Researchers in the United Kingdom have detected the presence of the powerful sedative xylazine in cannabis vapes and illicit pills taken to treat pain, insomnia and anxiety, putting people who use the tainted drugs at risk of overdose or other serious health consequences. The prevalence of xylazine has been growing since 2022, according to researchers at Kings College London, when the first overdose death from the drug in the U.K. was identified.

 Xylazine, a powerful non-opioid sedative commonly used as a veterinary tranquilizer, has been found in the drug supply in the United States for years. It is frequently mixed with heroin or fentanyl and has been implicated in thousands of overdose deaths nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although it is commonly found in the illicit drug supply, xylazine has not been approved for use in humans by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The drug is a powerful sedative that can cause overdose and death, often when mixed with other drugs. Additionally, injecting the drug can cause skin ulcers and resulting complications including infections that sometimes necessitate amputation.

Xylazine Found in Vapes and Illicit Pills

In the U.K., researchers have found xylazine in THC vapes and counterfeit prescription drugs including codeine, alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) tablets, according to a study published on Wednesday. The research identified xylazine in samples collected from 16 people in the U.K., including 11 who had died.

“Xylazine has already penetrated the U.K. illicit drug market and is not limited to heroin supplies. Urgent action is needed to protect both people who use heroin and the wider population of people who use drugs from its acute and chronic health harms,” the researchers wrote.

In nine of the 11 confirmed deaths, xylazine was found in combination with an opioid such as heroin or fentanyl. Researchers say the lack of such a combination in the remaining two deaths suggests that xylazine may have been part of an illicit tablet or vape.

“This is cause for alarm as a much wider population of people who use drugs beyond heroin users will be exposed to its harms,” said Dr. Caroline Copeland, senior author of the study, told The Guardian.

“We also know that most people who buy heroin will not intend to buy xylazine and this combination increases the risk of overdose,” Copeland added. “Xylazine was designated an ‘emerging threat’ to the United States and this public health threat is a growing concern for the U.K.”

Copeland added that the total number of deaths in the U.K. is probably even higher because xylazine stays in the body for only a short time. Since August 2023, the last death covered by the research, “we’ve had several more deaths so it is only continuing and increasing,” the researcher said.

Dr. Benjamin Caplan, M.D., the chief medical officer at cannabis consultations provider CED Clinic and the author of The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook, says that the “discovery of xylazine in counterfeit codeine, diazepam (Valium) tablets, and recently within THC vapes — particularly those sourced from home-grown suppliers — is particularly troubling.”

“These counterfeit products, often look like products sold from reputable sources, and so they may appear safe, but in fact may pose a grave threat to unsuspecting consumers,” Caplan, who was not involved in the U.K. study, wrote in an email to High Times. “My professional experience includes dealing with the aftermath of such substances, including patients who have suffered or even lost loved ones to adulterated products that they purchased outside of regulated dispensaries, which are closely monitored to avoid any such contamination.”

A U.K. government spokesperson said that officials “are aware of the threat from xylazine and are determined to protect people from the threat posed by this drug and other illicit synthetic drugs.”

“We will not hesitate to act to keep the public safe,” the spokesperson said. “Following advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, we intend to make xylazine a class C drug meaning anyone supplying this substance will face up to 14 years in prison, a fine or both.”

But study co-author Dr. Adam Holland, a co-chair of the drugs special interest group at the University of Bristol, said the increase in drug contamination and overdose deaths is a clear sign that punitive drug laws are not working.

“We need to expand the range of harm reduction interventions available for people who use drugs, including drug checking and overdose prevention centers, to give them the opportunities they need to stay safe,” Holland said.

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The government of the United Kingdom has approved changes to the rules governing industrial hemp licenses designed to make it easier for farmers to grow the crop. The new regulations will support regulated farmers who grow hemp and encourage new investment in the industry while continuing to discourage illegal drug uses of the plant, government officials said this week.

In the U.K., industrial hemp (cannabis with less than 0.2% THC) can be legally grown outdoors by licensed farmers for the production of fiber and seed. Under the current rules, initial hemp cultivation licenses are issued for three growing seasons for a fee of £580 (about $727). License renewals cost £326 (approximately $409) and are also good for three years.

Under the new rules, which are slated to go into effect for the 2025 growing season, the length of time a hemp license is valid will be extended to six years. The amended regulations also allow farmers to apply for a hemp cultivation license with a deferred start date of up to one year, giving new growers more time to prepare for the new crop.

