Science

Outdoor-grown weed is not only better for the environment…

The state wasn’t going to allow outdoor farming until… people successfully convinced the regulators to allow sun-grown weed. It’s also the more environmentally friendly choice. Outdoor farming will always use less energy. Indoor farmers need a lot of power to run their lights and fans. Just like the grape vines for winemaking, pot plants absorb…

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Spirituality

Psychedelics’ buddhist revival

…psychedelics are controversial in Buddhist circles. But she has found that entheogens like ayahuasca function as spiritual accelerants and can actually reduce addiction to intoxicants.  “I’m still a Buddhist,” Washam [who combines Buddhist mindfulness techniques with indigenous shamanic ayahuasca ceremonies] said, describing ayahuasca ceremonies as a type of “ultimate meditation” that can enhance Buddhist practice and provide personal insights…

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Science

How psychedelic microdosing might help ease anxiety and sharpen focus

Qualitative data from the survey revealed that microdosers reported positive effects of the practice including migraine reduction, improved focus and productivity, and better connection with others. In quantitative results, microdosers scored lower than non-microdosing respondents on negative emotionality and dysfunctional attitude.  The data yielded interesting results, including important information about how much of the drug…

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Science

Ayahuasca may help patients with treatment-resistant depression, study finds

In this new study, a large group of Brazilian scientists carried out the first randomized placebo-controlled trial with ayahuasca, treating 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression.​ Half of the patients were treated with ayahuasca, and the other half with placebo. “We observed a significant placebo effect, but the effects of ayahuasca were superior, and lasted longer,”…

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Politics

Narcotics Control Board calls for decriminalisation of narcotic drug use

The Deputy Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Mr Michael Addo, has called for the decriminalisation of narcotic drug use. The six-day programme brought together lawyers, prosecutors, officials from drug enforcement agencies, psychologists, students and civil society organisations from Anglophone West African countries, including The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria … Issues…

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Politics

Montreal’s public health director backs Toronto health authorities’ call for drug decriminalization

The director of Montreal’s public health department is welcoming a recent report by Toronto’s board of health pushing the federal government to decriminalize all drugs.​A Health Canada report last month found that nearly 4,000 Canadians died from an apparent opioid overdose in 2017, including 303 opioid overdose-related deaths in Toronto. That prompted Toronto’s health board urging…

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Psychology

The scientific reason people in crisis benefit from ayahuasca

More than 150 studies on ayahuasca now appear on PubMed, the federal database of peer-reviewed research. People generally know serotonin as a neurotransmitter that regulates emotions and serves as a mood stabilizer. Serotonin transporters are proteins that aid in the facilitation of serotonin throughout the nervous system, and what McKenna and his team discovered in…

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