Politics

The DEA chief will ‘have to check’ whether DEA lets drugs into communities on purpose. (It does)

*global peace indexAside from direct involvement in drug deals, law enforcement officials may also allow drugs to flow into communities because they’re interested in seizing the cash proceeds from the sale of those drugs. A more recent Inspector General’s report found that since 2007, the DEA had seized $3.2 billion in cash from people not…

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Politics

Marijuana legalization quietly goes global

In Chile, the private and personal use of cannabis has been decriminalized since 2005. By 2016, the Chilean congress had approved a bill allowing locals to grow small amounts for medical, recreational, or spiritual use.. It has been spreading globally, as far back as 1976, with countries like the Netherlands and Portugal experimenting with decriminalization and teaching the world a lesson on…

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Science

Less fear: How LSD affects the brain

*Values are reported in such a way that the lower the number is, the higher affinity the structure has for the receptor. This means that the LOW values on the graph are the relevant information NOT the taller bars. Researchers at the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) and the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the…

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Biography/Memoir

Microdosing: the people taking LSD with their breakfast

At 28, he is living with quite severe mental health problems – “depression and anxiety as a result of childhood trauma, that led to borderline personality disorder and PTSD”. He says the prescription medication he has been given results in more side-effects than benefits. “I’ve found that these substances, psychedelics, give me the benefits without…

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Psychology

Tripping out: the highs and lows of psychedelic therapy

‘The strongest evidence is currently for addiction, then depression and anxiety, followed by moderate evidence for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),’ says Professor David Nutt, a psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist I speak to for advice, and who has pioneered the research. ‘In a study we published in The Lancet, one dose of psilocybin, found in magic mushrooms,…

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