Politics

USDA unveils guidelines for Federal loans to hemp business

Borrowers who are not licensed to grow hemp will be considered in non-monetary default and any losses will not be covered … [Also] hemp that contains more than 0.3 percent THC must be disposed of under the department’s rules.  “While it’s understood that this new commodity will likely produce some servicing challenges because of State…

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Biography/Memoir

Purdue’s Sackler family wants global opioids settlement: Sackler lawyer Mary Jo White

In… public comments on behalf of the Sacklers, White told me why the family believed the litigation against them and their company is legally dubious, factually misleading and politically motivated. The claims are gargantuan: An expert plaintiffs’ witness in the nationwide MDL in Cleveland recently estimated that it will cost nearly half a trillion dollars…

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Biography/Memoir

[Are] psychedelics… making a comeback…

The increasing success of FDA-approved cannabinoid therapeutics helps drive the interest in psychedelics. ClinicalTrials.gov lists more than 400 trials involving cannabinoids. As its effectiveness is shown, the compound gains traction within the pharmaceutical industry as a possible active ingredient in a variety of therapeutics. “We were fortunate to watch the cannabis industry grow into a…

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Psychology

Here’s how much ‘magic mushroom retreats’… actually cost

While the health benefits of psychedelic mushrooms… are still very much under debate, you can try out this wellness approach for yourself — that is, if you have a couple thousand dollars to spare. When you consider that the average American spends about $271 per day on international vacations (or about $1,900 for a week including airfare), the…

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Anthropology

Japan and controlled substances: a short history

…the issue with the “Dame, Zettai” motto is that it conflates all controlled substances as something unknown and scary, without any historical and societal context… As of June 6, 2002, possession of magic mushroom carries a penalty of up to seven years’ imprisonment… While this authoritarian approach may have been permissible in the past, it’s…

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Biography/Memoir

Decrim activists [at the local level] mark first anniversary of Denver’s historic psilocybin mushroom vote

The success of the campaign “just shocked people,” [Kevin Matthews of IP-301 which allows individuals to cultivate psilocybin-containing mushrooms at home for personal use] said… through a combination of education, outreach and innovation – as well as the open-mindedness of the local electorate – the campaign prevailed. More remarkable than the policy change in Denver,…

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