Recently, researchers Christopher P. Holstege and Rita Farah unveiled the results of their study on the increase in poison center calls for mushroom consumption. In “Psilocybin Exposures Reported to U.S. Poison Centers: National Trends Over a Decade,” the researchers explored the rising trend of accidental exposure to psilocybin between January 1, 2024-December 31, 2022. Holstege is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics and Farah is a Researcher of Epidemiology, both of which work at the University of Virginia.

Over a 10-year period, there were 4,055 exposure incidents recorded by the National Poison Data System, and 2,667 (65.8%) of those incidents involved adolescents or young adults between 13-25. From this number of people, 1,176 (75.3%) were adolescents, and 797 (72.1%) were young adults. One of researchers’ noteworthy observations was that cases didn’t rise between 2013-2018, but increased after 2019, and tripled in 2022.

Holstege and Farah co-wrote an analysis of their research, which was originally published in The Conversation.

Researchers noted that in May 2019, Denver, Colorado became the first city to decriminalize psilocybin, which was followed shortly after by Oakland, California, in June 2019. This trend continued with various other cities across the U.S., with Santa Cruz, California, in January 2020, Washington D.C. in November 2020, Sommerville, Massachusetts in January 2021, Seattle, Washington in October 2021, and Detroit, Michigan in November 2021. Additionally, Oregon was the first state to decriminalize psilocybin and introduce a legal therapy treatment program in November 2020. This was followed by the state of Colorado in November 2022.

Farah is an epidemiologist, and both of them worked together to identify potential harms. “Part of our job is to track public health risks related to poisons and to create efforts to prevent them,” the researchers wrote. “We are both concerned about the increase in calls to poison control centers related to psilocybin.”

However, the information collected by the National Poison Data System covers calls from across the country, making it impossible to know where exactly the poison calls came from.

The data shows that a majority of the reported calls between both adolescents and young adults resulted in the need for medical attention at a hospital or treatment facility. A majority of these cases included people who were experiencing “hallucinations, delusions, agitation, rapid heart rate, and confusion.”

Holstege and Farah expressed their overall concern for youth based on their observations. “Our findings correspond with a review of more than 30 studies that demonstrates a similar rise in acute cannabis poisoning among children and adolescents beginning after marijuana was legalized in 1996,” the researchers concluded. “We find this particularly alarming, since the states that legalized and cities that decriminalized psilocybin don’t allow anyone under 21 to use it or buy it. This suggests young people are getting it illegally.”

A study recently published in the Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal shows that there has also been an increase in law enforcement seizures of psilocybin over the past few years as well. “We found that the number of shroom seizures and the total weight of shrooms seized annually increased through 2022, and the greatest weight of shrooms seized was in the West,” said study co-author Joseph J. Palamar told High Times. Out of 4,526 seizure reports between 2017-2022, the numbers increased from 402 in 2017, to 1,396 in 2022.

While it’s clear that illegal mushroom cultivation and sales needs to be reduced in order to reduce access for adolescents and young adults, the legal psilocybin industry is struggling. Oregon’s psilocybin therapy treatment service program just passed its one-year mark, but has encountered challenges such as limited customers, partially due to high prices and advertising restrictions. Less than a year into its business, one psilocybin treatment center called The Journey has already closed up shop.

Across the U.S., researchers continue to study psilocybin to determine its effectiveness as a treatment for many medical conditions. One study that was published in Clinical Case Reports earlier in June showed that both psilocybin and MDMA can be beneficial in treating symptoms of long-COVID, also called longhauler’s. Sufferers of this condition usually experience anxiety, depression, headaches, and struggles with cognition.

Also in June, University of California, Berkeley announced that it will be embarking on a study to observe how psilocybin affects human perception. It’s the first psilocybin study that UC Berkeley is conducting using human subjects. “We have this incredible opportunity to characterize the psychedelic experience in real time—while it’s happening—using modern neuroimaging methods,” said UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics director, Michael Silver. “Understanding the actions of psychedelics at a neuroscientific level will generate insights into how they’re working as medicines and will hopefully help us develop more effective treatments for mental health disorders. It will also shed light on some of the fundamental mysteries of the human brain, mind and consciousness and how they relate to each other.”

The post Poison Control Center Calls Increased Following Psilocybin Decriminalization first appeared on High Times.

The post Poison Control Center Calls Increased Following Psilocybin Decriminalization appeared first on Paradise Found.

Dedicated to my imaginary friends Hoppy Soppy and Monster Scooter.

My therapist Peter-Tuesdays-At-Noon (and sometimes Peter-Fridays-At-Nine) said I need a healthier work/life balance. He suggested taking Sundays off, and doing whatever I want.

I asked him, “Could I write about it?” 

He said, “That’s work.” 

I said, “No, it’s fun.” 

He said, “If you must.”

So, with P.T.A.N.’s blessing every Sunday I’m making it my mission to get lifted and live more! 

TL;DR – Overall I’d give this Sunday an 8.4/10.

This Sunday I got high, drank coffee, ate a bagel, saw the movie IF with a friend, walked home, got high, ate pizza, watched NHL highlights and sneaker videos on Youtube, jacked off, went to bed.

If you’d like a more in-depth look into my self-care Sunday let’s get into it!

(Editor’s Note: There will not be an in-depth look into jacking off. We aren’t sure why he tried to fight us on this.)

