Psychology

New psilocybin research suggests ‘set and setting’ are crucial to helping patients get better

Researchers from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London have published a paper providing new evidence that when it comes to psychedelic-assisted therapy, a positive “[mind] set and setting” may be crucial to long-term improvements in a patient’s mental health. The new study acknowledges that unaccounted-for components may influence outcomes more than, or as…

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Psychology

Teen cannabis use has dropped significantly in States with legal weed, finds Federal study

Opponents of cannabis reform always claim that legalization will increase teen use of marijuana, but statistics from canna-legal states are increasingly proving that the exact opposite is true. Despite the [current] administration’s constant anti-cannabis rhetoric, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) has confirmed that teen marijuana use has dropped in almost every…

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Psychology

The American Kratom Association (AKA) demands FDA stop its disinformation campaign against kratom

Nine leading scientists say kratom is safe. The nine respected scientists pointed out that “kratom provides a far more favorable safety profile for consumers compared to more dangerously addictive and potentially deadly classical opioid medications.” They also pointed out that the FDA’s solution – to file a new drug application for kratom – made no…

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Psychology

Classic psychedelic drugs may reduce criminal behaviour, says recent study

“Our findings suggest the protective effects of classic psychedelic use are attributable to genuine reductions in antisocial behaviour rather than reflecting improved evasion of arrest. Simply put, the positive effects associated with classic psychedelic use appear to be reliable. Given the costs of criminal behaviour, the potential represented by this treatment paradigm is significant.” -UBC…

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Psychology

The irrationality of modern drug laws, in one chart

In recent years, certain places have started updating their laws to restore a sense of proportionality to the way they regulate drugs … As of 2016, according to the Global Commision on Drug Policy report, roughly a quarter of a billion people worldwide used drugs that were illegal. Nearly 90% of them did so without…

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Psychology

Magic mushrooms do the opposite of anti-depressants, but that may be why they work

What’s striking is the alleviation of depression occurs from emotional receptivity being enhanced – the opposite of SSRI antidepressants. ​ “It has been proposed that decreased amygdala responsiveness to negative emotional stimuli under SSRIs is a key component of their therapeutic action,” the researchers explain, “but the present study’s findings suggest that this model does…

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Psychology

Why drug rehab is outdated, expensive, and deadly

For the better part of 40 years the recipient of that check [money from various funding sources] has almost exclusively been …drug or alcohol treatment facility based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous—a self help-style system developed by and for alcohol abusers more than 80 years ago, when neuroscience was in its infancy. To…

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Psychology

The key to treating alcoholism with medical marijuana

In the nomenclature of recovery studies, cannabis aided alcoholism recovery is referred to as “Marijuana Maintenance”. The Harm Reduction Journal reports that cannabis can curb an addict’s alcohol cravings and it is a viable, natural alternative to prescription medications such as benzodiazepines. Secondly, a large quantity of drinkers medicate with alcohol to relieve psychological conditions…

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