According to a recent study conducted by U.K. medical journal The Lancet, alcohol and tobacco are more harmful than illegal drugs like cannabis, LSD and ecstasy. Of the 20 drugs studied, alcohol ranked fifth behind heroin, cocaine, barbiturates and street methadone. Tobacco ranked ninth, while cannabis ranked 11th, LSD 14th and ecstasy 18th. Addiction experts, including psychiatrists, scientists, medical specialists, and police officers, were solicited for the study. Professor Michael Cook, who teaches physiology and pharmacology at Western, wasn't surprised by the rankings. He said tobacco's negative effects aren't seen in the short term. Likewise, alcohol does cumulative damage to users over an extended period. [continues 333 words]
Booze and Cigs More Harmful Than Class A Drugs Claim Experts ALCOHOL and tobacco are more harmful than class A drugs such as LSD and ecstasy, experts have claimed. In a landmark study published today, they put booze almost on a par with heroin, cocaine and street methadone. And they place tobacco ninth in a list of 20 drugs - ranking it more dangerous than cannabis, solvents and date rape drug GHB. The list was drawn up by medical experts who say the current Class A, B and C system - in place for 36 years - should be scrapped. [continues 384 words]
I have a few comments about the recent article entitled "Salvia Questioned." I am thankful that The Oracle decided to cover this important issue, and I hope that more space is devoted to covering psychedelic issues in our community. First, the comparison of Salvia Divinorum to LSD, which is common in mainstream media coverage of the issue, is really an exercise in misinformation, as is obvious from reading sources such as the Journal of Ethnopharmacology or browsing the thousands of experience reports at erowid.org. It is notable that the effects of smoked salvia material, whether the leaves or the extract, last only a few minutes, while LSD lasts several hours. [continues 400 words]
Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance - salvia divinorum - is dangerous and have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "=46rom what I understand this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 525 words]
Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance -- salvia divinorum -- is dangerous and have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "From what I understand this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 616 words]
Used By Shamans In Mexico, It Is Sold In Some U.S. Stores Some young people are turning on, tuning in and dropping out for quick highs on a hallucinogenic drug that is legal and sold openly at novelty stores, smoke shops and adult video stores. But some state lawmakers say the substance, salvia divinorum, is dangerous and they have proposed a bill to ban possessing or selling it. "From what I understand, this drug is at least as dangerous as marijuana or LSD," said Rep. John Lim, R-Gresham, who is sponsoring a bill that would make the plant a Schedule I controlled substance in Oregon, on par with Ecstasy or synthetic heroin. "This drug is not a widely used product, but it is becoming problematic." [continues 471 words]
The psychedelic era did not begin in New York. Nor did it get its start in London or Paris. Instead, it began in Saskatchewan - Weyburn, to be exact. Psychedelic was a term coined by Dr. Humphry F. Osmond from the use of lysergic acid diethylamide - better known as LSD - in medical research in the southern Saskatchewan community. Eventually the word would become synonymous with an entire culture in the 1960s. Following the Second World War, LSD was among the drugs that interested Osmond and his colleagues in their research into mental illness. [continues 466 words]
The psychedelic era did not begin in New York. Nor did it get its start in London or Paris. Instead, it began in Saskatchewan - Weyburn, to be exact. Psychedelic was a term coined by Dr. Humphry F. Osmond from the use of lysergic acid diethylamide - better known as LSD - in medical research in the southern Saskatchewan community. Eventually the word would become synonymous with an entire culture in the 1960s. Following the Second World War, LSD was among the drugs that interested Osmond and his colleagues in their research into mental illness. [continues 462 words]
One University of Arizona researcher has found the real magic behind "magic mushrooms." Dr. Francisco Moreno, an assistant professor of psychiatry, has successfully treated the symptoms of nine patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder using psilocybin, an active ingredient found in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Moreno said he first got the idea to begin research with psychedelic mushrooms in 1997 after a patient with OCD disclosed that the hallucinogen had helped subdue the symptoms that accompanied this disease. To conduct the research, Moreno obtained permits and licenses from the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration. [continues 402 words]
GREENSBORO -- A hallucinogenic type of mint widely -- and legally -- available for purchase on the Internet has caught the attention of the Partnership for a Drug Free NC. The organization, which works to reduce the negative effect of substance abuse and mental illness, is trying to persuade state legislators to pass laws similar to those in such states as Delaware and Tennessee, where the plant is illegal. Local law enforcement agencies, drug treatment centers, and school resource officers, however, said they have seen no evidence of Guilford County residents using salvia divinorum. [continues 215 words]