THE KEY TO A BALANCED BREAKFAST IS AN EDIBLE

I usually start my mornings by checking my phone, and being called a cuck on Instagram — but not on Sundays! On Sunday, I began my morning with a 5mg gummy followed by checking a group text asking friends who can see a movie. 

The group text was off to a rocky start. 

So, I decided to check back later, and go get some breakfast. Maybe by then Steve Bannon will respond.

Walking into an Alfred coffee shop, the edible started to make my bones settle. I ordered my standard fare: a large iced black coffee. The barista asked if I wanted any milk, but I declined saying, “No thanks.” Low-key milk gives me diarrhea, but my intuition told me she didn’t want to hear that truth. 

After getting my coffee I turned the corner towards the Yeastie Boys bagel truck. I think the Beastie Boys are massively overrated [Editor’s Note: he’s wrong about this.], but Yeastie Boys are not. I grabbed an everything bagel with a jalapeno cheddar cream cheese schmear. They hooked the schmear up! I offered them an edible as thanks, but they said no so I ate theirs.

Great way to start a Sunday!

ONCE WE GOT TO THE MOVIE THINGS GOT OUT OF CONTROL

My good buddy Gabe texted me back to see IF at 4:30 at The Grove AMC Theater. 

We coordinated seating, and I locked the tickets in.

Movie theater seating is crucial for a stoner. I prefer a back corner seat like L1 so I can hit a vape throughout the movie. However, this was opening weekend, so call me Liam Neeson because my seat was Taken. Instead, I took an aisle seat with a clear pathway to the bathroom to go vape in a stall if the movie stunk.

This is where it goes south. As an AMC A-Lister I can see three movies a week for free, and I get to stand in a special VIP concession line that cuts in front of the peasants waiting for their snacks in the basic bitch regular line. A-List costs $25 a month, and is worth it in every way except one. They check every A-Lister’s ID when they scan your ticket. They claim it’s to make sure people aren’t sneaking into movies for free on someone else’s account. It makes me so mad. I don’t pay all this money every month, essentially keeping the movie industry in business single-handedly, to be treated like riff raff. You don’t check the plebs’ ID’s to make sure they’re who they say they are too.

What’s next? Making me wear a scarlet A on my Fear of God t-shirt to be allowed in? Fix it, AMC CEO Adam Aron. He follows me on Instagram so he will see this.

We also saw a table claiming to help your child be discovered in Hollywood, but after seeing Quiet on the Set this is giving big pedo/groomer vibes so I’m gonna move on.

IF ROCKS!

IF is rated PG. It was the perfect movie for a theater packed with families, and two very stoned dudes. We all had a blast. It’s two hours of childlike escapism filled with imaginary friends, silly jokes, vibrant montages, and swirling music. The perfect stoner cinematic experience — and not to brag but I figured out the twist in the kids movie before it was revealed.

I only had three complaints. 

1) Every review of it is written by adults, and they trash it. Hey Dumdum, it’s not for you. Let kids write reviews for kid movies. See it in a theater filled with children like we did, and you’ll hear them laughing, cheering, gasping in wonderment, and their parents finding a moment of peace.

2) Parents, pick up your trash. The theater was a disaster when the lights came up. Popcorn cartons, soda cups, and candy wrappers everywhere. Teach your kids to pick up after themselves so the people who work at AMC don’t have to do it. It’s gross, and you’re better than that. 

3) I took this pic when someone clapped after the Nicole Kidman commercial. Buddy, we’re past that. Its moment is up. Also, Nicole’s sitting in an empty theater for the whole thing. That’s not giving “I love movies” like you think it is.

WRAP IT UP LIKE A BLIZZIE

Sundaze rock. I’m all about taking the day off to get lifted and live life. I’m not sure what I’ll do next Sunday, but I hope Kelly Anne Conway is free. 

Mike Glazer is a comedian who loves weed. He’d love it if you followed him on Instagram and Youtube.

The post Self-Care Sundaze first appeared on High Times.

The post Self-Care Sundaze appeared first on Paradise Found.

A pilot program on the benefits of synthetic psilocybin for mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is set to begin this summer at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. 

A study cohort will consist of 50 patients, mostly veterans and first responders, who are with mental health concerns like depression and addiction. Participants will take 25 mg of synthetic psilocybin, and after the psychedelic effects wind down, they will discuss issues and progress (or lack thereof) with trained therapists.

Connecticut Post reports that the goal is to fulfill the need for state data that has been lacking, according to state Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington).

“We need to have the data to show that there is documented proof of what that therapy does,” Cook said. “We know that it has some incredible outcomes when it is done right, when it’s done by people that are trained in how to use it for treatment of PTSD and so forth.”

Researchers at Yale have been studying the “psychological, neurobiological, and therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances” like psilocybin for decades..

Using a Schedule 1 drug in a clinical setting creates a set of unique problems, including the inability to use insurance. “Even though it’s a research program, you are treating them clinically. And then, in order to treat them clinically, you need to have malpractice coverage,” said Yale researcher Ben Kelmendi. Kelmendi and his team are about to embark on a first-of-its-kind study, a pilot program at Yale.

Research on the medical benefits of  psilocybin have been severely hampered due to legal restrictions, Kelmendi said. Only certain qualifying conditions are acceptable in this case. PTSD, for instance, is a complex issue that many people fail to treat.

“With veterans, they will not seek treatment right away,” Kelmendi said. “They will start turning to alcohol or other substances, and so that now they have a comorbidity, and that comorbidity—which really is their own way of coping—will exclude them from the study. They are real patients who are actually suffering and who actually need help. They cannot access these medicines because they do not fit that cookie-cutter profile.” 

