This Week in Psychedelics

A New York State judge advocates for medical marijuana, Charles Shaw's "Exile Nation" examines the drug war in the prison system, and the Sydney Morning Herald hosts a public form on drug decriminalization in this week's psychedelic news.

• A New York State judge battling pancreatic cancer argues that medical marijuana for palliative care is a fundamental human right. (NY Times)

• The EU's drug agency warned that new "legal highs" and other synthetic drugs are appearing on the market at the rate of one a week. (Guardian)

• The Philly Post writes that as marijuana goes mainstream, psychedelics are making a scientific and cultural comeback. (Philly Post)

• Harvard LSD research draws national attention. (Harvard Crimson)

• David Jay Brown explores pharmacological agents that can increase sexual desire, improve sexual performance, and make sex more pleasurable. (Santa Cruz Patch) 

• A panel of cannabis experts and campaigners called for civil disobedience and other actions to push for drug law reform at the 20th annual MardiGrass cannabis law reform rally in Nimbin, Australia. (Echonetdaily)

• Connecticut lawmakers decided in favor of legislation that allows for the limited use and distribution of cannabis as medicine. (NORML)

• A clinical study has shown that smoked cannabis may be an effective treatment for spasticity, a common and disabling symptom of multiple sclerosis. (Science Daily)

• A new national survey reports that the percentage of high school-age teenagers who smoke marijuana regularly has almost doubled in the last three years. (Norwalk Citizen)

• A new scientific article published online in the journal "Biological Psychiatry" demonstrates that psilocybin biases facial recognition, goal-directed behavior, and mood state toward positive emotions. (Biological Psychiatry)

• The Australian Crime Commision determined that the Northern Territory had the highest street prices in the country for amphetamines, MDMA, and methylamphetamine, in some cases more than double the cost in other jurisdictions. (NT News)

• The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Customs and Border Protection Service have seized 120 kilograms of illicit substances in a nationwide crackdown on drug importers. (AFP)

• Entheogenesis Austrais (EGA) issued a press release welcoming Australia21's call to re-open a national debate about the decades-long prohibition of drugs. (EGA)

• A Herald/Nielsen poll found that two-thirds of Australians oppose easing drug laws despite recent declarations by a group of eminent Australians and a global commission that the war on drugs has failed. (The Age)

• More than half of Australians support reduced legal penalties for the use of drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy, according to a federal government survey. (Sydney Morning Herald)

• The Sydney Morning Herald and Sydney Ideas hosted a public forum on the issue "Should the government decriminalize drugs" at the University of Sydney. (Sydney Morning Herald)

• A growing number of Tasmania's legal, social, and religious leaders are calling for the decriminalization of drugs. (ABC)

• A spokesperson for the Security Bureau in Hong Kong announced that salvia divinorum would be added to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance under the First Schedule. (7th Space)

• A grandmother crusades against synthetic marijuana while synthetic drug labs stay one step ahead of the law. (KY Post)

• SF Weekly reviews Charles Shaw's "Exile Nation," an examination of the effects of the U.S. drug war within the prison system. (SF Weekly)

• An SFGate blogger rallies readers to work towards drug policy reform. (SFGate)

• LSD features in an overview of the best unintentional inventions in history. (Green Answers)

• Synergetic Press acquired the rights to publish the English version of "Albert Hofmann and his LSD: An Eventful Life and a Significant Discovery," by Dieter Hagenbach and Lucius Werthmuller. The book will be released in spring 2013, in celebration of the 70th year anniversary of the discovery of LSD. (Synergetic Press)

• A retired nurse who participated in an LSD experiment reports the "shock" of those who learn that she took LSD. (Ledger)

• After referring to evidence that psilocybin is safe and effective at reducing anxiety and depression about death when given to terminally ill cancer patients, one author warns that any rescheduling of "hallucination-inspiring drugs" could open to door to the misuse and abuse of very dangerous substances. (Brain Blogger)

