Let's say an abuse-ridden childhood has left you with PTSD that sparks panic whenever you hear shouts, even on TV. Or let's say a bad accident has saddled you with crippling anxiety and chronic pain. Now let's say that you could ease -- or even cure -- these woes with prescription psiloscybin. Prescription ecstasy. Prescription LSD.
If a growing phalanx of scientists get their way, those prescriptions could be yours within 10 years. Research into the medical benefits of psychedelic drugs is booming. An April conference on the subject at Great Britain's University of Kent featured lectures on such topics as "Ketamine Psychotherapy" and "Ayahuasca in the Contemporary World." Read more »
The psychedelic era of the 1960s is remembered for its music, its art and, of course, its drugs. Its science is somewhat further down the list. But before the rise of the counterculture, researchers had been studying LSD as a treatment for everything from alcoholism to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with promising results. Read more »
For almost 40 years, the United States has waged a war on its own citizens who have used marijuana as a part of a drug culture originally encouraged by the government. The war was commenced despite the government’s own findings that marijuana posed less of a risk to American society than alcohol, and that the greatest harm that would result from criminalization would be the injury caused to those arrested for possession and use. The harm caused by the war extends beyond its 15 million prisoners; its cost has exceeded a trillion dollars, and it has benefitted only those who profit from the illegal cultivation and sale of marijuana.
Government Responsibility for the Drug Culture Read more »
In the summer of 1951, the residents of a quiet town in southern France were racked with mysterious hallucinations that the authorities blamed on mouldy bread. But now, an American journalist claims that the villagers were the unwitting participants in a secret CIA experiment to discover the mind control potential of psychedelic drugs.
At least five people died, more than 30 were hospitalised and almost 300 taken ill in the unexplained outbreak in Pont-Saint-Esprit, a town in the Gard, south-east France.
On 17 August 1951, local doctors' surgeries were filled with people complaining of sudden nausea, diarrhea and insomnia. Hours later, many of them were in the grip of terrifying and often violent hallucinations.
The home affairs select committee (HASC) yesterday published its report on the cocaine trade, and what a woeful job they have done. It is hard to believe that this committee was the same one that in 2002 called for the government to initiate talks at the UN level to discuss "alternatives ways – including the possibility of legalisation and regulation – to tackle the global drugs dilemma". The current report lacks evidence, contradicts current expert thinking and, frankly, panders to a "tough on drugs" stance that by their own admission does not work.
MAPS, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, has announced its international conference on psychedelic research will take place April 15-18 in San Jose, California. The conference will bring together international experts on psychedelic substances and will be the largest such conference to take place in the United States in 17 years.
The Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century conference is open to the general public and registration information is available at www.maps.org/conference.
Some of the studies to be presented at the conference will examine: MDMA in treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, psilocybin (the psychedelic compound in psychedelic mushrooms) in treating anxiety associated with life-threatening illnesses, LSD-assisted psychotherapy in patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening illnesses, and the recreational, spiritual and cultural uses of psychedelics.
You don’t need psychedelic drugs to start seeing colors and objects that aren’t really there. Just 15 minutes of near-total sensory deprivation can bring on hallucinations in many otherwise sane individuals.
Psychologists stuck 19 healthy volunteers into a sensory-deprivation room, completely devoid of light and sound, for 15 minutes. Without the normal barrage of sensory information flooding their brains, many people reported experiencing visual hallucinations, paranoia and a depressed mood.
The interim Czech government, led by chief statistician-turned-Prime Minister Jan Fischer, Monday took another step towards making casual marijuana smoking a worry-free affair.
Fischer’s cabinet defined what constitutes “small amounts” of cannabis for personal use, clarifying the country’s new penal code that from next year decriminalizes cultivation and possession of the plant by individuals.
As of Jan. 1 ordinary Czechs can grow up to five marijuana plants or have several marijuana cigarettes in their pockets without fear of criminal prosecution. Previously what constituted a small amount was not specified and the police and courts loosely interpreted the penal code case by case, often resulting in incarceration of home growers. Read more »
The use of LSD and mind-altering states has convinced two local therapists that MDMA-also known was the street drug ecstasy-could help people suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatrist Ingrid Pacey and psychologist Andrew Feldmar aim to study whether MDMA-assisted therapy could benefit people who've tried traditional counselling and drug treatment with little relief.
The U.S.-based non-profit sponsoring the study, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic studies, or MAPS, and the Metro Vancouver therapists have received two of four approvals they need to proceed. Health Canada and an independent review board have given approvals, but eight months on, Pacey's waiting for an exemption under Canada's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to distribute the drug. The pharmacist involved with the study needs to be granted a licence to import the drug from a Swiss university.
Welcome to WhyProhibition.ca. We are working to repeal the prohibition of cannabis by organizing and educating the public. Sign up to get activism alerts, and access to organizing tools.
Let's say an abuse-ridden childhood has left you with PTSD that sparks panic whenever you hear shouts, even on TV. Or let's say a bad accident has saddled you with crippling anxiety and chronic pain. Now let's say that you could ease -- or even cure -- these woes with prescription psiloscybin. Prescription ecstasy. Prescription LSD.
The psychedelic era of the 1960s is remembered for its music, its art and, of course, its drugs. Its science is somewhat further down the list. But before the rise of the counterculture, researchers had been studying LSD as a treatment for everything from alcoholism to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with promising results. 
Click Here! to download over 725 peer reviewed journal articles and significant reports all dealing with the issue of Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Reform.
By William John Cox
By. RFI
The new parliamentary report on the cocaine trade lacks evidence and contradicts current expert thinking on the drug
By. High Times
By 
The interim Czech government, led by chief statistician-turned-Prime Minister Jan Fischer, Monday took another step towards making casual marijuana smoking a worry-free affair.
By Cheryl Rossi, Vancouver Courier
