Misc. news stories

Rep Jamie Raskin has compared modern-day America to ancient civilisations that “practiced human sacrifice”
10th June 2022 | independent.co.uk | Ancient, Humans, Misc.

“In the history of our species, a number of civilians have practiced or allowed human sacrifice including the sacrifice of children,” he said.

“The Carthaginians, the Mesopotamians, the Incas, the Aztecs,” he listed.

“Will we be recorded as such as society that accepts the sacrifice of innocence?”

Image from Wiki Commons

Let doctors use MDMA to treat veterans with PTSD and depression, former ADF boss says
7th June 2022 | theguardian.com | Humans, Misc.

The former chief of the Australian defence force, Chris Barrie, is campaigning to remove barriers stymying doctors from using MDMA to treat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, saying he hopes “common sense is going to prevail”.

New studies shed light on the mysterious process by which psilocybin can rapidly improve depression symptoms
5th June 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

Up to 30% of people with depression don’t respond to treatment with antidepressants…So there is an urgent need to expand the repertoire of drugs available to people with depression.

Medicinal cannabis reduces pain and the need for opiate painkillers among cancer patients
31st May 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A comprehensive assessment of the benefits of medical cannabis for cancer-related pain found that for most oncology patients, pain measures improved significantly, other cancer-related symptoms also decreased, the consumption of painkillers was reduced, and the side effects were minimal.

Psilocybin Causes ‘Significant Reduction’ in Symptoms of Depression, Largest of its Kind Study Shows
25th May 2022 hightimes.com | Humans, Misc.

At the American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2022 Annual Meeting that began on May 21 in New Orleans, Louisiana, COMPASS Pathways unveiled the “largest randomized, controlled, double-blind study of psilocybin therapy ever completed,” according to a May 24 press release, and the data shows “significant” improvements to treatment-resistant depression (TRD) symptoms.

Psychedelics: how they act on the brain to relieve depression
20th May 2022 theconversation.com | Humans, Misc.

Two recent studies, published in The New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Medicine, have shed some light on this mysterious process.

Europe’s first psychedelic drug trial firm to open in London
13th May 2022 | theguardian.com | Humans, Misc.

Startup Clerkenwell Health hopes to help make UK a world leader in psychedelics research.

Cannabis users expect cannabis-assisted therapy for depression to work as well as psilocybin-assisted therapy
12th May 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy has shown promise as a treatment for depression. New research published in Cannabis finds that cannabis users expected that cannabis-assisted therapy could produce similar subjective experiences and have similar therapeutic benefits for the treatment of depression as psilocybin-assisted treatment.

Psychedelic Patents are Broken Because the Patent System Is Broken
11th May 2022 | vice.com | Humans, Misc.

Pharmaceutical patents are used to extend monopolies, leading to high drug prices, and reduced access. Will the psychedelic industry follow suit?

Inside one of the first licensed medical cannabis labs in Britain
11th May 2022 | theguardian.com | Humans, Misc.

A sweet smell wafts through the air, as two men weave through the small room tightly packed with cannabis plants, growing high above their shoulders in a flush of intoxicating flora. This isn’t yet another illegal weed factory but one of the first licensed medicinal marijuana labs in Britain.

Psychedelic experiences and mindfulness linked to better psychological wellbeing
9th May 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A new study has found a positive association between mindfulness practice, psychedelic use, and overall psychological wellbeing. The findings have been published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

Can mathematics be spiritual? Ask Einstein
7th May 2022 bigthink.com | Humans, Misc.
Mathematics and religion both embody awe-inspiring, eternal truths.
The neurochemical oxytocin appears to explain why we are more satisfied with life as we age
4th May 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

A new study has linked life satisfaction to the chemistry in our brains. People that release more of the neurochemical oxytocin are kinder to others and tend to be more satisfied with their lives.

The Advantages of Psychedelic Prohibition
3rd May 2022 doubleblindmag.com | Humans, Misc.

As a legal psychedelic industry nears, facilitators fight for their right to remain underground.

People who hear about psilocybin-assisted therapy think it’s important to have a guide who has used psilocybin
28th April 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

People with depressive symptoms appear to think it is relatively important that guides for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy have personally used the psychedelic substance themselves, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.

New study suggests “comedowns” associated with MDMA are not a result of the drug itself
25th April 2022 | psypost.org | Humans, Misc.

The drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) might not produce depressive “comedowns” when used in a controlled clinical setting, according to new research published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Miscellaneous news stories.