The new rules, which were developed in collaboration with experienced hemp growers, will also allow farmers to grow hemp anywhere on a licensed farm instead of limiting production to specific parcels of land. The change will give growers more flexibility in managing their operations and allow them to implement hemp into a crop rotation plan for their farms.

A Sustainable Crop for U.K. Farmers

The number of licensed hemp growers in the U.K. has increased significantly over the past 10 years, from only six in 2013 to 136 in 2023. Farming Minister Mark Spencer said in a statement that the new rules will give British farmers more opportunities to succeed by growing hemp.

“Industrial hemp has huge potential across the UK to unlock new revenue streams, expand our bioeconomy without permanently removing land from food production, and bring wider environmental benefits,” said Spencer, according to a report from FarmingUK.

“The licensing changes recognize industrial hemp as a field-grown agricultural crop and will enable more farmers to add hemp to their crop rotations,” he added.

Industrial hemp licenses do not allow farmers to utilize hemp flowers or leaves. Growers who wish to do so can obtain cannabis cultivation licenses, which allow for the indoor production of the plant for medicinal purposes. The dual licensing scheme is designed to allow for the cultivation of cannabis and hemp for permitted purposes while preventing drug misuse and protecting public safety.

“This government will always seek to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens placed on businesses so that they can flourish and grow,” said Chris Philp, minister for crime and policing, the Farmers Guide reported on Wednesday. “The changes outlined today will help farmers and manufacturers in the UK to fully realize the economic potential offered through the safe and legal cultivation of hemp.”

The adoption of the new rules was supported by groups including the National Farmers Union (NFU). Jamie Burrows, chair of the NFU Combinable Crops Board, said in a statement that hemp agriculture can benefit farmers and the environment.

“It is one of the most sustainable crops farmers can grow, is a really good crop for capturing carbon from the atmosphere, has little to no input requirements and also has the ability to diversify farming businesses and crop rotations, especially when other break crops like oilseed rape are becoming more difficult for British farmers to grow due to increased pest pressure,” Burrows said this week.

The U.K. government has also requested that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs provide guidance on whether the permissible amount of THC in industrial hemp can be raised from 0.2% to 0.3%, the standard in the United States, Canada, China and the European Union. 

The government also noted that it expects the nation’s police to continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to cannabis possession. Under U.K. drug laws, possession of cannabis can be punished by a fine and jail sentence of up to five years, with harsher sentences of up to 14 years behind bars for cannabis distribution convictions.

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Due to a shortage in stimulant-based drugs for ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), the U.K.’s limited medical cannabis industry is seeing a spike in patients using cannabis for relief as an alternative. The exodus of patients resorting to medical cannabis shows its growing need.

The Guardian reported last September that doctors in England were told not to prescribe ADHD drugs to new patients because of a national shortage. The medications affected include four out of the five top stimulants prescribed to ADHD patients in the U.K.: methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, guanfacine,  and atomoxetine.

It’s been compared to the Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salts) shortage impacting the U.S. U.S. brand-name drug makers behind Adderall, Vyvanse and Concerta are able to keep up with the shortage, but the generic versions of all three drugs are struggling to keep up. Is it time to panic? Even with these shortages in medication, doctors still say ADHD is under-diagnosed and patients are under-prescribed.

Some of them are turning to cannabis. BBC reports that a medical cannabis clinic said the U.K.’s medical cannabis industry had seen an 86% increase in ADHD patients nationally over the last year.

Some people believe cannabis can alleviate many of the symptoms associated with ADHD as research advances.

Medical Cannabis Is Better Than No Medicine

Medical cannabis, when prescribed by a registered specialist doctor, was legalized in the U.K., mostly in the form of oils and flower, in November 2018. Since then, treatments, including medical cannabis, that meet “appropriate standards” have been reclassified under Schedule 2, meaning that they have medical value. And while the U.K. has very limited availability for medical use, exports are another story: the U.K. was the world’s largest exporter of legal cannabis in 2016.

Research director Dr. Simon Erridge, who also works at Curaleaf Clinic, said it was “natural for people to explore other options” amid the shortage.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) told the BBC that while there were no cannabis-based medicines licensed for the treatment of ADHD on the NHS, specialist clinicians “can prescribe cannabis-based products where clinically appropriate and in the best interests of patients.”

“Other ADHD products remain available but cannot meet excessive increases in demand,” the DHSC alert states. “At present, the supply disruptions are expected to resolve at various dates between October and December 2023.”

Suddenly losing access to a stimulant-based drug that patients rely on leaves them with few options.