The impact of PTSD is hard to define as it affects multiple aspects of daily life.

“There is no one scale that actually captures the complexity of one’s daily functional impairment. It’s actually an index of several different scales,” he said. “One is days missed at work, productivity and relationships, just more daily living. I think that is much more important than saying ‘Oh, have your PTSD symptoms improved or not?’”

Participants will take 25 mg of synthetic psilocybin, enough to induce a psychedelic experience, and the therapy is patient-directed. They will be taken in a comfortable space and about six hours later, participants will undergo a psychotherapy session. 

“Twenty-five milligrams would be considered a moderate dose. It’s not a heroic dose necessarily, but it’s a psychoactive dose, for sure,” Kelmendi said. “The non-directive supportive psychotherapy is to be done after the dosing rather than during the dosing.”

The Many Potential Health Benefits of Psilocybin 

The Yale Program for Psychedelic Science supports this goal with several currently active studies on psilocybin. These include studies on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), cluster headaches, post-traumatic headaches, and migraines. Kelmendi is working on several of them.A 2022 report published by a working group under the direction of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, was clear about the potential of psilocybin in therapeutic medicine. 

Even people who don’t necessarily intend to gain benefits for mental health from psilocybin are still benefitting, a separate study suggests. A study published last September found that using psilocybin outside of a clinical setting was associated with mental health benefits including decreases in anxiety and depression. The research, which was published September in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, studied nearly 3,000 people who reported on their experience taking psilocybin mushrooms. 

To conduct the study, which is reportedly the largest study of psilocybin in a naturalistic (non-clinical) setting, researchers spent two years collecting data from 2,833 participants who planned to take psilocybin for purposes of “self-exploration.” Most participants were college-educated white men in the United States who had previous experience taking psychedelic drugs.

The study participants were asked to fill out five surveys as part of the research. The first survey was completed two weeks prior to the psilocybin experience, which usually consisted of ingesting dried mushrooms, and again the day before the planned psychedelic trip. The remaining surveys were taken one to three days after the experience, two to four weeks after and two to four months after taking the psilocybin. 

After analyzing the data from the surveys, researchers determined that participants reported long-lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, alcohol misuse, neuroticism and burnout. Additionally, the participants reported improvements in cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, spiritual well-being and extraversion. The new research aims to add to the body of knowledge of what is known about the effects of psilocybin.

The post Yale Researchers To Study Psilocybin for PTSD, Mental Conditions first appeared on High Times.

The post Yale Researchers To Study Psilocybin for PTSD, Mental Conditions appeared first on Paradise Found.

A city councilmember in Atlanta has proposed a measure that could open the door for both psilocybin and ketamine treatments.

The councilmember, Liliana Bakhtiari, believes that health plans for city workers should include the treatments, which research has shown to be effective in combating mental health disorders such as PTSD.

“We should be offering our employees — and especially our first responders, who are expected to be superhuman — the same amount of grace and providing them with a tool set to essentially overcome this issue,” Bakhtiari said in an interview with Axios.

Per Axios, the proposal “tasks the city’s HR department with studying the pros and cons of ketamine and psilocybin to treat mental health issues and whether the employee health plan could cover the treatments.”

The outlet adds that “ketamine can be taken under the care of a psychiatrist” in Georgia, and that Bakhtiari “says she has used ketamine therapy to treat past trauma,” and that “some sessions can cost roughly $350 out of pocket.”

As a councilmember, Bakhtiari has been a vocal champion of the treatment and drug reform.

In 2022, Bakhtiari introduced a resolution that would have “formally request[ed] that police make it ‘the lowest law enforcement priority’ to investigate or arrest people for ‘planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants, Fungi, and Spores or plant compounds,’” Marijuana Moment reported at the time.

With a growing body of research on the efficacy of psychedelics as a mental health treatment, more lawmakers across the country have pushed for reform.

Earlier this year in Vermont, lawmakers passed a measure to set up a working group to look into psychedelics and their application in therapy.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a similar bill into law earlier this month. The measure will create the “Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances,” a 17-member panel that will make recommendations designed to “[enable] broad, equitable, and affordable access to psychedelic substances.”

The law requires the task force to make the recommendations “regarding any changes to State law, policies, and practices needed to create a program that enables broad, equitable, and affordable access to psychedelic substances; and requiring the Task Force to report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before July 31, 2025.”

Meanwhile, a bill recently introduced in the New York Assembly would legalized psilcoybin service centers.

The proposal would change the existing law “in relation to promoting the health and well-being of the citizens of the state of New York by establishing a comprehensive framework supporting public health and safety through regulated adult use, support services, and cultivation of psilocybin-containing fungi.”

Additionally, the bill would seat up the “Regulated Psilocybin Advisory Board,” comprised of 13 members who would be charged with studying laws and policies pertaining to psilocybin, and then provide recommendations to the state’s Department of Health. Per the text of the bill, the board would “develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services in the state will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option, including in therapeutic and medical treatments, for all persons eighteen years of age and older for whom psilocybin services may be appropriate.”

A study published earlier this year revealed that individuals with major depressive disorder experienced improvement in their symptoms following intravenous ketamine infusion therapy.

The report, based on a clinical trial involving 75 patients across four sites in the United States, was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

The patients “received 3 IV ketamine infusions over an 11-day period.” 

