Medicine/Healing

Dear psychedelic researchers, [advocates, citizens, and educators]

…two major contributors to the mental health epidemic are staring us in the face: wealth and health inequality… [which] perpetuate traumas that frequently manifest in treatment-resistant mental illnesses. In this context, the story that psychedelic medicalization will revolutionize mental health in the absence of socioeconomic change is nothing more than a persistent hallucination…we acknowledge that…

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Medicine/Healing

Legalizing marijuana increases housing prices [potentially exacerbating homelessness and housing affordability for low-income], study finds

As they describe it, the economists found “positive effects in the top of the distribution following the success of the ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana, but no effect in the lower half.” Why the lopsided effect? The economists say a number of mechanisms could be at work, with a big one being access to liquidity…

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Psychology

…what’s [one of] the worst things that the wellness industry could do to psychedelics?

In the context of a for-profit system, there is a need to cut costs to remain competitive. Could expensive mental healthcare professionals be substituted for digital “equivalents?” If you think that psychedelic integration should be done through an app, raise your hand. Currently, though, COMPASS therapists are using [smart-phone app] – designed “training bot” which helps them “develop and…

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Medicine/Healing

Veterans vouch for ayahuasca therapy

During his time in the military, he became heavily reliant on drugs: marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, psychedelics. “I just realized there’s never really, ever, a time for war,” he said. Grob extensively studied the psychological effects of ayahuasca in Brazil in the 1990s, focusing on the UniÃo Do Vegetal church, which uses ayahuasca on a regular…

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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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Medicine/Healing

CBD shows some potential for treating opioid addiction

This anti-addictive effect lasted for a week after the CBD was administered. A study in rats published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that CBD decreased heroin cravings in rats that had previously been trained to self-administer heroin. And a small study conducted in humans, published in the journal Neurotherapeutics, showed that taking CBD seemed…

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Medicine/Healing

Oakland could become 2nd U.S. city to decriminalize… mushrooms

Oakland, Calif., could become the second city in the U.S. to decriminalize certain natural hallucinogenics, including “magic mushrooms. The resolution applies only to psychedelics derived from plants or fungi, not synthetic drugs like LSD or MDMA. Original Article (The Hill):Oakland could become 2nd U.S. city to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushroomsArtwork Fair Use: Bob Embleton

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