It seems from the story Legal hallucinogen concerns police (SP, Dec. 21), that The SP has a troubling habit of succumbing to reefer madness. Why is the SP so ready to print police lobbying? I thought police were paid to enforce the law, not lobby for changes based on moral judgments. Sgt. Jerome Engele says that stores shouldn't be selling a legal hallucinogen to anyone and that its legality is a problem. Engele is lobbying for a change to the law even though his organization admits that police have not had any problems with Salvia divinorum to date. [continues 135 words]
Salvia Divinorum Available In Winnipeg, Produces Short, Powerful Hallucination In order to buy a mind-altering substance in Winnipeg, all you need is identification. The hallucinogen, Salvia divinorum, is currently being sold in some stores and police are unable to stop it. "We are very aware that it is here, but can't prevent the use as it is not illegal. There are only a few stores in Winnipeg that sell the product and they assure us that they only sell to people over 18 years of age," said Winnipeg police spokeswoman Marnie Minkus. [continues 369 words]
Add a new name to the list of mind-altering drugs readily available in Maine. Salvia divinorum, a potent hallucinogen closely related to an ornamental plant commonly grown in Maine herb and flower gardens, is for sale at smoke shops throughout the state. It's not illegal, but Maine lawmakers in the coming session will take up a proposal to ban or regulate it. A bill proposed by Rep. Chris Barstow, D-Gorham, seeks control over the use, sale or possession of the plant. [continues 670 words]
US Opens 25-Year-Old Files on State Secrets Some secrets, it turns out, are too old or too big to keep - even for the Bush administration, which has made a crusade of rooting out leaks and clamping down on information on the inner workings of government. In the new year, the CIA, FBI, state department and more than 80 other government agencies that handle state secrets will declassify hundreds of millions of pages of documents under a new policy that institutes an automatic release of material after 25 years. [continues 269 words]
Saskatoon police are concerned about a legal hallucinogen sold in hemp stores and on the Internet, but local users defend the powerful herbal psychedelic as a mind-altering but safe trip. The herb is Salvia divinorum, known more commonly as Salvia, magic mint or the diviner's sage. It's an unregulated hallucinogen that is legal to possess, distribute and consume in most places in the world and can be bought over the Internet or in hemp stores. In Canada, Salvia is not regulated under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but it is banned in Australia. Several U.S. states are considering a ban. [continues 525 words]
'Diviner's Sage' Used For Centuries In Mexico SASKATOON - Police forces are growing more concerned about the potential effects of a legal hallucinogen sold in hemp stores and on the Internet. But users defend the powerful herbal psychedelic as a mind-altering, but altogether safe trip. The herb is Salvia divinorum, known more commonly as salvia, magic mint, or the diviner's sage, an unregulated hallucinogen that is legal to possess, distribute and consume in most places in the world. In Canada, salvia is not regulated under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, but it is banned in Australia. Several U.S. states are currently considering a ban. [continues 197 words]
In a small-scale preliminary study, a UA psychiatrist has found that psilocybin, the active agent in psychedelic mushrooms, is effective in relieving the symptoms of people who suffer from severe obsessive compulsive disorder. Dr. Francisco A. Moreno and his colleagues conducted the first FDA-approved clinical study of psilocybin since it was outlawed in 1970. The results are published in the latest edition of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Moreno cautions that the study was simply to test the safety of administering psilocybin to OCD patients. The effectiveness of the drug is still in question until a larger controlled study can be conducted. [continues 957 words]
The father of an 18-year-old girl who died suddenly after taking Ecstasy bitterly attacked plans to downgrade the drug. Siobhan Delaney, had planned to study drama at university when her life was cut short after she collapsed at a nightclub last year. Her father Des Delaney, 55, had strong words for Professor David Nutt for wanting to remove the drug's Class A status. 'I'd like that professor to stand beside Siobhan's grave and say he wants to downgrade the drug. [continues 436 words]
The drugs Ecstasy and LSD should be downgraded from Class A to Class B, according to a scientist who advises the Government on drugs law. Professor David Nutt, chairman of the technical committee of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), said that Ecstasy's presence in the same category as heroin and cocaine was an anomaly that should change. He told MPs yesterday: "I think MDA, LSD and Ecstasy problems shouldn't be Class A." MDA, also known as the love drug or the hug drug, is a mind-altering drug similar to Ecstasy. [continues 150 words]
Prof Re-Examines a Possible Treatment Stalled by Negative Public Opinions EDMONTON (CUP) -- When most people hear the term LSD, images of little pieces of blotter paper soaked in mind-expanding liquid that offer users a new world of altered perception and oneness come to mind -- not to mention jail time. The reputation of the drug may, however, hinder its potential as a powerful treatment to a serious addiction. Erika Dyck, professor of the history of medicine at the University of Alberta, has been taking an historical look at the use of LSD as a treatment for alcoholism. [continues 513 words]
