Last Week in Psychedelic Sundays

“It’s a very salutary thing to realize that the rather dull universe in which most of us spend most of our time is not the only universe there is. I think it’s healthy that people should have this experience.” Aldous Huxley

In this post, I will share with you some of what I found on my neverending journey through the psychedelic digital jungle of interesting articles, podcasts, and studies that I have found:

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Everything to Know About Cannabis and Coronavirus

“This is theoretical, but if you’re smoking, and you get a cough reaction, you’re coughing the virus into the room, which could spread it,” says Kaufman. Especially because so many people infected with coronavirus may be asymptomatic, it’s important for those who do smoke to consider the risks they may be exposing their partners, roommates, or other social isolation-mates to.

24 Million Americans Will Spend Stimulus Check on Weed or Booze, Survey Says

Stressful times call for stress relievers, and Americans say they plan to buy plenty of bud and beer with the first round of federal stimulus checks.

Cannabis industry launches COVID-19 relief efforts in Colorado

“This is the first time I’ve seen the entire Colorado cannabis industry come together like this and there’s never been a greater need to help fellow Coloradans,” said Truman Bradley, Executive Director of MIG.

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Until Next Time: California’s Mushroom Decriminalization Effort Ends

“Today was the deadline to submit 623,212 valid signatures to the state of California to qualify for the November 2020 ballot and we never made it even close to that count because of COVID-19,” wrote Decriminalize California in an April 21 email to supporters. “As of yet we have not received a single indication that the California government will allow for an extension or electronic signatures. In other words, today it rained.”

Due to COVID-19, Connecticut’s Legislative Session Cut Short, Cannabis Legalization Stalled

The state’s general assembly has adjourned early. If and when lawmakers reconvene for a special session this summer, legalization is likely to be a low priority.

D.C. Would Vote To Decriminalize Psychedelics, Poll Shows

Voters would likely approve a measure to decriminalize psychedelic plants and fungi in the nation’s capital if organizers qualified it for the November ballot, a new poll shows. But even getting the measure before Washington, D.C. voters may be a tall order as the coronavirus pandemic has hampered signature gathering efforts for the proposed initiative to make psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine and other entheogens among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities.

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Empower Clinics launches psilocybin research and psychedelic treatment subsidiary

The company believes psilocybin could be an effective treatment for mental health issues like depression, addiction and PTSD

Defense Department Approves Ketamine-Based Antidepressant for Some Patients

Spravato, the controversial ketamine-based nasal spray used to treat severe depression, will be available to Tricare beneficiaries on a case-by-case basis beginning May 18, Defense Health Agency officials announced Friday.

Medical Researchers Worry Silicon Valley Could Screw Up Psychedelics

Entrepreneurs are hoping psychedelic drugs will follow marijuana’s path to the lifestyle industry, but medical researchers aren’t so sure that’s a good idea

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Communication between brain networks in people given psilocybin (right) or a non-psychedelic compound (left). PETRI ET AL./PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY INTERFACE

The Prohibited Medicine

Cannabis and psychedelics are still prohibited in many countries around the world, despite their wide range of benefits and evidence that they are safer than cigarettes and alcohol. We live in a society where alcohol is heavily advertised, cigarettes are sold on the counter, and painkillers and anti-depressants are taken like candy, yet smoking cannabis is an offense punishable with imprisonment.