“Key exclusion criteria were psychotic symptoms, significant substance abuse, unstable medical conditions, and any use of cannabis. Pre-existing antidepressant medication was maintained. Primary outcome was remission as measured by Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), with secondary outcome of 50 % reduction in Beck Suicide Scale score. Safety monitoring and varying durations of infusions were also key parameters,” the authors of the study wrote. 

“The consistency of outcomes across 4 clinical sites and across multiple instruments, suggests high acute efficacy and safety of IV ketamine for serious depressive episodes. Duration of infusion did not alter outcomes,” the authors wrote in their conclusion. 

“Meaningfully, 40 % of non-responders after a single infusion did reach remission subsequently, while only 20 % of non-responders after 2 infusions achieved remission, suggesting early response is suggestive for eventual remission. Our data on varying ketamine infusion duration adds novel insights into the clinical administration of this new treatment for refractory and severe patients. Our limitations included a lack of a control group, necessitating caution about conclusions of efficacy, balanced by the utility of reporting “real-world” outcomes across multiple clinical sites. We could also not separately analyze results for bipolar disorder due to small numbers. Together, the Bio-K clinical results are promising and provide significant sample sizes for forthcoming biological markers analyses.

The post Atlanta Lawmaker Pushes City To Study Psilocybin, Ketamine Treatments first appeared on High Times.

The post Atlanta Lawmaker Pushes City To Study Psilocybin, Ketamine Treatments appeared first on Paradise Found.

New York legislation Assembly Bill 10375 was recently introduced by Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin and aims to legalize psilocybin service centers.

If passed, the A10375 would amend public law “in relation to promoting the health and well-being of the citizens of the state of New York by establishing a comprehensive framework supporting public health and safety through regulated adult use, support services, and cultivation of psilocybin-containing fungi,” the bill stated.

It would also require that the Department of Health (DoH) take charge of regulations, which involves cultivator licenses and approving psilocybin service center facilities. It would also create a “Regulated Psilocybin Advisory Board” made up of 13 members to study federal laws and policies regarding psilocybin, and offer advice and recommendations to the DoH. The purposes of the board would be to “develop a long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services in the state will become and remain a safe, accessible and affordable therapeutic option, including in therapeutic and medical treatments, for all persons eighteen years of age and older for whom psilocybin services may be appropriate.”

Psilocybin business expenses would be tax deductible, and proceeds and fees would go back into the program to fund “administration and other costs relating to programs pursuant to this title, including but not limited to public education and risks of using psilocybin.”

Currently there are 58 conditions that would qualify for a patient to utilize the services of a psilocybin center, which ranges from glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, migraines, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disorders, treatment resistant depression, and so much more. Additionally, patients with other conditions not included in the initial list can also be considered for psilocybin therapy if it “has been identified in a study published in a medical or scientific journal.” In order for a patient to receive a permit for psilocybin therapy, they must first receive a health screening and complete a permit course.

The bill wouldn’t legalize psilocybin, and consumption, cultivation, and sales would be prohibited. Violators would be hit with a $250 fine and a maximum of 15 days imprisonment.

As of May 21, the bill has been sent to the Assembly Health Committee, of which Paulin is the chair.

Other legislation involving psilocybin has led to promising progress. In February 2023, Assemblymember Pat Burke introduced Assembly Bill 03581, which would establish a psilocybin assisted therapy grant program and allow patients to engage in such treatments either in a licensed treatment center, or at home if the patient cannot travel. “This country is facing a mental health crisis,” Burke wrote on X last year. “I am looking at all options to alleviate the pain so many are feeling. Breakthrough medicines like psilocybin are showing tremendous benefit. I carry the bill to legalize psilocybin therapy. Let’s get it done!”

In February 2024, Burke introduced Assembly Bill 08349 which would create a psilocybin  therapy pilot program for 10,000 veterans and first responders. “We’re in a mental health crisis, and so we need every tool that’s available to us,” Burke said.

Meanwhile, the state’s legal cannabis industry continues to develop. In mid-April, the New York Cannabis Control Board approved 101 adult-use cannabis licenses. “With the Cannabis Control Board’s issuance of 101 adult-use cannabis licenses, New York’s legal cannabis industry continues to make significant progress with over 400 licenses issued in 2024,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Strengthening New York’s equitable cannabis industry and ensuring the hard-working small business owners operating in the legal market have the licenses to open are the best way to protect the integrity of sales in New York.”

As of late April, the state celebrated the opening of its 100th dispensary, called Big Gas, which opened through the help of the New York State Cannabis Investment Fund. “New York State continues to make progress on standing up a safe and legal cannabis industry for business owners, farmers and residents across the state,” said Hochul about the news. “Today marks a historic milestone in establishing a thriving and equitable industry in our state with the 100th brick-and-mortar store opening.”

The topic of psilocybin continues to influence more illuminating research studies.  One such study which was published this month in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs showed evidence that it won’t change a person’s belief as an atheist, agnostic, or believer in God. “These findings suggest that concerns that psychedelics could change metaphysical beliefs or result in ‘conversions’ across religious affiliations may be overestimated,” wrote researchers of their findings. They added that “concerns related to changes in non-naturalistic beliefs or religious affiliation may be exaggerated.”

Other recent studies include a dive into psilocybin as a meditation enhancement, show evidence that psilocybin isn’t associated with paranoia risk, and proves that natural psilocybin has more therapeutic benefits in comparison to synthesized psilocybin.