“A lot of people with ADHD may try a number of different medications to find the one that works best for them, if that is suddenly taken away by shortages it’s only natural for people to explore other options and there’s no reason why that might not include medical cannabis,” Erridge said.

Cannabis for ADHD

Depending on the person, cannabis can both help and distract people from focusing.

A January 2020 study called “Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Doses are Associated with Adult ADHD Status of Medical Cannabis Patients” arrived at mixed results, finding that whole-plant cannabis seemed to be more effective.

“The use of purified THC:CBD in a 1:1 ratio (nabiximols) showed no effect on ADHD symptom severity; however, in a qualitative study, 25% of responses indicated that whole-plant cannabis was therapeutic for ADHD,” researchers wrote. “Here, we demonstrated an association between higher CBN and lower ADHD symptoms frequency. It has been previously demonstrated that the combination of CBN and THC is associated with increased psycho-activity of THC in humans. This indicates a more complex story than simply stratifying treatment based on THC and CBD alone.”

Researchers acknowledged that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to tackling ADHD when it comes to cannabis. 

“There is no ‘simplistic’ method for tracking only the dominant constituents of cannabis to better understand the medical potential of a cannabis cultivar,” researchers continued. “Thus, the novel perspective of our study is extremely valuable for the [medical cannabis] research field.”

Medical professionals who spoke to High Times for an October 2019 article agreed that ADHD treatments are not one-size-fits-all. Brooke Alpert is a licensed cannabis practitioner and founder of Daily Habit. Alpert touched on the correlation between CBD and ADHD. “The studies that focus on ADHD and CBD have shown some conflicting evidence.” 

She added, “I think more research needs to look at what relief people are finding with cannabis so we can have a better picture of how to further recommend CBD and cannabis for those with ADHD.”

Energizing strains like Sour Diesel, Jack Herer, Green Crack have been reported to actually have calming effects on people living with ADHD, even if they make others jittery.

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Although the United Kingdom (U.K.) legalized medical cannabis in 2018, it has not approved any clinical studies and is not widely available as a prescription through the country’s National Health Services (NHS).

A recent report from Sky News provided an update on the NHS, stating that no studies have been funded to help explore the efficacy of medical cannabis yet. However, U.K.-based Celadon Pharmaceuticals recently began a clinical trial featuring 5,000 patients who suffer from chronic pain.

Earlier this year in March, Celadon Pharmaceuticals became the first company in the U.K. to be licensed by the British government, called the Home Office, to sell its products to private clinics that are legally allowed to prescribe cannabis.

At first Celadon Pharmaceuticals conducted a preliminary study, examining 500 patients and found that cannabis did help reduce patients’ reliance on opioids, and also helped improve sleep. This past summer, both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the NHS Research Ethics Committee approved of the larger Celadon clinical trial.

“As an approved Trial, it is believed to be the only one of its kind in the U.K., and is designed to create a data set that will support doctors’ prescriptions of cannabis-based medicines, and in time enable potential reimbursement by the NHS and insurance companies,” the company wrote in a press release this summer. “It also enables General Practitioners to prescribe the medicine to patients in addition to specialist doctors, and organisations such as charities can advertise recruitment for the Trial. The Company believes this to be a major advance in enabling much wider access for patients, ultimately leading to the opening up of the UK market for cannabis-based medicines.”

Celadon’s co-founder, James Short, more recently told Sky News that first and foremost, his business is a pharmaceutical company, not a cannabis company. “We’ve got to try and get away from the stigma. When I first got involved in the business I was nervous to even talk about it with friends,” Short said. “But our job is not to get people high. It’s to give them a better quality of life.”

Numerous patients, especially parents of young patients, have spoken out in favor of medical cannabis, and called the government to take action so that it could be more accessible and affordable for families. Hannah Deacon and her son Alfie Dingley, Emma Appleby and her daughter Teagan, Emma Matthews and her son Louis, Matt Hughes and his son Charlie, and Karen Gray and her son Murray from Scotland are just a few recognizable names of U.K.-based parents fighting for their kids’ rights to cannabis and an improved quality of life.

Families outside of the U.K. such as Irish mother Vera Twomey had called upon their own governments for improved treatment opportunities for her daughter, Ava, who suffered from Dravet syndrome. Sadly, Ava passed away earlier this year in May at age 13.

