Biography/Memoir

Ibogaine activist Dana Beal on his arrest for pot trafficking: ‘I’m just trying to complete my mission’

For decades, Beal has been a proponent of ibogaine, a substance, derived from an African shrub, that’s been illegal in the U.S. since 1969 because of its hallucinogenic properties. Beal considers it a superior cure for addiction to heroin and other hard drugs. He said he has received “donations in the form of marijuana” to…

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Biography/Memoir

Burning ‘tyrant’: Thousands denounce Duterte’s human right violations in Philippines

Thousands of protesters burnt an effigy of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte at the gates of the Presidential Palace in Manila on Sunday, to denounce his ‘tyrannical rule’. Marchers called on the Philippine Government to stop extra judicial killings and other human rights violations in the country’s ongoing war on drugs. The demonstration was timed to…

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Biography/Memoir

Sound off : on Kratom

Kratom is no more addicting than everyone’s morning cup of coffee to get their day started (for the overwhelming majority). “I’m a kratom user and have been since 2012. I have a regimen of 5 grams of kratom followed by a cup of coffee every morning … If the perception is it’s addicting, then we should ban coffee or…

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Biography/Memoir

Duterte war on drugs ‘hugely successful’

A top government official shrugged off allegations of rampant human right violations including the alarming rise in extra-judicial killings and described President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte’s bloody war on illegal drugs as “hugely successful.” ​ “I think the communities are safer and our young people are better protected against drugs,” Roque said even as he expressed…

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Biography/Memoir

Peter Thiel is betting on magic mushrooms to treat depression — and he’s not the only one

One of them is Compass Pathways, a for-profit company that Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel invested in last year. London-based entrepreneur Christian Angermayer, ex-hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz, and film producer Sam Englebardt are also backers of Compass … It has some notable advisors, including Tom Insel, the former director of the US National Institute…

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Biography/Memoir

Letter: Tell DEA to leave kratom alone

If kratom is banned many people will suffer or even die. They will be forced to seek stronger and more dangerous options. Kratom is a necessary and under-utilized tool to combat this nation’s opioid epidemic. Show the people that you will actually listen. Show them that we do have a voice. Renew our faith in…

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Biography/Memoir

…China won’t arrest two fentanyl kingpins wanted by U.S.

Yu Haibin, director of precursor chemical control at the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Chinese equivalent of the DEA, also blamed the “growing demand” for fentanyl among U.S. users, and said the opioid problem is “strongly connected” to state-level marijuana legalization. “Many states in the U.S. are still working on legalizing marijuana, trends like this…

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