In the murky depths of the Amazon, there is a rare combination of vine and plant geneses, when combined, they are among one of the most powerful hallucinogens known to man. Its many forms, which vary from brewer to brewer, are known as ayahuasca. The drug conjures up images of fantastical and illusionary worlds, gives the sensation of visiting magical cities and generally invokes a state of being which most of us will never know. Though similar to psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and LSD (acid), it has birthed some fantastical practices in the greater Amazonian area. [continues 426 words]
Alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous than illegal drugs such as cannabis, LSD and ecstasy, the British government's top drugs adviser said Thursday. Professor David Nutt of Imperial College London called for a new system of classifying drugs to enable the public to better understand the relative harm of legal and illegal substances. Alcohol would rank as the fifth most harmful drug after heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and methadone, he said in a briefing paper for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College London. [continues 285 words]
The British Government's chief drug adviser has sparked controversy by claiming ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, attacked the decision to make cannabis a class B drug. He accused former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of "distorting and devaluing" scientific research. Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a "relatively small risk" of psychotic illness. And he claimed advocates of moving ecstasy into class B from class A had "won the intellectual argument". [continues 188 words]
The Government's chief drug adviser has sparked controversy by claiming ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than both alcohol and cigarettes. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, attacked the decision to make cannabis a class B drug. He accused former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of "distorting and devaluing" scientific research. Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a "relatively small risk" of psychotic illness. And he claimed advocates of moving ecstasy into class B from class A had "won the intellectual argument". [continues 188 words]
LSD, the drug that launched the psychedelic era and became one of the resounding symbols of the counterculture movement of the '60s, is back in the labs. Nearly 40 years after widespread fear over recreational abuse of LSD and other hallucinogens forced dozens of scientists to abandon their work, researchers at a handful of major institutions - including UCSF and Harvard University - are reigniting studies. Scientists started looking at less controversial drugs, like ecstasy and magic mushrooms, in the late 1990s, but LSD studies only began about a year ago and are still rare. [continues 859 words]
Santa Fe Residents Fight Church's Planned Site, Say Drink Endangers Public Safety SANTA FE, N.M. -- A secretive religious group that fought a long legal battle for the right to drink hallucinogenic tea in pursuit of spiritual growth now plans to build a temple and greenhouse in a wealthy community here -- to the dismay of local residents. The church was founded in Brazil in 1961 and remains most popular there, but about 150 people in the U.S., including about 60 in Santa Fe, practice the faith, which goes by the Portuguese name Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal or UDV. Members say the church is based on Christian theology but also borrows from other faiths and finds spirituality in nature. [continues 768 words]
The following is an excerpt from Ryan Grim's new book, "This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America (Wiley, 2009) This is the 2nd excerpt in a series from the book. Read the first excerpt here http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n682/a07.html The D.A.R.E. program is now in three-quarters of all school districts, reaching more than twenty-five million American kids. It also has branches in more than fifty nations worldwide. [continues 1609 words]
The following post is adapted from the new book "This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America." The letter is published with the permission of the estate of LSD-inventor Albert Hofmann. For more on events related to the book, see the Facebook page or follow Ryan Grim on Twitter. Steve Jobs has never been shy about his use of psychedelics, famously calling his LSD experience "one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life." So, toward the end of his life, LSD inventor Albert Hofmann decided to write to the iPhone creator to see if he'd be interested in putting some money where the tip of his tongue had been. [continues 1578 words]
As an Ashland native, poet and SOU alumnus, I'd like to address a controversial issue "| and one which symbolizes a cultural decline taking place in our community and in America at large. The use of psychedelics has been a key aspect of many historical renaissances as well as artistic innovations like the paintings of Van Gogh and the music of The Beatles (not to mention the almost-established use of a certain Shakespeare). For all this, the federal laws of the land of the free not only prohibit psychedelics but attach ruthless penalties to possession of small quantities. [continues 73 words]
Plant Hallucinogens Fill Niche Left By Lack Of Laws Against Them Don Ausman began 2009 focused on a bright future. The 22-year-old Michigan State University student from Northville planned to head to New Orleans for spring break to help build homes and serve residents. After earning his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies this spring, he hoped to travel to Japan to teach English. "He was fired up. ... He was in a great mood," said his stepfather, Jim Wauldron. "He had so many plans." [continues 930 words]
Bill Cooper hardly expected to dial into a world of Mazatec Indian shamanism when his phone went dead and he reached to borrow his son's. Then he saw one of the text messages: "hey, when were you fixen to blaze the salvia." Cooper, a bill collector, suspected it was code lingo for marijuana. But under parental pressure his 15-year-old finally told him "something horrifying," Cooper said. He and other Brentwood teens smoked a little-known Mexican sage sold legally to adults in California, and apt to launch users into a strong, hallucinogenic and sometimes fearful mind trip. [continues 943 words]