While there are many firsthand accounts of medical cannabis helping patients, U.K. doctors still remain hesitant. “In the aftermath of what happened with opioids the medical community is understandably a little bit skeptical about introducing a new drug without really robust evidence,” said NHS consultant and British Pain Society spokesperson, Dr. Alan Fayaz. “The opioid epidemic has perhaps done cannabis a bit of a disservice because it’s tainted ground.”

Furthermore, Fayaz said that the 2018 law change coming before clinical evidence was clear has been harmful to the cause. “It creates this bizarre two-tiered system which actually doesn’t advantage the patients on the NHS and it doesn’t really advantage the patients in the private sector either,” Fayaz explained. “I think what we need is the research to be able to identify the role cannabis will play.”

Currently only patients who manage a private prescription are able to gain access, which is incredibly expensive. Sky News spoke with Chad Martin, who pays £300 per month ($378 USD) to obtain medical cannabis to treat his arthritis. “I am fortunate to be able to afford the drug. Others can’t,” Martin explained. Initially his doctor prescribed opioids to treat his condition.

His cannabis medicine of choice is a cannabis inhaler, which helps treat pain and inflammation flare-ups. “When the weather changes, arthritis can affect you regardless, but cannabis has worked way better than anything else I’ve taken in the past,” Martin said.

The Home Office launched its cannabis review in June 2018. At the same time, the Home Secretary also announced that Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell would be granted a license to legally obtain cannabis to treat their conditions.
In 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decided that there wasn’t enough evidence that medical cannabis can help patients who suffer from epilepsy. Later in March 2021, NICE updated its 2019 stance on medical cannabis, clarifying that “There is no recommendation against the use of cannabis-based medicinal products.” Two years later in March 2023, NICE approved Epidyolex, a CBD-based medicine, for those who suffer from tuberous sclerosis complex.

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In the British Isles, Jersey Hemp is the only farm permitted to cultivate hemp. While it’s licensed to produce CBD products, the United Kingdom government recently closed the farm down because it found trace amounts of THC in the farm’s products.

According to a BBC report, Jersey Hemp co-owners David Ryan and Blair Jones were forced to lay off half of their staff and ceased operation, and the U.K. government restricted any export of Jersey Hemp’s products. 

As a result, Jersey Hemp published a press statement on June 23 that it will be considering taking both the Home Office and U.K. Food Standards Agency to court on the issue. “Jersey Hemp, the sole licensed CBD producer in the British Isles, is considering taking legal action against the U.K. and Jersey Governments following a directive from the U.K. Home Office and the subsequent support of the Jersey Authorities to restrict the export of Jersey Hemp’s CBD Wellness products to the U.K.,” the statement explained. “This decision, which contradicts a legal opinion affirming the compliance of Jersey Hemp’s products with relevant legislation, is a clear error in both law and judgment.”

Jersey Hemp was licensed for cultivation in 2019, and has spent the last three years meeting all of the country’s requirements for compliant operation. “We’ve got to really take a step back and consider the position we find ourselves in,” said Ryan. “It’s very frustrating, pretty sad, the impact on us has been devastating.”

The company’s concern is that this decision could negatively affect the CBD industry as a whole. “If this decision is upheld, it would effectively render the entire CBD market in the UK illegal, proving detrimental to Jersey Hemp’s viability as a business,” it continued. “Consequently, Jersey Hemp has already experienced significant financial repercussions, resulting in a redundancy process impacting over 50% of its staff.”

Hemp exportation is licensed under the Misuse of Drugs (Jersey) Law 1978, which is allowed on a “shipment-by-shipment” basis, according to the BBC. A United Kingdom Home Office agency spokesperson commented on the situation. “CBD in its pure form is not a controlled drug, but if a CBD product contains THC or other controlled cannabinoids then it is likely that the product would be controlled,” the spokesperson stated.

A joint statement from Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture Kirsten Morel and Minister for Health and Social Services Karen Wilson explained that both Morel and Wilson are aware of the situation, but didn’t provide any details about what happens next. “We are aware that Jersey Hemp is in contact with HM Government with respect to exports to the UK—as a separate jurisdiction, we cannot comment on those talks and would also not speculate on their outcome,” the statement said. “All businesses that are licensed to cultivate cannabis in Jersey are responsible for making sure they comply with the relevant legislation in the jurisdiction into which they export products.”

There is evidence that U.K. citizens want to see improved access for cannabis, as well as other substances. A poll from June 2022 found that one fifth of British adults have tried CBD in the form of flower or oil, and 58% of people who participated in the survey said that they believe CBD offers health benefits. 

Separately though, the U.K. maintains control over its own territory and blocked Bermuda from following through with cannabis legalization in September 2022. 