Another psilocybin treatment center recently opened up in Oregon, called Ashland Healing Center, which is also the first black-owned treatment center. Additionally, the Oregon Health Authority approved another psilocybin license to Kaya Holdings Inc., for a business called The Sacred Mushroom, which plans to open sometime in June.

The post New Assembly Bill in New York Seeks To Legalize Psilocybin Service Centers first appeared on High Times.

The post New Assembly Bill in New York Seeks To Legalize Psilocybin Service Centers appeared first on Paradise Found.

A woman and minority-owned psilocybin treatment center in Oregon, the first of its kind, will soon open doors. It was co-founded by a mother and daughter team, Denise Taylor, a registered nurse (RN), and Laurie Thompson, an experienced meditator.

Ashland Healing Center will provide relief to patrons for mental health conditions, PTSD, anxiety, depression, addiction, and end-of-life concerns, according to a May 21 announcement. During the journey each client is supported by a licensed Psilocybin Facilitator, and the focus is on psilocybin for personal transformation. 

With the guidance of an experienced Psilocybin Facilitator, patrons are able to avoid unpleasant effects of the mushroom and its derivatives.

“We partner with healthcare professionals to get the best results for our mutual clients and patients. Our services are of special interest to medical professionals, therapists, counselors, integrative health care practitioners, and anyone interested in improving mental health. We offer complimentary consultations to those interested in our services. We are also the only black-owned legal Psilocybin service center and are committed to improving mental health outcomes for the black community,” said Taylor.

Taylor’s expertise as an RN helps the team to make better choices about potential interactions and safety issues. Psilocybin sessions go as follows, in four steps:

1. Consultation
2. Intake and Preparation (set and setting)
3. Administration
4. Integration

The Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board approved a limited number of recommendations. But Ashland Healing Center co-founders say that studies from John Hopkins, UC Davis, Yale, and NYU have demonstrated a broader span of potential for psilocybin-assisted therapy.

“Psilocybin provides both medical and metaphysical/spiritual benefits,” said Thompson. “The results our clients experience are incredible. I’ve witnessed depression becoming love, relief from migraine headaches, spiritual experiences, release of intergenerational trauma, and physical healing. We are honored to offer these services and have served clients from across the nation. Ashland, Oregon, is accessible via the Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (code MFR).”

As the direction of psilocybin sessions heavily relies on an individuals’ set and setting, much of the experience is self-directed.

“Psilocybin treatment is not therapy,” the website states. “It is self-directed. Although success is often received with just one treatment, your intent and desire to change are of paramount importance. A willingness to begin working on that change before the experience and to continue after are key to your continued success. Safety and comfort are also important. We want you to work with a facilitator you trust in a safe place. As facilitators we will work with you to build trust.”

In November 2020, Oregon voters  approved Measure 110, and the state officially became the first e to decriminalize hard drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine, and also legalized the use of psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic use. By December 2022, the state was training facilitators to care for participants experiencing their psilocybin journey. It took until May 2023 to approve the first license, which belonged to EPIC Healing Eugene.

A consult, which is free, typically lasts one hour.

Beginning with Denver, Colorado, the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in 2019, other cities followed including Oakland and Santa Cruz, California; Washington, D.C.; Somerville, Cambridge and Northampton, Massachusetts; Seattle, Washington; and Detroit, Michigan. Oregon and Colorado moved to decriminalize psilocybin at the state level as well.

Psilocybin’s Potential in Therapeutic Medicine

Psilocybin is being explored for its role in helping people with eating disorders (ED), treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and even stress due to childhood trauma.

Psilocybin’s effects on ED, for instance, have been explored since the 1950s, and studies are zeroing in its ability to help us overcome treatment-resistant conditions like body dysmorphia, anorexia, or bulimia.

Researchers Elena Koning and Elisa Brietzke are exploring the ways psilocybin can treat ED by its therapeutic benefits in combating rigid thought patterns. Koning, who is a doctoral student, recently wrote about her discoveries for PsyPost, explaining the reasoning behind her research.

Koning mentioned that in the age of social media, EDs are becoming increasingly troublesome, and that new approaches to those types of disorders are needed.

A recent study, “Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy as a Potential Treatment for Eating Disorders: a Narrative Review of Preliminary Evidence,” was published online ahead of print for Trends Psychiatry.

Another recent study, published recently in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, took a closer look at adverse childhood experiences as an “elevated risk for psychological distress,” specifically looking at how psilocybin may abate these effects. It was authored by researchers at Simon Fraser University, Athabasca University, University of British Columbia and University of Michigan.

Researchers found that the use of psilocybin can help to ease psychological distress in people who had adverse experiences as children, indicating that psilocybin appeared to hold “particularly strong benefits to those with more severe childhood adversity.”

The post First Black, Woman-Owned Psilocybin Treatment Center Opens first appeared on High Times.

The post First Black, Woman-Owned Psilocybin Treatment Center Opens appeared first on Paradise Found.

As it turns out, your marital status could affect the extent to which psychedelics can lower your stress levels. And it appears that single folk may experience the greatest benefit of psychedelics. 

An analysis of data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health revealed that individuals who had used psychedelics at least once in their lives, in general, had lower levels of psychological distress, according to research PLOS ONE. This association was most pronounced among people who were single and significantly weaker among those who were married, widowed, or divorced, PsyPost reports. 