• A Boston radio station interviews Dr. John Halpern of Harvard University about the state of psychedelic science and what it says about how Americans approach end-of-life care. (WBUR)

• With the launch of the private SpaceX rocket, the Washington Post reviews celebrities like Timothy Leary who have had remains sent into space. (Washington Post)

• Streaks of psychedelic colors show the passage of cities below the International Space Station (ISS), airglow in Earth's atmosphere, and the circling motion of stars.(Discovery)

• Hamilton Morris of VICE's "Hamilton's Pharmacopeia" hunts for the Cactus of the Four Winds in Peru. (VICE)

• In light of author Maurice Sendak's recent death, a Huffington Post journalist recalls his first encounter with "Where the Wild Things Are" while high on LSD in the 1970s.(Huffington Post)

• Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears tells SPIN magazine about psilocybin, his favorite drug. (SPIN)

• SPIN muses on hypnagogic pop (music made by artists "who channel psychedelic tendencies through cultural memory") while interviewing Aaron Funk about a new album composed within liminal states of consciousness. (SPIN)

• Father John Misty, formerly of Fleet Foxes, discusses his evolving relationship with mushrooms as an aid to creativity and spiritual growth. (MTV Hive)

• Former Oasis band leader Noel Gallagher explains his enthusiasm about Pink Floyd's "The Wall": "It came out just before I left school, when I started smoking pot and…doing magic mushrooms." (UT San Diego)

• Donovan talks about being a psychedelic music pioneer and his "friendly rivalry" with the Beatles. (Ultimate Classic Rock)

• Outkast’s André 3000 has been selected to portray "psychedelic guitar god" Jimi Hendrix in a biopic without the support of Hendrix's estate. (Los Angeles Times)

• Director Graham Reznick lists the best mind-bending films of cinematic psychedelia. (Fangoria)

• The band Infected Mushroom unveiled its psychedelic 3-D mapping production in Los Angeles. (Co.CREATE)

• Dutch artist Nicky Assmann's newest art installation uses soapy water to project psychedelic environments that morph in real time. (Bang Style)

• The San Diego City Beat profiles the Psychedelic Mirage Sideshow, a mix of dancing, hooping, fire, burlesque, aerial arts, snake charming, contortion and acrobatics. (San Diego City Beat)

• The Mumbai Police detained 100 people, mostly foreign nationals, at an alleged psychedelic rave party at a hotel in Juhu, India. (IBN Live)

• A multi-state agency investigation led the Indiana State Police Drug to a $200,000 marijuana and psychedelic drug bust in La Porte County. (ABC 57)

• Minnesota police are under investigation for allegedly giving marijuana and food to Occupy protesters as part of a program to test the drug and observe "the munchies." (Guardian)

• Authorities suspect a coloring book found inside an Ohio jail to be laced with LSD. (10 TV)

• Two people were arrested after a group of students at Conestoga High School in Pennsylvania got sick after eating food containing marijuana. (Philly Post)

• A 22-year-old was charged with assault in Minnesota after punching his brother and a female friend while high on LSD. (Lakeville Patch)

• A teenager believed to be under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms attacked a 68-year-old nurse at a medical center in Oregon. (Outlook)

• A 19-year-old from Pennsylvania who killed his mother in an LSD-fueled rampage in 2010 was ordered to serve 40 years in prison. (Fredericksburg)

• A Connecticut woman was arrested after checking into a hospital with three ounces of marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms. (Norwalk Citizen)

Disclaimer: "This Week in Psychedelics" does not censor or analyze the "news" links presented here. The purpose of this blog is to catalogue how psychedelics are presented by the mass media, which includes everything from the latest scientific research to misinformation. This presentation format encourages an open dialogue, and allows for misinformation to be noticed and addressed by interested and informed parties. We provide the content; you provide the analysis and debate.

Image by Christopher Martin Adams.

"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.