This Week in Psychedelics

A meta-analysis of past studies suggests that a single dose of LSD can help treat alcoholism, newly-released documents shed light on the San Francisco edition of the CIA's MK-ULTRA program, and Evangelical Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson speaks out in favor of marijuana legalization in this week's psychedelic news.

• In a meta-analysis of previous studies to be published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, researchers determined that a single dose of LSD could make alcoholic relapses less likely. (Nature, BBC, Independent, New Scientist, ABC News, NY Daily News)
• A research team has published an article in Nature on the complete structure of the kappa-opioid receptor, the site of action of salvia in the brain. (Science Daily, Futurity)
  
• Newly released documents shed light on the San Francisco edition of the CIA's notorious MK-ULTRA program, through which people were unwittingly given massive doses of LSD to see if the drug would be useful for brainwashing. (Boing Boing, SF Weekly, Huffington Post)
  
• In a Huffington Post editorial, Evolver's own Jonathan Talat Phillips examines ayahuasca's move into popular culture and questions whether Hollywood is capable of a mature portrayal of this ancient medicinal elixir. (Huffington Post)
• A new study explains how marijuana causes impairments in working memory by weakening neuronal connections. (Guardian)
• In the first live global debate on the war on drugs, Russell Brand, Julian Assange, and former President of Brazil Fernando Henrique Cardoso joined Richard Branson on a team in favor of ending the drug war. (Virgin)
  
• A Spanish village has voted to lease land for growing marijuana as a source of revenue. (Associated Press)
• A Forbes editorial makes the case that the war on drugs hurts businesses and investors. (Forbes)
• A Bloomberg editorial questions why the Obama administration is going to such lengths to kill the thriving and legitimate medical marijuana industry at a time when the country is trying to create jobs and encourage the growth of small businesses. (Bloomberg)
  
• David Jay Brown describes new scientific studies that suggest getting high on marijuana can enhance creativity. (Santa Cruz Patch)
• A University of Colorado economics professor co-authored a study that suggests that suicide rates among young males decline markedly after states legalize medical marijuana. (American Independent, Colorado Independent)
  
• Mephedrone has become more popular since it became illegal in the UK, with four in ten club-goers citing it as their drug of choice. (Guardian)
  
• A petition in support of the Guatemalan president's call for drug legalization will be presented at the sixth Summit of the Americas, April 14-15, 2012. (SignOn)
• Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) endorsed the petition in support of Guatemalan President Perez Molina's initiative to legalize drugs. (LEAP)
• Evangelical Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson says marijuana should be legalized and treated like alcohol because the government's war on drugs has failed. (Washington Post)
• William J. Bennett, a CNN contributors, says that conservative evangelical Pat Robertson's recent support of marijuana legalization is wrong in every way. (CNN)
  
• An editorial on AlterNet argues that the media doesn't understand why people take LSD, routinely and ignorantly calling all use "abuse." (AlterNet)
• Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham explains to Fox News how cannabis is being studied to treat chronic illnesses. (Fox News)
  
• A drug users' union in San Francisco addresses public health policy and shares experiences free from shame or blame. (LA Times)
• Marc Lewis, a neuroscientist and author of "Memoirs of an Addicted Brain," recalls his first acid trip in the 1960s. (Daily Beast)
  
• A UK court ruled that a Rastafarian train driver who was fired after eating cannabis infused cake and soup at a wake was unfairly dismissed. (Metro)
  
• An Atlantic feature article explores the state of drug tourism in Southeast Asia. (Atlantic)
  
• The website for PRISM, Australia's Psychedelic Research in Science and Medicine, launches online. (PRISM News)
• A territory magistrate in Australia has been accused of setting a precedent for future offenders to escape prosecution when he dismissed an assault case because the man was on his first acid trip and wasn't responsible for his actions. (NT News)
• Police in Australia's New South Wales seized 200 marijuana plants from the home of a man who openly distributes marijuana as a medical aid. (Nine MSN)
  
• An alliance of aboriginal medical organizations in Australia supports proposed legislation to ban sniffable fuel in parts of the Northern Territory. (ABC News)
• Several students from Brisbane University were admitted to a hospital after ingesting a "bad batch of drugs" including LSD. No one at the party was charged, but their phones were seized by police in an apparent attempt to track transactions with dealers further up the drug market chain. (Courier-Mail)
• A new designer drug called "Dime," which mimics the effects of LSD and ecstasy, is under investigation in New Zealand after tests revealed it contained a Class C analogue. (TVNZ)
  
