Medicine/Healing

Oregon lawmakers… [postpone] kratom [regulation]

“This wasn’t quite ready for prime time this year, but I do hope that the advocates continue to work on this issue,” said one Oregon Senator. Kratom can act as… [both a pain reliever and a] stimulant when ingested. It’s made from the leaves of a tree native to southeast Asia, and it’s become popular…

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Anthropology

Beijing says… [American and Canadian] legalization of marijuana is a ‘threat to China’

*remainder of China’s “Great Wall”China severely punishes those caught smuggling or trafficking… including foreigners … The move puts it at odds with North America, where cannabis has increasing levels of social acceptance. Anyone found with more than 50 grams (1.76 ounces) of a controlled substance can face the death penalty. Authorities in major cities, including…

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Politics

Congress votes to block Feds from enforcing marijuana laws in legal states

The United States House of Representatives approved a far-reaching measure on Thursday (6/20/2019) to prevent the Department of Justice from interfering with state marijuana laws, including those allowing recreational use, cultivation and sales. The inclusion of adult-use programs represents a significant expansion of an existing policy that protects only local medical cannabis laws from federal intervention which was first enacted in 2014…

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Anthropology

OSU launches global hemp research center

Jay Noeller, an OSU professor of crop and soil science who is to head the new center also noted a sense of an historical cycle coming around. “By bringing the center to Oregon, you can also think of it as we’re returning it home, because this was the site of national research on hemp from…

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Anthropology

A new age dawns for legal cannabis

During the past few months, so many of you have spoken with legislators, or with the media, or with each other. Today that work has paid off. But this is just the beginning. On the afternoon of June 20th, 2019 Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 582, the so-called “cannabis export” bill. In doing…

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Politics

States consider decriminalizing magic mushrooms

Iowa state Rep. Jeff Shipley, who filed a bill in February to decriminalize psilocybin in [Iowa] State, brings up another argument: personal freedom. “Where did government derive authority to regulate substances to begin with?” he asks … Decriminalization is not the same as legalization; Denver and Oakland will no longer use city money to impose criminal penalties on people age…

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Science

CBD and the psychedelic receptor

CBD and… [psilocybin] act at 5-HT2A, the psychedelic receptor, in different ways, resulting in markedly different effects. Whereas CBD has little binding affinity for the classical cannabinoid receptors, CB1 and CB2, several serotonin receptor subtypes are key docking sites for CBD, [including the 5-HT2A]. Original Article (Project CBD):CBD and the psychedelic receptorArtwork Fair Use: DrLee

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