There’s already loads of research that clearly establishes a positive correlation between psychedelics and mental health. The Department of Veteran Affairs is funding research into psilocybin and MDMA to treat PTSD and depression. The FDA recently recognized LSD’s potential to treat anxiety. And there’s a study suggesting that DMT may be an effective treatment for depression.

The research into the martial status and tripping looked at classical psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT, in addition to MDMA. 

The study’s author, Sean M. Viña, sought to explore the relationship between psychedelic use, marital status, household size, and psychological distress. He hypothesized that married individuals who have used psychedelics might experience reduced distress and that those in larger households would face increased distress. He also suspected that the beneficial effects of psychedelics on distress would be least pronounced among people with large households.  

Viña analyzed data from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, which is an annual survey conducted across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. This survey seeks to measure the pervasiveness of substance use and mental health issues in the United States. 

This analysis looked at data on people’s distress levels over the past month using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a straightforward tool for measuring psychological distress. It consists of 10 questions about emotional states, each with five possible responses. The K10 can be used as an easy screening method to figure out one’s levels of distress (you can try it here). 

It also considered whether participants had ever used classic psychedelics like DMT, ayahuasca, psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, peyote, or MDMA. It also included information regarding participants’ marital status, household size, and other demographic details.

While single people won in some ways, and we’ll get to that, the results indicated that married individuals experienced lower levels of distress compared to single and divorced people. Married folks’ distress levels were actually comparable to widowed individuals. 

Interestingly, the divorced individuals had the highest levels of drug use, unrelated to the psychedelics, which included cannabis but also tobacco, cocaine, tranquilizers, inhalants, pain relievers, and heroin. They also were more likely to have started drinking at an earlier age. While some of that substance use could be in reaction to divorce, it also may indicate that, unsurprisingly, an unhealthy relationship with drugs could lead to relationship problems. 

Those who reported using classic psychedelics, in general, had generally less psychological distress. This was held true even after considering marital status and household size. But the connection between psychedelic use and reduced distress was strongest in single individuals. It was also significantly weaker in those who were married, widowed, or divorced. So, while being partnered or mourning a partner could lead to less stress in general, such folks may have a reduced benefit from taking psychedelics. 

Notably, and giving child-free people a reason to celebrate, those with the most stress had larger households. If a person using classic psychedelics was married, the connection between living in a large household and experiencing psychological distress was even stronger. 

“The results confirm the predictions that LCPU [lifetime classic psychedelic use] exacerbates the negative consequences of household size for the heads of households who are married, widowed, and divorced. The results also suggest that larger households are associated with harm regardless of marital status, but the negative consequences decrease for single psychedelic users as the household size increases,” Viña explained. 

Viña went on to conclude that: “Widowed psychedelic users may experience some benefits from living with more people, but these benefits decrease as the household size becomes too large. In contrast, among married or divorced psychedelic users, the distress caused by household size worsens as the family sizes increase. Finally, for widowed psychedelic users, there is a negative association between household size and distress, but this association decreases at a decreasing rate.”

So, while, if you’re windowed, it might not be a bad idea to move in with a friend, don’t move in with an entire family. 

“These results can be explained by the increasing responsibilities that heads of households face as their families grow, which are then exacerbated by psychedelic use. On the other hand, single individuals may experience a diffusion of responsibility as their family sizes increase,” Viña said. 

It’s important to remember that while studies like this are fascinating, we don’t always know if they’re demonstrating correlation or causation. In other words, while psychedelics could lead to less stress for single people, compared to overworked and exhausted moms and dads, on the other hand, it could just be that single people are more likely to have less stress and have a free weekend to spend tripping. 

The post Marital Status Uniquely Affects Psychedelic Experiences, Study Shows first appeared on High Times.

The post Marital Status Uniquely Affects Psychedelic Experiences, Study Shows appeared first on Paradise Found.

The active ingredient in psilocybin mushrooms is being explored for its power to break out of the grip of rigid mental patterns—patterns which often lead to treatment-resistant disorders. Researchers believe it could help to transform therapy by providing an alternative way to tackle mental disorders.

A recent pilot study published in the Journal of Psychedelic Studies has found preliminary evidence that psilocybin, when administered in a group retreat setting, can enhance psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility means being present in the moment and having the ability to respond to stimuli in ways that serve your values. 

The study, “A pilot study of the effect of group-administered psilocybin on psychological flexibility and outcomes,” was conducted by Brian Pilecki, Jason Luoma, and Kati M. Lear.

“I think group-based psilocybin administration is under-studied and has significant value in producing therapeutic change. I also am interested in using psychological flexibility as a way to understand how psychedelics exert their effects and lead to improvements in health and well-being,” study author Brian Pilecki of Portland Psychotherapy told PsyPost.

Nine participants—six female and three male—attended the retreat, ages ranging from 41 to 68. Nine participants were employed: four full-time and five part-time. Four participants endorsed having a regular meditation practice while five did not.

Researchers collected data using a series of assessments at three intervals: one week before the retreat, two weeks after the retreat, and six months later. These assessments utilized standardized questionnaires to measure psychological flexibility, cognitive fusion, values-driven behavior, self-compassion, emotional expressivity, and general well-being.

When asked what their highest dose psilocybin session taken during the retreat was, participants reported between five and 12 grams of dried, homogenized mushrooms, meaning that all participants had at least one “heroic” psilocybin session with a dose that was at least 5 grams.

The study narrowed down quantifiable changes in psychological flexibility rather than just recording any changes in psychological flexibility.