But the future isn’t all bleak, as there is plenty of support growing for cannabis and psychedelics at the moment. In December 2022, U.K. police chiefs called out for decriminalization of cannabis for first-time drug offenders.

In April 2023, the U.K.-based University of Exeter debuted a postgraduate course on clinical psychedelics called “Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture.” In May, Labor MP Charlotte Nichols spoke in support of psychedelic reform. “There are serious and considerable barriers to legitimate research, associated with Schedule I regulations,” said Nichols. “While current legislation does not preclude scientific research with these drugs, it does make them significantly more difficult, time-consuming and costly to study.”

In June, U.K. Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Michael Gove openly admitted that he used cannabis in his youth, describing it as a “feature of the student experience for a lot of people.” However, he claims that he “didn’t get very high.”

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U.K. Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Michael Gove admitted smoking cannabis while he was a student at University of Oxford in the 1980s, adding he “didn’t get very high.”

Times Radio podcast asked if Gove took drugs during his studies at University of Oxford, and Gove said, “Yes, I did”, adding that smoking cannabis is a “feature of the student experience for a lot of people.”

It is indeed a feature experience of college: daily cannabis use among college students increased in 2020 to a historic high.

The U.K. politician said that the weed back in the ‘80s was nothing compared to the potency of today, which is partly true thanks to sinsemilla and breeding: “If you took a look at a High Times magazine from the ’70s, you’d think our top 40 buds looked like trash by today’s standards,” Ab Hanna reported in 2017. THC levels today are cranked up in seedless, manicured buds, and concentrates as well.

“Without wanting to get too much into the policy of it, I think that the type of cannabis, marijuana that is available now will often have a far higher THC content, a far higher capacity to cause harm,” Gove added.

Asked whether he was saying that he “didn’t get very high” at university, Gove replied: “No.”

The cabinet minister went on to share his concerns about cannabis. “The other thing also is that I think that the evidence about the link between smoking too much, or ingesting cannabinoids too heavily, and mental illness and psychosis and so on, is more pronounced,” he said.

People on Twitter reacted differently to the revelations on the podcast. It’s important to note that many other U.K. former and current politicians smoked pot in the past as well, including David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Harriet Harman, Jacqui Smith, etc.

There is currently a push among the Tories and conservative leaders to make cannabis a Class A drug in the country, which would open doors for an industry.

It Sounds Familiar

You can’t help but draw comparisons to former President Bill Clinton, who also admitted on March 29, 1992 that he smoked weed during his days as a Rhodes Scholar at University of Oxford:  “I’ve never broken a state law,” he said at a political forum. “But when I was in England I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t inhale it, and never tried it again.”

However after Clinton’s first few months in office, he shifted back, mirroring the War on Drugs strategies of his Republican predecessors in the White House, and his past seemed to have no impact on his policies. This included installing the ‘Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act’ of 1994 and imposing three-strike laws for repeat drug offenders.

Cannabis isn’t the only substance in question. Years ago, Gove also admitted taking cocaine on several occasions in the past, but said he regretted those experiences after details emerged in a biography. Cocaine is also a common feature of some former U.S. presidents.

A former senior drug adviser to the government, Prof. David Nutt criticized the double standard that we often see between commoners and politicians.

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Two hikers bit off more than they can chew, so to speak, after getting lost in the mountains during a hike while tripping on shrooms, forcing a rescue team to save the day.

The Lake District is a national park in Cumbria, northwest England in the U.K. and is a popular destination for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. It’s also the largest national park in England with stunning views of the outdoors. But the powerful effects of shrooms and the elements of the outdoors don’t always mix when logic and judgment are compromised.

The Guardian reports that on April 8, a mountain rescue team was summoned to the Stoneycroft, Newlands, and Seathwaite area of the national park following reports that a group of young men who were tripping on shrooms and appeared to be in trouble.

Team members from Mountain Rescue England and Wales say they get calls daily, with only four days in 2022 when they were not called out to rescue hikers. But shroom-related calls are much less frequent and worthy of discussion (and laughs).

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team, the local branch in charge of helping hikers in distress, responded to the calls. “A number of calls were received via passersby, who had come across a group of young adult males who had taken magic mushrooms,” Keswick Mountain Rescue Team’s report reads. “Two in the group were feeling unwell, including the driver in the party. The casualties were walked down and given advice by the team medic regarding the timing of their onward travel.”

