Spirituality

Activists plan marijuana ceremony inside D.C. Basilica during eclipse

Cannabis churches have emerged around the country. Courts have not granted such organizations protection under the First Amendment to violate drug laws, though the Supreme Court in 2006 found religious use of ayahuasca is allowed under religious-freedom legislation passed by Congress to allow American Indians to use peyote. Armstrong believes a case her organization has…

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Spirituality

Court: growing hallucinogenic mushrooms not illegal in New Mexico

Growing hallucinogenic mushrooms isn’t prohibited by a New Mexico law against manufacturing an illegal drug. That’s the legal conclusion of the state Court of Appeals, which has overturned the felony drug trafficking conviction of an Alamogordo man for growing psilocybin mushrooms in his home. Under state law, drug trafficking includes the manufacturing of illegal drugs.…

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Spirituality

How the amazonian tea ayahuasca affects mental health

Working with ayahuasca seems to enhance both self-awareness and the ability to detach from maladaptive thoughts and emotions in the day-to-day, potentially creating more space to respond to stressful situations or life events in healthier ways. So far, mechanisms of action have been identified in the domains of neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and physical health, and…

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Spirituality

Do psychedelics make people more environmentally active?

A study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that people who have taken psychedelics are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviours such as buying eco-friendly products, minimising air travel in order to reduce their carbon footprint, and adopting responsible water use practices. According to the study authors, psychedelics “contribute to people’s pro-environmental behaviour…

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Spirituality

Horticulturalist wants magic mushrooms legalised

The magical effect of magic mushrooms was hailed in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, during an application by a horticulturalist, who is fighting to have this fungi legalised … Vandenberg said she is not a criminal, yet she is treated as one because of her beliefs. Channelie Vanderberg (corr) turned to the court for a…

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Spirituality

Legal challenge launched to legalise ‘magic’ mushrooms

Vandenberg’s submission mirrored Cromhout’s contention that the criminalisation of psychedelic mushrooms was absurd, as there existed no evidence that it was harmful or addictive; it punished offenders for a victimless offence; and it disregarded documented beneficial effect in combating mental disorders like depression and anxiety. Vandenberg said in court papers she intended challenging the constitutionality…

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Spirituality

Psychedelics, personality and political perspectives

Further work is needed to investigate the nature of the relationship between the peak psychedelic experience and openness to new experiences, egalitarian political views, and concern for the environment. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that lifetime psychedelic use (but not lifetime cocaine use or weekly alcohol consumption) positively predicted … openness and nature relatedness, and…

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Spirituality

Our endless drug war

In earlier times it appeared as a “war” on alcohol, which supposedly was terminated in 1933. It [war on “drugs”] then returned in full force, which an insecure President Nixon used to try to escape the harsh glare of Watergate. Despite its somewhat benign appearance, it basically serves to keep our prisons, our police departments…

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Spirituality

Assessing the psychedelic “after-glow” in ayahuasca users…

Post-acutely, ayahuasca potentiates mindfulness capacities in volunteers, and induces rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant patients. Here we investigated in an open-label uncontrolled study in sixteen healthy volunteers ayahuasca-induced post-acute neurometabolic and connectivity modifications, and their association with mindfulness measures. ​ Original Article (Pubmed):Assessing the psychedelic “after-glow” in ayahuasca users​Artwork Fair Use: Jacob Botter

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