• A survey of almost 4,000 children and young people in Krakow -- some as young as nine -- has revealed that the use of drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, LSD, and hallucinogenic mushrooms is rising. (Krakow Post)
• The Amy Winehouse Foundation and the Angelus Foundation are calling for drug and alcohol education to be made compulsory as part of the national curriculum in the UK. (HM Government)
• The Magic Mushroom House in Aspen, Colorado is a beautiful multi-level home designed by Andre Ulrych in the 1970's who was said to be under the influence of magic mushrooms and LSD. (Laughing Squid)
  
• A new CD, "The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Africa," highlights psychedelic rock influences from the African continent. (Guardian)
• Gibson features 10 guitar greats of psychedelic rock. (Gibson)
  
• Sweetwater Music Hall hosts a Big Brother-themed tribute to Owsley Stanley to benefit the Owsley Stanley Foundation, a nonprofit created to preserve, digitize, and release his massive collection of more than 1,000 audio recordings from live shows of the '60s era. (Mill Valley Patch)
  
• Alyque Padamsee describes acting and directing as a bigger trip than taking LSD. (Times of India)
  
• A new fantasy cartoon aspires to be The Hobbit on LSD: "I wanted Rankin-Bass on acid, written by Borges." (io9)
• The first ever DMTRMX is being screened at its SXSW launch. [video] (Vimeo)
  
• The Huffington Post praises the film Fehérlófia for its psychedelic visions of ancient folklore culled from ancient tales of the Scythans, Huns, and Avars. (Huffington Post)
• io9 dishes the psychedelic physics behind the lava lamp's hypnotic goo. (io9)
• The animated, psychedelic Beatles movie "Yellow Submarine has been carefully restored frame-by-frame for DVD release later this year. (AJC)
  
• "Voices of East Anglia" publishes a number of drug education posters from 1960s America. (Voices of East Anglia)
  
• A conservative author recommends changing the name of the Democratic Party to the LSD party. (Yuma Sun)
• One writer doubts the ability of "substitute drugs" like LSD to fix addictions to other drugs and alcohol. (NJ)
  
• A critical opponent of drug law reform in Texas has been indicted on charges of trafficking 50 kilograms of marijuana and money laundering. (Daily Chronic)
• A 21-year-old Idaho man was arrested after running naked through traffic while high on magic mushrooms. (KTVB)
  
• 18-year-old Joshua Oliver's DMT lab was discovered by Wisconsin police, who identified the operation with the help of a Google search. The Wisconsin State Crime Lab says it was the first DMT lab to be busted in the state. (Fox 6 Milwaukee)
• A Georgia man was arrested for delivering DMT and cocaine by police, who recalled being afraid that the DMT could dissolve in their skin. (WALB News 10)
  
• A Virginia woman who almost lost her daughter to the designer drug 25i speaks out to educate other parents. (NBC 12)
  
• Police in California credited two young men for calling authorities and for helping them subdue a third man who was allegedly on LSD at a popular downtown park. (Silicon Valley Mercuy News)
• Two teenagers in South Dakota were hospitalized after having adverse medical reactions to white, aspirin-sized pills they were told were LSD. (Mitchell Republic)
  
• A Florida man allegedly under the influence of bath salts bit the hood of a police cruiser, causing nearly $600 in damage while officers attempted to restrain him. (Joy Online)
• Police and hospitals are playing catch up to determine a standard treatment plan for cases of psychedelic "bath salts," which they  describe as mimicking the effects of cocaine or LSD. (ABC News)
• Conrad Engweiler, who was 15 when he killed a classmate while high on LSD, has a new projected release date of February 22, 2018. (KXL)
  
• Indian special police set a trap for a the "kingpin" responsible for transporting LSD from Manali to Kochi. (Deccan Chronicle) 
• A sale of psychedelic mushrooms in St. Paul, MN led to a fight and gunshots. (Twin Cities Pioneer Press)

"This Week in Psychedelics" is a Reality Sandwich column that follows the multifaceted media appearances of this class of chemicals and their effects in popular culture. Share your psychedelic news links on the facebook page or twitter.

Image by Christopher Martin Adams.