Eleven volunteers associated with the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team were dispatched to meet the two psychonauts and walk them down the mountain, as they were clearly unable to do it themselves. Once they walked down, a team medic gave them sound advice “regarding the timing of their onward travel,” alluding to the amount of time it takes for shrooms to wear off. 

In most cases, the only thing you can do while tripping too hard is to ride it out until the effects wear off. However, you can also eat foods and nutrients including curcumin, resveratrol, grape seed extract, milk thistle, hawthorn, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, apples, and kale to metabolize shrooms faster and lessen the trip, Zamnesia explains.

The team were also called to assist four walkers who were descending the Styhead Tarn path towards Seathwaite, one with an ankle injury and another a panic attack, which are typical reasons they receive calls. 

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team posted updates on Facebook, complete with pictures, showing that the rescue lasted until it was dark outside.

NewQuay Voice reports that several hikers who passed by were concerned about what they saw.

A European drug discussion forum, Blue Pill, posted a thread about the shrooming hikers in the Keswick area. “It’s not good when you can smell your own brain,” one user commented. “Maybe they never left their living room, and just were convinced they were in the lakes!” another user wrote.

Meanwhile, wild magic mushrooms can be found in many regions of the world. From the October, 1986 issue of High Times writer Jerome Creek wrote a psychedelic-inspired travelog about looking for magic mushrooms in California. Magic mushrooms grow in the wild and can be eaten or made into tea, but set and setting are very important and they cause powerful distortions in the mind. That’s not always a good thing if you’re miles away from the beginning o the hiking trail.

The events that unfolded only attest to the quality of shrooms the hikers took, one Twitter user wrote. It’s a cautionary tale to those who like to shroom outside in nature.

The entire rescue took about two hours to complete.

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Four U.S. nationals have been convicted of smuggling cannabis into the United Kingdom and now face time behind bars for their crimes, according to statements made by law enforcement officials. The convictions follow a rash of marijuana smuggling attempts made last month at London’s Heathrow Airport that resulted in the arrests of nine Americans in the span of a week.

On Friday, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that three Americans were convicted of charges of importing class B drugs. In one case, 24-year-old Barrington Walters of Los Angeles, and Mandy Silowka, 34, of Princeton, New Jersey, were detained at Heathrow Airport by Border Force personnel after arriving on the same United Airlines flight from Los Angeles International Airport on January 17. Officers discovered 33 kilos (more than 72 pounds) of herbal cannabis in luggage belonging to Walters and another 26.5 kilos (more than 58 pounds) of weed in Silowka’s suitcase.

The pair were interviewed by NCA investigators and subsequently charged with importing class B drugs. On February 23, Silowka and Walters admitted their roles in the smuggling plot at Isleworth Crown Court in London and were convicted of the charges against them. Silowka received a 12-month custodial sentence, and Walters was given a 10-month jail term.

The next day, Kiara Lanee Malone, 31, a clothing boutique owner from St. Louis, Missouri, also pleaded guilty to charges of importing class B drugs. Following her conviction in Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, she was remanded into custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 5.

Malone was arrested at Heathrow Airport on January 10 after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles when Border Force officers discovered 27.5 kilos (just over 60 pounds) of cannabis in her luggage. Malone told investigators that she was traveling to the U.K. for cosmetic procedures and admitted to bringing the bags, but said that she had been given the luggage by another person and thought that they contained clothing.

“These cases serve as further warnings to those who think they can get away with smuggling drugs into the U.K.,” NCA Heathrow Branch Commander Andy Noyes said in a statement from the law enforcement agency on February 24. “No matter what you might get told by those organizing these trips, you will get caught, and as these individuals will tell you, you will face jail time. The NCA and our partners in Border Force are determined to do all we can to target drugs couriers, and disrupt the international organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking.”

Last week’s cases followed the conviction of U.S. national Zered Akolo, a 26-year-old photographer from Antioch, California who was arrested at Heathrow Airport shortly after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles on January 16. Border Force officers searched his two checked bags and found 47 kilos (more than 103 pounds) of cannabis. Despite having luggage tags bearing his name, Akolo initially told investigators that the bags were not his. 

After questioning by NCA investigators, he was charged with attempting to import class B drugs. At a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, February 16, Akolo pleaded guilty to importing class B drugs and was sentenced to 32 months in prison.

“Akolo was foolish in the extreme to think he could get away with a brazen drug smuggling trip like this. As a result he faces a long period of time away from friends and family in a British jail,” Noyes said in a statement from the NCA on February 16. “I hope this case serves as a warning to others who would consider acting as drug mules for organized criminal gangs – it isn’t worth taking the chance.”