“This study is significant in that it is the first to quantitatively document changes in psychological flexibility facets after psychedelic experiences rather than only more general changes in psychological flexibility,” the study states. “Understanding processes of change involved in psychedelic-assisted therapy is important in informing how psychotherapy can support psychedelic experiences. For example, it might be possible to take steps during preparation to make it even more likely that people will experience cognitive defusion or values clarification during dosing sessions. Alternately, techniques based on psychological flexibility theory might be used to support changes in values that begin during dosing and translate these into long-term behavior change. We are just beginning to understand the link between psychedelics and psychological flexibility and hope this pilot study will spur future research on the topic.”

Psilocybin’s Efficacy to Decrease Cognitive Fusion of Rigid Thought Patterns

The data shows a substantial decrease in cognitive fusion—referring to the grip of rigid thoughts that alter behavior. This drop was significant at the two-week follow-up and persisted through the six-month evaluation, suggesting that participants were able to detach from their thoughts more effectively, allowing them to act more in line with their values rather than being prisoners shaped by habitual thought patterns.

Participants reported improvements in how freely they were able to live according to their values. This was evident from drops in “values obstruction” at both the two-week and six-month follow-up periods. Additionally, there was an increase in values progression by the six-month mark, indicating sustained improvements in the participants’ ability to engage in behaviors that align with their personal values over time.

Researchers also observed increases in self-compassion at both follow-up points, as well as changes in emotional expressivity.

“Our study supported that psilocybin taken in a retreat context can be helpful in enhancing key aspects of psychological flexibility including cognitive defusion, valued living, and self-compassion,” Pilecki told PsyPost. “These improvements suggest that client’s were able to take greater perspective on their thoughts and align their behaviors more closely with their values.”

The long-term benefits of psilocybin are being explored.

“Some of the differences between short- and long-term outcomes were surprising, though it is hard to infer much due to the small sample size,” Pilecki said. “For example, of all the processes that were measured, we found increases in self-compassion at the six-month follow-up suggesting that psilocybin may lead to enduring changes in one’s relationship to themself.”

As with many psilocybin-related studies, the control group size was very limited, suggesting that more research is needed to determine the fungi’s efficacy in treating mental disorders.

“This was a small pilot study without a control group, so results must interpreted with caution,” Pilecki noted. “However, positive results suggest further research in this area is warranted.”

The post Psilocybin Mushrooms Enhance Psychological Flexibility, Pilot Study Shows first appeared on High Times.

The post Psilocybin Mushrooms Enhance Psychological Flexibility, Pilot Study Shows appeared first on Paradise Found.

Kaya Holdings Inc., which became one of the first publicly traded companies to hold a cannabis license when it began operation in Portland, Oregon in 2014, recently announced that it has been approved to hold a license for therapeutic psilocybin.

The announcement came on May 7, stating that Kaya Holdings officially owns a Psilocybin Service Center license from the Oregon Health Authority. The business will be called The Sacred Mushroom, which is set to be a “full-service psychedelic treatment center that will allow clients to receive Psilocybin Treatments in a setting offering significant experience differentiators and concept innovations.” It also boasted that the business will be up and running “within the next 30 days,” which would be sometime around the first week of June.

The Sacred Mushroom is located atop a building in downtown Portland and contains 11,000 square feet. The idea behind the layout is a spacious “room to roam” design, with “unsurpassed comfort, optional private rooms, activity zones with yoga, listening stations, journaling chairs and art expression, a special “sensation room,” a relaxing indoor garden and customized experience through our proprietary Synergy By Design ‘your setting, your way’ program.”

The press release cited data from Precedence Research, which stated that the U.S. behavioral health market was valued at $83 million in 2022, and projected a value increase to $136 billion by 2032.

Kaya Holdings Inc.’s OTCBQ market symbol is KAYS, and the company currently holds three cannabis licenses in total: one in Portland, Oregon, and two in Greece.

According to KAYS CEO Craig Frank, psilocybin is the next frontier in psychedelic medicines. “The introduction of legal psilocybin treatments in Oregon marks the beginning of perhaps the most disruptive force in the mental health sector, transforming treatment protocol and redirecting resources,” Frank said in a press release. “Our distinctive guest experience model, the environment offered by the size and design of the facility and the dedication of our staff are designed to make The Sacred Mushroom the premier choice for anyone turning to psychedelics for relief or transformation. For these reasons I believe KAYS is well positioned to become a leader in the ‘delivery of care’ of psychedelics.”

The state’s first psilocybin service center, EPIC Healing Eugene, opened in June 2024. “Our services focus on deep healing work, mindfulness, empowerment, spirituality, and transformation through psilocybin facilitation and integration,” EPIC Healing Eugene stated on its website. “We teach self-help strategies that support self-directed personal development and brain change. We help you prepare for a healing shift that will help you get the most out of your experiential journeys. Our skilled and supportive staff offer preparation sessions, followed by integration sessions to help you better recognize and incorporate the gems of insight from your psychedelic experiences into your daily life.”

Three months later, more than 3,000 people were on the waitlist despite high prices of entry, while many others praised their experiences.

The Sheri Eckert Foundation is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2021 by Sheri Eckert. She was the co-creator of Measure 109, which was passed by Oregon voters to establish legal psilocybin service centers, however she passed away in December 2020 before she could see the results of the law she helped to build. Through the Sheri Eckert Foundation, Eckert’s goal to “receive and allocate funds to individuals and organizations operating in Oregon’s legal and regulated psilocybin facilitation program” lives on.

