Last Week in Psychedelic Sundays
“I am not looking at the world, not confronting it; I am knowing it by a continuous process of transforming it into myself, so that everything around me, the whole globe of space, no longer feels away from me but in the middle.”
― Alan W. Watts, The Joyous Cosmology: Adventures in the Chemistry of Consciousness
In this post, I will share with you some of what I found on my neverending journey through the psychedelic digital jungle of interesting articles, podcasts, and studies that I have found:
Largest ever DMT survey travels to the fringes of psychedelic science
The latest study published by Davis and his team at Johns Hopkins is the largest survey of its type ever conducted. It explores the variety of experiences people have encountering autonomous strange entities after smoking the powerful, fast-acting hallucinogen, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, commonly referred to as DMT. Speaking to New Atlas, Davis excitedly describes the team’s findings while also recognizing how deeply strange this kind of science can fundamentally be.
A Word in Edgewise About the Sustainability of Peyote
In the natural sciences, for a long time, discussions about sustainability focused exclusively on the biological aspects. Harvesting of wild plants is sustainable if it is “conducted at a scale and rate and in a manner that maintains populations and species over the long term,” according to The International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP, 2007). A very simplified way of looking at biological sustainability is this: All biological resources are renewable. If the rate of harvest is less than the rate of renewal, then the species or population should persist in the long term.
The Corona Crisis: A View from the Ayahuasca Capital of Iquitos
Peru was one of the first countries to close its borders and enforce quarantine restrictions. This means that there is a strict curfew from 4pm – 4am every day and nobody is allowed out on Sundays. For a short period of time, men and women were allocated just three days each per week on which they were allowed to leave their houses, but this measure has been dropped. Only supermarkets, small convenience shops, pharmacies, the hospitals, banks, and agricultural shops were open until very recently; some food outlets now have permission to carry out deliveries and there is talk of gas and oil industries going back to work soon. Protective masks are compulsory in all public spaces. Police and military personnel are patrolling the streets to enforce restrictions. Water and gas services are also still available as usual, and, keeping the masses happy, the internet! The Government instructed internet providers that they must continue services for all customers, despite most people being unable to pay their bills currently, which, here, is usually done in person at provider shops. Despite Iquitos internet being infamously slow and unreliable, it is indeed a blessing at this time!
Cannabis banking reform included in latest Congressional COVID relief bill
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled a new $3 trillion coronavirus relief package on Tuesday that includes long-sought banking reform for the legal cannabis industry. While the bill includes more relief for impacted businesses, cannabis companies will not likely be eligible to receive those funds.
Cannabis May Stop Coronavirus From Infecting People, Study Finds
The study, published online at Preprints, was conducted by a team of biologists licensed to grow marijuana and hemp under a Health Canada research license. Using 13 different cannabis oils extracted from newly developed strains, the team discovered that certain oils containing the cannabinoids CBD and THC could lower human cell production of two key proteins that serve as gateways for COVID-19 virus to enter the body and cause infection.
Cannabis employees are in high demand during economic crash
Weed businesses around the country that were in strong financial shape heading into the pandemic are hiring additional workers in response to robust demand for marijuana products. Almost all states have allowed pot shops to remain open, even though vast swaths of the retail economy have been shuttered for weeks.
Organic Weed Certified by the State Is Coming to California
One of the biggest concerns with the legal marijuana market is its use of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. But California’s regulators just unveiled a new program that would guarantee some cannabis gets grown with only natural, non-toxic ingredients.
MindMed Advances Phase 2 LSD Microdosing Trial For Adult ADHD, Appoints Principal Investigator
Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc. (NEO: MMED; OTC: MMEDF) ("MindMed" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, on May 8, 2020, it has entered into a clinical trial agreement with Maastricht University to undertake a Phase 2a clinical trial for lysergic acid diethylamide ("LSD") in adult patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("ADHD"). MindMed previously established a microdosing division to develop a portfolio of clinical trials studying the use of sub-perceptual amounts of psychedelic substances for medical purposes.
NeonMind Completes Design of Preclinical Psilocybin Psychedelic Mushroom Study
The Yield Growth Corp. (CSE: BOSS) (OTCQB: BOSQF) (FSE: YG3) announces its majority owned subsidiary NeonMind has completed the design of a preclinical study to confirm that psilocybin (found in psychedelic mushrooms) is an effective treatment for weight loss and food craving. NeonMind engaged Translational Life Sciences Inc. ("TLS"), a contract research organization, to design the study. The TLS team is composed of physicians and scientists who are recognized thought leaders in the fields of Neurology, Pharmacology, Diabetes, Addiction and Biochemistry and have significant experience in the clinical application of cannabinoid compounds.
Interim Analysis Shows At Least 90% Chance of Statistically Significant Difference in PTSD Symptoms after MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy
the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced the results of an interim analysis of the data from the first of its two Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is the best-case scenario for an interim analysis, and suggests that MAPS’ research program is on track for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ketamine is being tested as a treatment for coronavirus in new study
Researchers think that naltrexone and ketamine could be used to help treat patients with the COVID-19 virus.
North Star Announces Ethical Pledge for Era of Psychedelic Business
An ethical trade association for the psychedelic field, North Star, announces its ethics pledge, a guide of principles for the psychedelic industry. Cofounders Liana Gillooly, Kat Conour, and Shirelle Noble meet with Lucid News to share their progress and next steps in this exclusive video interview.
Oregon Campaigns To Legalize Psilocybin Mushrooms And Decriminalize Drugs Team Up To Qualify For Ballot
Activists behind an effort to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic use and another to decriminalize all currently illicit drugs and expand substance misuse treatment are partnering to ensure mutual success. It’s a collaboration that is one of the clearest signs of the times, with advocates increasingly exploring broader reform beyond legalizing marijuana.
Silo Wellness Offers Free Psilocybin Retreat for Covid-19 Frontline Workers
Silo Wellness, is accepting applications for a free psilocybin-assisted healing retreat in Jamaica for a select group of Covid-19 frontline healthcare workers and veterans. Offered by the company’s Silo Retreats subsidiary, the retreat is slated to take place in February 2021. Silo Wellness director of veteran outreach Scott Slay says he hopes that “bringing to light the true potential of these substances within our healthcare system will drive rapid changes in the way we treat psychedelics around the world.” .
The Definitive History of Psilocybin Mushrooms
The use of mind-altering mushrooms has pervaded human society since long prior to the birth of civilization approximately 6000 years ago, and potentially even multiple hundreds of thousands of years into antiquity. The earliest concrete evidence consists of rock etched murals depicting mushroom iconography found in Northern Australia, where archaeologists and geologists suggest that the psychedelic-themed illustrations date back to 10,000 B.C.E. While there is no hard evidence supporting earlier use, it’s logical to assume humans have consumed psychoactive fungi since homo sapiens became evolutionarily distinct.
'Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics': Film Review
It's perhaps fitting that the doc frequently seems to have lost its big-picture train of thought, notwithstanding Gregory Stees' sharp editing. As it jumps from anecdote to spoof to archival snippet, it offers perfunctory asides on the psychology and biochemistry of psychedelics. There are fleeting glances at the research begun by Timothy Leary in the '60s, and an end-credits update on legalization breakthroughs and recent FDA interest in psychedelics' potential as a treatment for depression, PTSD and addiction. Bizarrely, though, this acid-centric production offers not a single mention of microdosing — perhaps a sign, along with the (welcome but bittersweet) presence of Fisher and Anthony Bourdain, of how long the film has been on the shelf.