Nine Americans Arrested On Smuggling Charges In January

The convictions follow the arrests of nine Americans on drug smuggling charges at Heathrow Airport in just one week’s time in January. The smuggling attempts came as government officials engaged in a renewed debate over cannabis policy in the U.K. In July of last year, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel announced proposed new sanctions on users of cannabis and other drugs that include the confiscation of driver’s licenses and passports under a new three-strikes policy for illicit drug use. 

“Drugs are a scourge across society. They devastate lives and tear communities apart,” Patel said in a statement from the government. “Drug misuse puts lives at risk, fuels criminality and serious and violent crime and also results in the grotesque exploitation of young, vulnerable people.”

Under the proposal, which was detailed in a white paper drafted by the Home Office, those caught with illegal recreational drugs would face fines and mandatory drug education. They could also be banned from nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

Three months later, U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed that she was considering tightening the classification of cannabis under the nation’s drug laws over concerns that marijuana is a gateway drug and can lead to serious health problems. Braverman’s review followed calls from law enforcement leaders to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug, the same category assigned to substances including heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.

But then last month, a group of police chiefs in the United Kingdom announced a plan to effectively decriminalize the possession of drugs including cannabis and cocaine. If adopted by the government, the use and possession of small amounts of recreational drugs would be treated as a public health issue for first-time offenders, rather than a criminal offense subject to prosecution and jail time or other punishment.

The proposals, which were developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, would effectively decriminalize the possession of Class A drugs including cocaine and Class B substances such as marijuana. Under the plan, individuals caught with illegal drugs would be offered an opportunity to attend drug education or treatment programs, rather than being subjected to prosecution.

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A group of police chiefs in the United Kingdom is developing a plan to effectively decriminalize the possession of drugs including cannabis and cocaine. If adopted by the government, the use and possession of small amounts of recreational drugs would be treated as a public health issue for first-time offenders, rather than a criminal offense subject to prosecution and jail time or other punishment.

The proposals, which were developed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, would effectively decriminalize the possession of Class A drugs including cocaine and Class B substances such as marijuana. Under the plan, individuals caught with illegal drugs would be offered an opportunity to attend drug education or treatment programs, rather than being subjected to prosecution. 

Police would take no further action against those who agree to complete the program, giving them a chance to avoid a criminal record. Those who fail to complete the drug program or who are subsequently caught with illicit drugs would still be subject to criminal prosecution.

Jason Harwin, the former NPCC lead on drugs and a former deputy chief constable, is working with the College of Policing on the new partial decriminalization strategy.

“We should not criminalize someone for possession of drugs,” he said in a statement quoted by The Telegraph. “It should be diversion to other services to give them a chance to change their behaviors.”

Fourteen of the U.K.’s 43 police forces have already adopted policies similar to the drug decriminalization proposal from the nation’s police chiefs. But the plan is at odds with the country’s Conservative Party government, which has floated proposals to stiffen the penalties on recreational drugs including cannabis.

In October, U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed that she was considering tightening the classification of cannabis under the nation’s drug laws over concerns that marijuana is a gateway drug and can lead to serious health problems. Braverman’s review followed calls from law enforcement leaders to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug, the same category assigned to substances including heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.

Braverman is against the decriminalization of cannabis, saying that efforts to reform cannabis policy send a “cultural” symbol that marijuana use is acceptable, according to a report from The Times. The home secretary is also concerned about evidence that cannabis use can lead to serious physical health problems including cancer and birth defects and mental health conditions including psychosis.

The more strict Class A drug designation for cannabis would make penalties for marijuana offenses more severe, including prison terms of up to seven years for possession and penalties of up to life in prison for marijuana producers and suppliers. An unidentified source close to Braverman told The Times that the home secretary believes the more severe penalties are justified because they would serve as a deterrent to cannabis use and trafficking.

“We’ve got to scare people,” she reportedly said.

In July, then-Home Secretary Priti Patel announced proposed new sanctions on users of cannabis and other drugs that include the confiscation of driver’s licenses and passports under a new three-strikes policy for illicit drug use. 

“Drugs are a scourge across society. They devastate lives and tear communities apart,” Patel said in a statement from the government. “Drug misuse puts lives at risk, fuels criminality and serious and violent crime and also results in the grotesque exploitation of young, vulnerable people.”

Under the proposal, which was detailed in a white paper drafted by the Home Office, those caught with illegal recreational drugs would face fines and mandatory drug education. They could also be banned from nightclubs and other entertainment venues.

