Answer Addiction

Tag: magic mushrooms

  • Harry Styles Recalls Using Magic Mushrooms While Recording New Album

    Harry Styles Recalls Using Magic Mushrooms While Recording New Album

    “My thing with drugs is that if you’re taking anything to escape or to try and hide from stuff then you shouldn’t even drink. But if you’re taking anything to have fun and be creative, then great.”

    Former One Direction star Harry Styles is on the road promoting his upcomg sophomore effort, Fine Line, which is slated for release on December 13. Recently, Styles sat down with Zane Lowe for an interview on his Apple TV show, New Music Daily, where he discussed the recording process and his adventures with magic mushrooms.

    “Making this record, I just felt so much more joyous. I felt safe,” Styles explained to Lowe. Styles said that he doesn’t usually indulge in alcohol or drugs while he’s working but he felt safe among friends in Malibu. He decided that it was time to do some experimenting. 

    “My thing with drugs is that if you’re taking anything to escape or to try and hide from stuff then you shouldn’t even drink. But if you’re taking anything to have fun and be creative, then great. I was with my friends and making an album, you get in your head and you hit these bumps in the road…sometimes you take something and you don’t worry about it. It’s kind of stress-relieving in a sense,” Styles shared.

    Recording On Shrooms

    The 25-year-old hearthrob first opened up about his experience recording on shrooms in a Rolling Stone profile this past August.

    “We’d do mushrooms, lie down on the grass, and listen to Paul McCartney’s Ram in the sunshine,” he says of the Malibu location where he recorded his new album. “We’d just turn the speakers into the yard. You’d hear the blender going, and think, ‘So we’re all having frozen margaritas at 10 a.m. this morning.’”

    Styles highlights a corner of the room where a now-infamous accident occurred while he was tripping.

    “This is where I was standing when we were doing mushrooms and I bit off the tip of my tongue. So I was trying to sing with all this blood gushing out of my mouth. So many fond memories, this place.”

    Styles pointed out that he purposefully avoided drugs and heavy drinking while in One Direction because he didn’t want to destroy the band. 

    “When I was in the band, to me it felt like it was so much bigger than any of us; I felt, I’m not going to be the one who fucked it up,” Styles said. “So I was like, I’m not going to do any of that stuff. So I was like, now is the time in my life when you probably want to go out and experiment.”

    Back in 2017, Styles told The Sun, “On the first couple of tours it was so exciting as we’d have a drink and go to parties. But for me, the albums got higher so they become harder to sing so I knew if I didn’t come off stage and go to bed I wouldn’t be able to sing the next night. Also, it’s just not for me. I’d rather wake up with a clear head. I’m not straight edge or anything – I’ll celebrate and hang out with friends when it’s the right time. But I like knowing I’m not going to be stressing about having to do something the next day.”

    Liam’s Battle

    Styles’ former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne has been open about his heavy alcohol use during the height of the band’s fame. Payne spoke to Men’s Health Australia about using alcohol to deal with the stress of being mega famous.

    “It’s almost like putting the Disney costume on before you step up on stage and underneath the Disney costume I was pissed (drunk) quite a lot of the time because there was no other way to get your head around what was going on,” he said. “I mean, it was fun. We had an absolute blast, but there were certain parts of it where it just got a little bit toxic.”

    “It’s difficult when you have the level of fame that we had in the band,” he told Men’s Health. “There have been a lot of people in trouble with mental health that aren’t really getting the help that they need and I think that’s a bit of a problem in our industry. It’s the same shit that happens to everyone, that’s been happening since the ’70s. You know what the traps are and if you are lucky enough, like me, to be able to get out of that scenario and back into a sense of normality, then you know it’s a bit different.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Oregon To Vote On Legalizing Shrooms, Decriminalizing All Drugs

    Oregon To Vote On Legalizing Shrooms, Decriminalizing All Drugs

    The Psilocybin Service Initiative of Oregon (PSI 2020) would allow residents to legally access psilocybin-assisted therapy.

    Oregon voters will soon decide on two major drug reform ballot measures that could result in the biggest changes to any state’s drug policies since Colorado and Washington state legalized cannabis in 2012.

    One measure would legalize psychedelic mushrooms, commonly referred to as “shrooms” or “magic mushrooms,” and another would decriminalize all drugs within the state.

    Oregon In Unique Position For Decriminalization

    According to Vice reporter Jon Walker, a combination of factors that make Oregon unique are responsible for the fact that total drug decriminalization is possible anywhere in the U.S. in 2020.

