Making the Sick Healthy, and the Healthy Even Better: Psychedelic Therapy

 

Major depressive disorders (6.7%), PTSD (8%) and other anxiety disorders together emiserate a substantial percentage of humanity.Clinicians differ about the efficacy of our first line of defense against the above: SSRI anti-depressants and their newer cousins SSNIs. The latest meta-studies inform us they do work very well for many.

‘Magic’ Mushrooms’ Psilocybin: Towards a Sane Legal Treatment

Two groups sponsoring upcoming ballot initiatives in Denver, CO, and Oregon aim to eliminate penalties for “magic” mushrooms which contain the psychedelic psilocybin this year. If approved the Denver version on this year’s ballot seeks to decriminalize mushrooms, whereas in Oregon’s initiative (in 2020) a more “medical” approach with doctors and therapists is sought. Neither initiative intends to fully legalize, a la marijuana, but nevertheless this is a promising turn of events.

New York State and the World’s Oldest Profession

As a defense attorney practicing in the courtrooms of Queens and Manhattan some years ago, a few of my clients were prostitutes who were busted for doing their job.  It occurred to me while bargaining their sentences down to little jail time: What an absurd machine I’ve been caught up in. It was the same feeling I got defending drug “criminals” in Drug Court.

Carlos Ghosn’s Wild Japanese Disappearing Act

This is a fast-breaking story that’s almost impossible not to be thrilled by. It’s the story of a 65 year old superman-executive, a titan of industry whose humble beginnings, spectacular rise to success, and subsequent downfall – followed by his dead-of-night

This Stupid Moral Panic About Vaping

 

Just when we thought our country couldn’t make a more ass-backwards move in our deranged drug policies here we are in Stupidsville again.

The English Psycho and Brexit: A Psychological Profile (Extended Analysis)

 

These are fast and confusing times with technological, societal and economic change spinning our heads in all directions. Most of the changes are improvements, but some aren’t…and sheer disruption is unsettling.

Behind Populist Authoritarianism: Brazil And Other Recent Hellscapes

Brazil is a country whose citizenry rarely enjoy good governance. They were doing well in recent years despite the fact their politicians seemed to be regularly impeached, locked up or otherwise disgraced, a fact which exasperated many Brazilians but in reality, is proof of a system working.

World’s First Psychedelics Research Center For Mental Health

A welcome breakthrough in the field of mental health has been this month’s opening of the world’s first Center for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, one of the UK’s foremost universities. The Center’s remit will be to continue their studies into the effects of psychedelics such as (magic mushroom’s) psilocybin and LSD on the brain as well as to work on therapies where they could be useful..

Innocent Children Won’t Save Our Planet: London 2019

To coincide with Earth Day last week the extremist group Extinction Rebellion staged a flashy 10 days of protests in downtown London.

Is Algeria Turning Green Or Staying Red?

Like a lot of the world, Algeria isn’t on America’s mental map: not our stone, not our shoe. But it’s getting attention in other, un-American places like the rest of the planet due to the restive natives who are well pissed off at nearly 60 years of communist mismanagement.

Buggered in the Balkans: Russia’s Latest Antics

The Balkans describe an area of south-east Europe between Turkey and Austria which, as Churchill once noted wryly, produces more history than it consumes.

Taiwan Nearly Cured Of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Taiwan is a very advanced kind of place. Their government stopped all commercial logging in 1992, swore off nuclear power and recently came whisperingly close to recognizing gay marriage. Their democracy, established in the 1980s, is firm, successful and arguably the most advanced in East Asia.