well-known people came out of the psychedelic closet, admitting to past usage of psychedelics. These include John Cusack, musician Brian Wilson, Lindsay Lohan, the late neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah, radio personality Robin Quivers, CNN reporter Lisa Ling, musician Vanessa Carlton, former Apple employee Daniel Kottke, and Star Wars animator Phil Tippet. Many others have come out publicly against the drug war, including a strong assertion from David Nutt about why banning psychedelics has been the greatest censorship of medicine in human history.

Ross Ulbricht, the alleged founder of the Silk Road, was convicted and received two life sentences plus an additional 40 years. I encourage everyone to check out the website Free Ross Ulbricht, which has plenty of information about how his trial was mishandled and how he may have even been framed by the U.S. government. Even though the Silk Road is no longer in operation, purchasing illegal substances on the dark web continues to be in fashion and shows no sign of slowing down.

The DEA had an incredibly rough year in 2015. Current DEA Chief Chuck Rosenberg claimed that cannabis is "probably" not as bad as heroin and later corrected himself by admitting that it in fact is definitely not as bad as heroin. Later, he called medical marijuana a "joke", leading medical marijuana patients around the country to officially call for his resignation. DEA agents at JFK airport stole $44,000 from a legitimate nail salon owner who hadn't committed any crimes whatsoever. The two primary agents involved with the Silk Road investigation have been accused of stealing more than $700,000 in Bitcoin from the dark web site. Amtrak passengers have been routinely harassed by DEA agents. The DEA was sued by Human Rights Watch and Electronic Frontier Foundation over the illegal bulk collection of America’s telephone records and lost the case. The U.S. Senate voted to force the DEA to butt out of medical marijuana states. The DEA spent undisclosed millions of dollars the past ten years on cell phone tracking and has refused to release the acquisition documents. Agents were caught soliciting Colombian prostitutes that were supplied by the drug cartels that they are supposedly fighting. And finally, the daughter of a DEA head was busted for selling illegal drugs. So yeah, how long are we going to keep these bozos around, exactly?

Harm reduction has made headlines this year, with an emphasis on the need for drug users to test their substances before consuming them. NASA released a bunch of cool psychedelic images and videos from space. Google took it one step further and developed its "Deep Dream" code, which mimics the visual perception of a machine and resulted in some mind-blowing psychedelic videos. Oddly enough, the sale of Janis Joplin's "psychedelic Porsche" showed up in the news time and time again.  Buddhism and psychedelics showed up quite a bit. It seemed to me that there was a moment in the year where there was almost nothing but positive articles about psychedelics, mostly in regard to the current state and findings of psychedelic research studies. The New Yorker published a fantastic interview with Earth and Fire, the creators of the drug education website Erowid. Perhaps most strikingly, Richard Branson leaked the news that the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was expected to publish documents advising for the reversal of the drug war, and then it never did, allegedly because it received pressure from a country heavily involved in the drug war.

All in all, it has been quite a year! I am greatly looking forward to bringing you more news related to psychedelics and psychoactive substances in 2016. I hope that you will join me. Until next time, keep thinking wilder!