    “There is no single reason the state is so well-positioned to be a laboratory for drug reform,” Walker writes. “Instead, imagine a vast, multi-layered Venn diagram including public health needs, quirks of local history, unique funding opportunities, costs, arcane ballot access rules, demographics, and politics.”

    So far, only the cities of Denver and Oakland have decriminalized shrooms. The Psilocybin Service Initiative of Oregon (PSI 2020) would allow residents to legally access psilocybin-assisted therapy, which has been increasingly tested as a remedy for a number of mental illnesses including treatment-resistant depression and PTSD.

    Psilocybin is the active ingredient in shrooms and is a naturally occurring psychedelic that can produce sensory hallucinations and intensify states of emotion.

    “We see this not only as a template for Oregon but for the rest of the country and the world,” said Sheri Eckert, a PSI 2020 petitioner. 

    “We feel that Oregonians are ready to take an innovative approach to mental health care and the problem of addictions, because the current modalities and delivery systems have proven inadequate,” added Eckert’s husband, Tom.

    Policy Modeled After Portugal

    At the same time, the 2020 Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act (DATRA) is on its way to the ballot. This bill is modeled after drug policy reform in Portugal, where all low-level possession of drugs has been decriminalized and funding is funneled away from law enforcement and into addiction treatment programs.

    After passing this sweeping drug reform in 2001, Portugal saw its rates of problem drug use, HIV and hepatitis infection, overdose deaths, and drug-related crime plummet.

    According to chief DATRA petitioner Anthony Johnson, in spite of Oregon’s progressive history of drug policy reform, much more work needs to be done.

    “Oregon ranks 50th in the country in access to drug addiction treatment, and I’m hopeful about the prospect of redirecting a portion of cannabis tax revenue so that everyone struggling with addiction can have access to the treatment services they need,” said Johnson to Marijuana Moment.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Oakland Could Be Next City To Decriminalize Psilocybin, Other Entheogenic Plants

    Oakland Could Be Next City To Decriminalize Psilocybin, Other Entheogenic Plants

    Earlier this month, Denver became the first US city to decriminalize psilocybin.

    The city of Oakland, California may become the second city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms (i.e. magic mushrooms), following the recent example of Denver.

    Early May, voters in Denver, Colorado approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms by a narrow margin, with 50.64% voting in favor of Ordinance 301. The measure does not legalize magic mushrooms, but effectively prohibits the city from prosecuting or arresting adults for possession.

    Now, Oakland city officials are considering doing the same.

    Oakland’s resolution, provided by Decriminalize Nature Oakland, specifically refers to the decriminalization of “entheogenic plants,” which in addition to psilocybin include ayahuasca, cacti (mescaline) and iboga—i.e. “the full spectrum of plants, fungi, and natural materials… that can inspire personal and spiritual well-being, can benefit psychological and physical wellness, and can reestablish human’s inalienable and direct relationship to nature.”

    The federal government has long classified psilocybin mushrooms under Schedule I—the category of drugs that are defined as having no medical value and a high potential for abuse. Drug policy reform advocates disagree with the federal government’s decision to classify drugs like psilocybin and cannabis under Schedule I, where heroin also resides.

    NBC Bay Area reported that Oakland officials planned to discuss the issue on Tuesday (May 28) at a public hearing before the City Council’s public safety committee. The issue could go before the full council as early as June 4, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

    Councilman Noel Gallo introduced the resolution after being approached by Decriminalize Nature Oakland. Gallo told the Chronicle that the city’s mental health problem may benefit from the decriminalized use of psilocybin mushrooms, which has been studied for its medical properties.

    “We need all the help we can get to deal with the mental health issues that we have. If I can bring it publicly and talk about the benefit and talk about (how it can) deal with the mental illnesses that we have in the city, why not?” said Gallo.

    Researcher Matthew Johnson of Johns Hopkins University says there is reason to be optimistic about psilocybin’s abilities to have a positive impact on mental health issues such as PTSD, depression, addiction and more. “The data are really impressive,” he told the Chronicle. “We should be cautiously but enthusiastically pursuing these threads.”

    The Oakland measure also has the support of Council President Rebecca Kaplan. “I believe we need to continue to support efforts to help end mass incarceration and I recognize that the war on drugs has been a racist, expensive, wasteful failure. I also believe there are strong public health reasons to support this change,” she told the Chronicle.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Denver Becomes First State To Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms

    Denver Becomes First State To Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms

    The enforcement of laws around psilocybin will now be the lowest priority for Denver police.

    Voters in Denver, Colorado, one of the first areas in the country to push for legalized cannabis, have voted to decriminalize the possession of psychedelic mushrooms in a move some people believe could set the stage for the next major drug policy change after the widespread legalization of marijuana.

