Politics

FDA ends probe into kratom salmonella link

The Food and Drug Administration has ended its investigation of a small salmonella outbreak linked to kratom …no single source of the outbreak was ever identified, but kratom was considered the “likely source.” There have been several other salmonella outbreaks this year, including infections linked to melons, raw sprouts, dried and shredded coconut, live poultry,…

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Spirituality

Judge dismisses Cannabis Church’s case defending weed as religious sacrament

In response, Bill Levin, who founded the church in 2015, said: “Cannabis is safer than Curtis Hill.”  Levin also said he plans to appeal. In her order dismissing the case, judge Sheryl Lynch did not address the defense’s contention that the church’s members are insincere about practicing a religion.  Marion County [Indiana, USA] Superior Court Jude Sheryl Lynch…

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Spirituality

UNGASS 2016 and the Heemskerk Declaration

In January 2016… a group of approximately 60 farmers and farmers’ representatives in the Netherlands for the Global Forum of Producers of Prohibited Plants (GFPPP), facilitating a discussion of their views on and experiences with illicit crop control policies. The voices of affected communities involved in the cultivation of coca leaf, opium poppy and cannabis…

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Psychology

When it comes to cannabis studies [be careful who you trust]

“Because the range and quality of cannabis studies—and just the variability of the data collection techniques—whatever you want, you can find support for it,” says Dr. Josh Kaplan, a postdoc fellow in neuroscience at the University of Washington who specializes in medical cannabis research. Joelle Puccio, a nurse and researcher who sits on the board…

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Medicine/Healing

Study: [MDMA] could be far less dangerous than past research suggests

In its pure form, however, MDMA is not only a relatively safe drug, but also one that could provide surprising mental health benefits. In a 2018 paper, researchers describe how American veterans and first-responders who suffered from PTSD showed improved conditions after undergoing MDMA-assisted psychotherapy over a long-term period. The results encouraged the Food and…

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Psychology

Ending America’s war on drugs would finally unleash the therapeutic potential of psychedelics

After his treatment with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, Lubecky managed to heal from his PTSD to the point that he became National Veterans Director for Senator Rand Paul’s 2016 presidential primary campaign. His recovery is not unusual. ​ The treatment being tested by the study involved three day-long administrations of MDMA about a month apart, and 12…

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