“Drugs ruin lives and devastate communities which is why the Government is committed to tackling both the supply and demand for drugs, as set out in the 10-year Drug Strategy,” a Home Office spokesperson said in a statement to the press. “Our White Paper on new, tougher penalties for drug possession set out proposals for tackling demand and we have welcomed views on this. We will be publishing our response in due course.”

But drug policy reform advocates and health professionals are resisting the government’s proposed tougher approach to drug use. On Sunday, more than 500 public and health and drug organizations issued an open letter to the U.K. government expressing “serious concerns” about the plan, which they said would likely criminalize young and vulnerable people while diverting scarce police resources from more serious problems.

Professor David Strain, the chairman of the British Medical Association’s board of science, said the Government’s plans appeared “to be doubling down on a failed model by promoting ever harsher sanctions that perpetuate the stigma and shame already acting as a barrier to individuals seeking help, and ultimately discouraging drug users from seeking the healthcare services they need.”

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Despite naysayers and prevailing attitudes echoing into the present day, it’s clear today that psychedelic medicine at the very least carries potential in treating mental health conditions and symptoms that have otherwise been difficult to treat or entirely resistant to treatment.

The model for legal psychedelic therapy, and most research looking at the efficacy of psychedelics for mental health treatments, is generally understood through psychedelic therapy centers. For states that have legalized psychedelic substances like psilocybin, or any number of ketamine clinics already operating in the U.S., this typically involves a combination of talk therapy, a controlled psychedelic dose, and supervision/guidance from a licensed professional.

But what about psychedelic retreats? These tailor-made psychedelic getaways typically take place in countries where psychedelic substances are allowed, similarly helping patients seeking symptom relief, or often a general mental reset, in a luxurious setting. 

Now, the public psychedelics practitioner training program F.I.V.E. has announced plans to collaborate with Tandava Retreats and University College London (UCL) on the first-ever EEG brain imaging study of 5-MeO-DMT among retreat center participants, Benzinga reports. 

Study collaborators are generally looking to uncover more information on 5-MeO-DMT’s mechanism of action and specifically within naturalistic settings over medical/clinical settings, along with how retreat participants could be better served as they use the substance in this setting.

The study’s principal investigator Jeremy Skipper said it’s important to look at the actual contexts these psychedelics are used in order to best understand the effects of such substances. 

“We hope to contribute not only to a better scientific understanding of how 5-MeO-DMT works in the brain, but also to enabling individualized approaches that maximize the efficacy of 5-MeO-DMT therapies and retreats,” Skipper told Benzinga.

Tandava CEO Joel Brierre, who is also the CEO of F.I.V.E., will coordinate the study along with F.I.V.E. President Victoria Wueschner. It will gather both qualitative and quantitative data from Tandava participants, assessing changes in well-being, beliefs, and personality. The study will use spontaneous neural imagery electroencephalography (EEG) on participants both before and during the psychoactive experience.

“These retreats allow you to explore the deepest realms of your innermost being, address behavioral habits that no longer serve you, and give you the freedom of life that you seek,” the Tandava website states. “We believe that no one should be a victim of their own mental patterning.”

Tandava is located in Tepoztlan, Mexico, and has the amenities anyone might expect on a tropical vacation: a hot jacuzzi, sauna, communal spaces, plenty of food and drink and private rooms for all visitors. With practitioners and integration specialists with varying backgrounds, Tandava offers a number of options, including a “transcultural” framework, an Indigenous/Shamanic approach, even a journey grounded by yoga. 

The site also mentions that each Tandava guide has been on their own psychedelic journey. 

Research has already affirmed that 5-MeO-DMT used in a naturalistic group setting can improve depression and anxiety, though of course there’s still a lot of catching up to do to fully understand its impacts, and the impacts of other psychedelic substances. The compound generally comes from the Sonoran Desert toad, Bufo alvarius, though Tandava Retreats uses synthetic 5-MeO-DMT to support species conservation and sourcing sustainability.

“We have found the experience of synthetic 5-MeO-DMT to be identical in nature to the toad secretion, which is important to note during the rise in popularity of this medicine,” Brierre told Benzinga. “Not only is synthetic safer and more effective to use with participants, but it has the repeatable consistency and precision dosage needed for proper research to be done.”

The study will cost about $108,437, though a U.K.-based charity has already donated $40,898 to the cause. Tandava will also match any funds raised and will donate retreat and integration costs for 15 of the 30 participants. There is also a crowdfund available for those interested in supporting the study.

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