Biography/Memoir

‘It makes me more thoughtful’: Push to decriminalize magic mushrooms gains momentum in Massachusetts

“There is more awareness when it comes to psychedelics, especially mushrooms,” Valera said. Salem City Councilor Andy Varela believes micro-dosing psilocybin has helped him. “And people are trying to do everything they can to put their health in their own hands, and I think that’s why this conversation has changed for the better.” As a…

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Biography/Memoir

Oregon… drug decriminalization… turn

Mr. Holton said the tickets don’t even include a phone number to call for help.  Dwight Holton told me… Mr. Holton, a former U.S. attorney for Oregon, is CEO of Lines for Life, a nonprofit that housed the hotline until last year [2023]. Though law-enforcement officers have issued more than 6,000 tickets in Oregon since decriminalization…

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Biography/Memoir

‘It makes me more thoughtful’: push to… magic mushrooms gains momentum…

[Oregon is poised to legislate the return to recriminalizing personal possession of psilocybin-containing mushrooms (as well as LSD and MDMA) on Tuesday March 12, 2024; with citizens awaiting Democratic Governor Tina Kotek’s signature to do so.] “There is more awareness when it comes to psychedelics, especially mushrooms,” Valera said. Salem City Councilor Andy Varela believes…

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Biography/Memoir

As ‘magic mushrooms’ got more attention, drug busts of the psychedelic drug went up

The new study is “an important part of the bigger picture of where we are headed as a nation” with psychedelics, says Dr. Joshua Siegel of Washington University in St. Louis. “It’s important to understand what’s happening in terms of the health care side of things. It’s important to understand what’s happening recreationally and legally.”…

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Biography/Memoir

As investors pile into psychedelics… pharma economics

Wall Street’s sudden exuberance for hallucinogens has rankled longtime advocates and philanthropists, who dreamed of making low-cost psychedelics widely available for mental health and personal growth. Instead, many now see a very different future for drugs like psilocybin and LSD: as expensive, specialty medications controlled by a handful of biotech companies… “We’re a victim of…

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Biography/Memoir

California… ‘magic mushrooms’

An initiative that sought to ask voters to decriminalize so-called magic mushrooms and products containing psilocybin failed to qualify for the 2024 ballot when it missed last week’s deadline to submit signatures. That followed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto last year [2023] of a bill that would have decriminalized a short list of natural psychedelics, including “magic mushrooms.”…

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Biography/Memoir

Psychedelics are going mainstream. Investing in them hasn’t

…from a financial perspective, the inconsistency of psychedelic experiences and the fact that they require hands-on psychological therapy make for a difficult investment pitch. Treatment is typically administered in a specialized facility under supervision by psychiatric professionals, which is costlier and harder to scale up than simply providing medicine. The industry’s market performance reflects such…

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Biography/Memoir

DEA tells Congress it has ‘final authority’ on marijuana, regardless of health agency’s Schedule III recommendation

In a letter sent to Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chair Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), DEA Acting Chief of the Office of Congressional Affairs Michael Miller gave a general overview… “DEA has the final authority to schedule, reschedule, or deschedule a drug under the Controlled Substances Act, after considering the relevant statutory and regulatory criteria and HHS’s…

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