Anthropology

Four major cities take steps to decriminalize [natural entheogens/ethnobotanicals] psychedelics

October 29, 2019By

The psychedelics reform movement is quietly advancing throughout the country, with four more major cities poised to take up proposals to decriminalize [entheogens] such as psilocybin mushrooms. Advocates in Chicago, Berkeley, Portland, and Dallas are pushing decriminalization measures—either through City Council action or ballot measures. Original Article (Marijuana Moment):Four more major cities take steps to…

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Spirituality

Mental illness is something else entirely [says Dr.]

October 29, 2019By

“So this is how the healers who are attempting to be born are treated in this culture. What a loss! What a loss that a person who is finally being aligned with a power from the other world is just being wasted.” Dr. Somé proposes that what we call depression, bi-polar, psychosis and schizophrenia may perhaps…

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Anthropology

Chicago city council calls for decriminalization of [entheogenic] mushrooms

October 19, 2019By

On Oct. 16, the Chicago City Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing support for advancing the conversation around… [entheogens]. The resolution… pledges support for adult use. The most commonly recognizable are psilocybin-containing fungi, commonly referred to as “magic mushrooms.” Original Article (Illinoispolicy.org):Chicago city council call for decriminalization of magic mushrooms Artwork Fair Use: W.carter

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Anthropology

Colonization laid the groundwork for the drug war

October 13, 2019By

…centuries of biased propaganda and policy associating currently-illicit, plant-based substances with chaos, violence, and malice. As a society beginning to seriously discuss creative alternatives to the punishment- and abstinence-based status quo, we must acknowledge that maintaining drug prohibition requires both a misappropriation and control of substances that are… [naturally-occurring] to certain lands and cultures. Decolonizing drug use on…

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Anthropology

The war on drugs is a war on the climate

October 8, 2019By

“Communal and indigenous land rights are the most effective strategy to combat the negative impacts of drug trafficking and climate change simultaneously,” she wrote. “The war on drugs approach to fighting drug traffickers has to end. Rather than engaging in military-based approaches, governments and donors should invest in community and indigenous land rights and governance…

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Anthropology

Kratom… available in Colorado

September 15, 2019By

Thailand… does… allow domestic consumption of kratom. The FDA [claims it]has linked fifteen deaths between 2014 and 2016 to kratom, [however] fourteen of the victims had other substances in their system, making the actual cause difficult to determine. [Additionally, the “kratom” reported in the 15th case apparently did not distinguish between whole botanical kratom and…

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Anthropology

Let the buyer beware: Advertised “Ayahuasca Healing Retreats” are not legal in the United States

August 16, 2019By

It appears their mistaken beliefs with regard to the laws of the United States are based upon a misunderstanding of an exemption for the religious use of peyote (another controlled substance) by a legitimate religious organization called the Native American Church, established in 1918. Organization’s misunderstandings seem to be rooted in the belief that because…

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