Vancouver (CP) -- A survey of B.C. teens suggests fewer are using marijuana but more are abusing prescription and hallucinogenic drugs such as ecstasy. The study by the McCreary Centre Society suggests pot smoking among teens has fallen for the 10th year in a row - down to 30 per cent from 37 per cent in 2003. But according to the survey of 29,000 students, there's been a 6-per-cent jump in adolescents trying prescription drugs without a doctor's supervision and a 9-per-cent increase in use of hallucinogens since 2003. Executive director Annie Smith says the survey doesn't explain why more teens are abusing prescription drugs and hallucinogens. [end]
Ashland's Santo Daime Sect Says Sacramental Tea Is Part Of Ritual Members of a Brazilian-based Christian church in Ashland await a decision from U.S. District Court Judge Owen Panner over worshippers' right to drink hallucinogenic tea during services. The Church of the Holy Light of the Queen took the case to federal court under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act after federal agents in 1999 arrested Jonathan Goldman, head of the Ashland-based branch of the Santo Daime (pronounced Die-May) sect, searched his home and seized a shipment of the disputed tea leaves. [continues 362 words]
A recovering drug addict sits in a sunbathed office at a rehabilitation centre in Cornwall as a drug called Suboxone tricks his brain's opiate receptors into thinking he's high. But he's not. He's tranquil. And he's 39-year-old Jeff Thomas. It has been a nine-month dose of reality for Jeff since checking into the St. Denis Centre on Second Street, the site of his sixth attempt at recovery in an Ontario rehab centre. Jeff's drug of choice was OxyContin, a prescription pain medication known as "hillbilly heroin." [continues 1098 words]
Hallucinogenic herb used for cheap, legal thrill has lawmakers worried about abuse. RALEIGH YouTube may prove the downfall of Salvia divinorum. For years, college students have used the hallucinogenic herb for a cheap - and legal - thrill without attracting much attention. But with hundreds of online videos showing people smoking Salvia and dissolving into fits of laughter and hallucination, North Carolina is considering joining 14 other states that have outlawed it. A bill proposed in the legislature last week would make Salvia a Schedule I drug, equivalent to heroin or LSD. [continues 438 words]
RALEIGH - YouTube may prove the downfall of Salvia divinorum. For years, college students have used the hallucinogenic herb for a cheap - -- and legal -- thrill without attracting much attention. But with hundreds of online videos showing people smoking Salvia and dissolving into fits of laughter and hallucination, North Carolina is considering joining 14 other states that have outlawed it. A bill proposed in the legislature last week would make Salvia a Schedule I drug, equivalent to heroin or LSD. State Sen. Bill Purcell, a Laurinburg Democrat, said he has no evidence that the herb is being widely abused, but he is concerned about anecdotal reports of people who became violent or suicidal while using it. "Methamphetamine got out of control before we did anything about that," said Purcell, a retired pediatrician. "I'm hoping we can do something sooner this time." A member of the mint family, Salvia was traditionally used in religious rituals by the Mazatecs Indians of Mexico. It first became popular in the United States in the mid-1990s under names such as Magic Mint or Purple Sticky and can be found in head shops in Raleigh and Chapel Hill for as cheap as $14. [continues 400 words]
ANNAPOLIS -- State lawmakers reviewed a bill that would outlaw salvia divinorum, a powerful hallucinogenic herb that hit new heights of popularity last summer at Ocean City's Boardwalk shops. State legislators held hearings last week to review the bill, which was sponsored by Delegate Adelaide C. Eckardt, R-37B-Wicomico, Delegate Jeannie Haddaway, R-37B-Wicomico, and Sen. Richard Colbourn, R-37-Wicomico. The draft legislation would place salvia on Maryland's list of Schedule I drugs, making it illegal to possess or sell, as well as eliminating possible medical research. [continues 613 words]
Salvia Found In Boardwalk Shops Last Summer ANNAPOLIS -- State lawmakers reviewed a bill that would outlaw salvia divinorum, a powerful hallucinogenic herb that hit new heights of popularity last summer at Ocean City Boardwalk shops. State legislators held hearings Tuesday to review the bill, which was sponsored by Delegates Adelaide C. Eckardt R-37B-Dorchester, and Jeannie Haddaway R-37B-Talbot and Sen. Richard Colburn, R-37-Dorchester. The draft legislation would place salvia on Maryland's list of Schedule I drugs, making it illegal to possess or sell, as well as eliminating possible medical research. [continues 523 words]
YouTube videos show young people laughing uncontrollably, slurring their words or hallucinating -- all after smoking an herb that's completely legal in Maryland. But if state Sen. Richard Colburn has his way, Salvia divinorum -- also known as Sally D or Magic Mint, a herb widely available in smoke shops and on the Internet -- will be in the same category as heroin and LSD. "It's pretty disturbing," Colburn, an Eastern Shore Republican, said of the hundreds of videos showing the affects of the herb. [continues 392 words]
LINCOLN -- Quicker than the high from Salvia divinorum comes on, Nebraska lawmakers advanced a bill today that would make the hallucinogenic herb illegal in the state. Legislative Bill 123 would add the plan to the state's list of controlled substances, along with marijuana, cocaine and LSD. Under the bill, it would be a felony to possess or sell salvia. State Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber, who introduced the bill, told colleagues of a young man whose suicide was attributed in part to his use of salvia. He noted that Web sites selling salvia typically caution users against doing the drug alone. [continues 54 words]
