Biography/Memoir

‘It makes me more thoughtful’: push to… magic mushrooms gains momentum…

[Oregon is poised to legislate the return to recriminalizing personal possession of psilocybin-containing mushrooms (as well as LSD and MDMA) on Tuesday March 12, 2024; with citizens awaiting Democratic Governor Tina Kotek’s signature to do so.] “There is more awareness when it comes to psychedelics, especially mushrooms,” Valera said. Salem City Councilor Andy Varela believes…

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Politics

Oregon pioneered… drug policy…

“We knew that we didn’t want to go backwards on what was happening with regard to the war on drugs, we can’t go back to that…” Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber said. …the hearing by the Joint Committee On Addiction and Community Safety Response focused on Republican-backed Senate Bill 1555 [creates the crime of…

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Psychology

Microdoses of LSD show antidepressant effects in placebo-controlled study

…researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered that low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a psychedelic drug, may have potential antidepressant effects in individuals showing mild to moderate depressive symptoms… the findings have been published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. “There has been a great deal of public interest in ‘microdosing,’ or the idea…

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Science

Effects of external stimulation on psychedelic state neurodynamics

Stronger external stimulation increases baseline entropy and reduces the drug effect. Results show that while brain entropy increases with LSD under all of the experimental conditions, it exhibits the largest changes when subjects have their eyes closed. Furthermore, brain entropy changes are consistently associated with subjective ratings of the psychedelic experience, but this relationship is…

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Politics

California campaign… psychedelics submits final version of proposed 2024 ballot measure

While adults would be allowed to legally grow, possess and use substances like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline under the measure, they would need physician recommendations to purchase the psychedelics at regulated stores. Cultivation on private property of psychedelic plants and fungi would be legal provided it’s done out of public view and…

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Science

Psychedelics can relieve chronic pain, new survey suggests

A new study published in the European Journal of Pain last month [July 2023] found that both macro and micro doses of classic psychedelics — LSD, psilocybin, DMT, mescaline — led to better pain relief compared to conventional medication in volunteers surveyed. “Participants reported that full doses seem to achieve better perceived results in pain relief than…

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Science

UC Berkeley… psychedelics survey

The majority of American voters support policy reforms for psychedelics, the survey revealed… over half of voters (56%) polled support obtaining FDA approval for psychedelics by prescription. Almost half (49%) support removing criminal penalties for personal use and possession with support for spiritual and religious use polling at just over four out of ten (44%)……

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Science

Psychedelics reopen the social reward learning critical period

Juvenile mice find social experiences more rewarding than do adults. The discovery [is] that psychedelics can re-engage the social neural circuits for varying durations in adults… Gül Dölen, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.; …ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin, can reopen the “critical periods” of brain…

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Science

Psychedelics promote plasticity by directly binding to BDNF receptor TrkB

…psychedelics spurred new growth in both baby and mature neurons. But the mind-bending substances were 1,000 times more efficient than Prozac at grabbing onto a key molecular hub, TrkB. With just a single dose, the drugs elevated mood in mice under chronic stress and reduced a previously-established fear. Psychedelics produce fast and persistent antidepressant effects…

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