In 2023, the Sheri Eckert Foundation gave out $300,000 to 76 scholarships for psilocybin facilitation students. Most recently as of early May, the foundation is aiming to raise $1 million to give out to those who need funds to legally use psilocybin in the state. So far, $176,218 has been collected from Proteus Fund, Full Potential Fund, and Dr. Bronners.

There are 20 psilocybin service centers currently operating in Oregon, according to Willamette Week. However, one called the Journey Service Center recently closed down due to lack of participants. Founders Jenna Kluwe and Clint Martin opened the center in September 2023 and service an estimated 100 customers. According to Willamette Week, the center was able to serve about 10 people per day, with each participant paying $2,000 per day.

“My eyes were bigger than my stomach,” said Martin, who invested around $1.2 million into the business.

Kluwe also told the news outlet about her feelings on the closure. “I’ve absolutely loved doing this,” said Kluwe. “The numbers just weren’t where they needed to be.”

Susanne Ulvi, a licensed psilocybin facilitator who previously worked at The Journey Service Center, said that other centers faced slowed business this past winter. “Nobody seems to be filling their rooms,” Ulvi explained.

While Oregon’s psilocybin service centers’ future success is uncertain, studies on the efficacy of psilocybin as a medical treatment continue to grow. Researchers have found that psilocybin use enhances meditation, isn’t associated with paranoia risk, weakens a person’s response to angry faces, and so much more. One study found that nine out of every 10 Americans believe that therapeutic psilocybin use for therapy and/or well being is “morally positive.”

The post Oregon Health Authority Awards Newest Therapeutic Psilocybin License first appeared on High Times.

The post Oregon Health Authority Awards Newest Therapeutic Psilocybin License appeared first on Paradise Found.

As cannabis and psychedelics continue to experience a modern-day renaissance, with increased education and access to information surrounding their use and benefits, we’re collectively crafting new narratives after decades of inflammatory propaganda surrounding these substances.

Tired messaging of the past has suggested that cannabis and psychedelic use were one-way tickets to unpleasant and traumatic experiences, though we’re gradually moving away from these assertions, as research is finding these drugs can work to ease physical and mental trauma and stress, alongside many other potential benefits.

A new YouGov poll sheds even more light on the experiences of individuals with cannabis, psilocybin and other psychedelics like LSD and MDMA, finding that the majority of those who have tried the substances described their experiences as positive. 

As the government works to reschedule cannabis to the less restrictive Schedule III category and psychedelic research and reform continues to escalate across the country, the results offer further insight on today’s shifting attitudes surrounding plant medicine and psychedelic drugs.

U.S. Adults Report Positive Cannabis, Psychedelic Experiences Most

YouGov conducted the online poll April 25-28, 2024, comprised of 1,134 U.S. adult citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification and current voter registration status.

Most participants had used cannabis (57%, including 42% who used it more than once). Psilocybin was the next most popular substance, with 20% reporting previous use, while 16% had tried LSD and 11% had tried MDMA. About half of people who had used each of those drugs said they had tried it more than once.

For each of the drugs, the majority of users said their experiences were “mostly positive” — specifically 57% of cannabis users, 65% of psilocybin users, 55% of LSD users and 56% of MDMA users. 

The next most popular response for all drugs was “equally positive and negative,” while those reporting “mostly negative” experiences for all drugs was lowest (20% for cannabis, LSD and MDMA and 8% for psilocybin).

Support for Cannabis, Psychedelic Legalization

The survey also asked respondents about their attitudes surrounding the legislative reform measures surrounding the drugs and whether they believed that they should be legalized.

The majority of respondents showed their support for cannabis legalization, with 60% in favor and 30% opposed, though far fewer said the same for the other drugs in the survey. Just 27% said they support legalizing psilocybin, 16% MDMA and 15% LSD.

Still, those who had tried each drug were more likely to support legalization than those who had not. 

Specifically, 78% of cannabis users support its legalization, 63% of psilocybin users support legal psilocybin and 55% of MDMA users support legal MDMA. LSD stood out in this respect, as 38% of LSD users said they supported legalization while 43% would oppose it.

The survey echoes the sentiments of other recent polls investigating the shifting modern-day attitudes surrounding cannabis and psychedelic drugs.

Monitoring Evolving Perceptions on Cannabis and Psychedelics

A number of recent polls reveal the progression surrounding consumer attitudes around cannabis and harm perception, with many revealing that Americans view cannabis as safer than using alcohol or tobacco.

Myriad polls have also shown strong support for cannabis legalization among American adults, with one recent Pew survey finding that 88% believe cannabis should be legal for medical or recreational use — 57% said it should be legal for both medical and recreational use. Most respondents also said that recreational cannabis reform was positive for the economy and makes criminal justice more fair.

Similarly, another recent poll found that 28% of Americans have used at least one of seven psychedelic drugs included in the questionnaire, with LSD, psilocybin and MDMA as the most popular (at 14%, 13% and 9% reporting use, respectively). The poll, also conducted by YouGov, nods to the changing trends surrounding psychedelic acceptance, saying that “recent shifts, both in policy and public opinion, suggest the tide in the United States may be turning toward increasingly favoring psychedelic drugs.”

The post Poll: Majority of U.S. Adults Report Positive Cannabis, Psychedelic Drug Experiences first appeared on High Times.

The post Poll: Majority of U.S. Adults Report Positive Cannabis, Psychedelic Drug Experiences appeared first on Paradise Found.