Politics

MAPS PBC announces new American Medical Association CPT III codes for psychedelic-assisted therapies take effect

January 2, 2024By

MAPS PBC [Public Benefit Corporation] and COMPASS Pathways collaborated to work with the AMA [American Medical Association] to create these new CPT III codes.  These are temporary codes assigned to emerging technologies, services and procedures, to facilitate reimbursement and support access to psychedelic therapies in the United States, if such therapies receive regulatory approval by the…

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Biography/Memoir

A federal task force is moving up the ranks of Portland’s fentanyl trafficking rings

January 2, 2024By

…a new criminal complaint suggests the outlines of the case that federal authorities are building. That criminal complaint, filed Dec. 12, 2023, in U.S. District Court in Portland, reveals that law enforcement are investigating a trend of drug trafficking organizations using “Honduran nationals to distribute bulk amounts of fentanyl…in the western United States.” It names…

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Politics

In Southern Oregon, illegal cannabis has overwhelmed the legal industry

January 1, 2024By

Next year marks the 10th anniversary of legalizing the cultivation and sale of recreational cannabis in Oregon.  Economist Beau Whitney estimates 1 million pounds of dried pot were grown legally this year in Oregon. But Whitney estimates another 3.1 million pounds of illegally grown Oregon cannabis will be diverted across state lines. By Whitney’s calculations,…

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Politics

Biden signs defense spending bill funding psychedelic research

December 30, 2023By

President Joseph Biden… signed a defense spending bill that funds clinical trials researching psychedelic drugs to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries experienced by active-duty members of the U.S. military. The president signed the legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)… after the bill was approved by Congress earlier this month…

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Biography/Memoir

In 2023 fentanyl overdoses ravaged the U.S.

December 30, 2023By

Federal researchers now say drug overdoses are a leading cause of death among young Americans age 18-45. In 2023 the overdose death rate topped 112,000 in a 12 month period for the first time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention… total annual spending on the drug war now tops $40 billion a…

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Politics

State officials consider manure in magic mushrooms

December 22, 2023By

“A lot of the vegetables that people eat is grown on manure, so I’m not sure how this would be any different,” Mason Marks said during the December 10 [2023] hearing, noting that substrate alternatives such as coco coir are “often mined in environmentally irresponsible ways.” Manure is typically cheaper than other substrates and promotes…

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Biography/Memoir

Federal court rejects doctor’s push… psilocybin rescheduling petition…

December 22, 2023By

…a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected the doctor’s request for a rehearing of an earlier court decision that returned the matter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). …in a one-line ruling handed down… the court denied the rehearing request without explaining its reasoning. Given that Aggarwal’s rescheduling…

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Politics

Provincetown, MA, Select Board backs reducing arrests for psilocybin… with 3-1-1 vote

December 18, 2023By

The Provincetown Select Board voted to approve a resolution… that instructs police officers to deprioritize cases involving psilocybin, and calls for statewide decriminalization and for the Cape & Islands District Attorney to cease prosecution of people possessing, cultivating or distributing psychedelic plants. Provincetown joins Somerville, Cambridge, Northampton, Easthampton and Salem, where elected officials have passed resolutions directing their…

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Politics

Colorado SB23-290

December 18, 2023By

The Personal Use section of Proposition 122 was a hallmark of the NMHA. The personal use provisions of the NMHA… several types of natural medicine, namely psilocybin, psilocin, ibogaine, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and mescaline (excluding peyote). SB23-290… a police officer is not allowed to arrest nor is the district attorney allowed to prosecute a person for…

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Science

No comparison… alcohol vs. psilocybin…

December 14, 2023By

Notably, [alcohol is] prohibited or discouraged in certain social, religious, and cultural groups for this reason. While both substances alter consciousness and can affect mood and perception, they do so through very different mechanisms and carry different risks, experiential effects, and legal statuses. Although alcohol is culturally ingrained in many social contexts, its high potential…

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