    “Our victory today is a clear signal to the rest of the country that Americans are ready for a conversation around psilocybin,” Kevin Matthews, director of the “Decriminalize Denver” campaign, told NPR.

    Although initial reports said that city voters had rejected decriminalization, an unofficial tally released by the city found that the measure passed with fewer that 2,000 votes. In the end, 50.56% of voters wanted mushrooms decriminalized.

    The measure will not change the legality of psychedelic mushrooms, which will remain a Schedule I substance that is illegal under state law in Colorado. However, it will make the enforcement of laws around psilocybin the lowest priority for Denver police, as long as the person in possession of the psychedelic is 21 or older.

    People can even grow the mushrooms for personal use without becoming a target for law enforcement, according to the measure.

    Proponents of magic mushrooms claim that, like cannabis, the substance has medical benefits and is extremely low risk. Matthews has said that so-called magic mushrooms helped him overcome debilitating depression.

    “Because psilocybin has such tremendous medical potential, there’s no reason individuals should be criminalized for using something that grows naturally,” Matthews said, according to The New York Times.

    One 2016 study found that “Participants attributed to the high-dose [psilocybin] experience positive changes in attitudes about life, self, mood, relationships and spirituality, with over 80% endorsing moderately or higher increased well-being or life satisfaction.”

    However, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Colorado reported that it would still enforce a ban on mushrooms. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann also opposed the measure, according to her spokesperson Carolyn A. Tyler.

    “We’re still in the very early stages of marijuana legalization, and we are still learning the impact of that substance on our city,” Tyler said. “And [District Attorney McCann] is not in favor of Denver being the only city that doesn’t enforce the law.”

    Denver isn’t the only municipality changing its stance on magic mushrooms. In Iowa a lawmaker proposed a measure that would remove psychedelic mushrooms from the list of controlled substances in the state. California and Oregon also have organizations trying to get voters to consider decriminalizing mushrooms in 2020.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Activists Want Legalization For Psychedelics

    Activists Want Legalization For Psychedelics

    Oakland activists are holding a rally to push for the legalization of psychedelic drugs. 

    As legalized marijuana creeps into the mainstream, advocates for drug policy reform are setting their sights on a new goal—legalizing psychedelics. 

    Organizers in Oakland, California are the latest to push for legalizing psychedelic drugs including mushrooms, according to Marijuana Moment. 

    A Meetup post advertising efforts to “decriminalize nature” invites people to participate in a rally on March 22 in the city. 

    “With your help we can make this happen, but we need everybody’s support. Join the movement to restore our relationship to nature and advocate for our inalienable right to cognitive liberty and the freedom to explore our own consciousness,” the post reads.

    It continues, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have the freedom to work with these ancient sacred medicines that offer direct knowledge without the fear of persecution? Wouldn’t it be nice to address the set and setting elephant in the room—to reduce the immediate fear of persecution involved while engaging our right to access natural healing and insight—by decriminalizing entheogenic plants and fungi?”

    A representative of the meetup told Marijuana Moment that more details would be shared at the rally. 

    The event in Oakland isn’t entirely unusual. In Denver, an area that helped lead the movement to legalize marijuana, voters will consider a ballot measure to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in May. The effort is lead by Decriminalize Denver, and director Kevin Matthews said that just getting the measure on the ballot is significant. 

    “This has never been done before in the history of the U.S., so the fact that we were able to turn out the signatures and make the ballot is a strong statement that there are a lot of people who support this,” Matthews told Marijuana Moment. “We’ve created a platform where we can spread the right information about psilocybin as opposed to the misinformation and, really just downright propaganda from the government, and the war on drugs for the last almost 50 years now.”

    Matthews said that if decriminalization passes in Denver, the group may focus on more widespread change to laws regulating psychedelics. 

    He said, “We are confident that when this passes in May that it’ll open some doors to further conversation. Our big mission here is to work on reintegrating psilocybin back into society.”

    In Iowa, a new Republican lawmaker, Rep. Jeff Shipley, submitted legislation that would allow psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine to be used in medical treatments by removing a ban on them. 

    “Exploring these issues are paramount to solving the healthcare crisis,” Shipley said in an email to Marijuana Moment. “There’s so much potential for research and clinical applications. I hope we can empower and trust patients to make their own best decisions.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Psilocybin Trials For Depression Treatment Get Greenlight From FDA

    Psilocybin Trials For Depression Treatment Get Greenlight From FDA

    The FDA has recognized the psychedelic compound’s therapeutic potential.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted its “Breakthrough Therapy” designation to psilocybin-assisted treatment for depression.

    By giving psilocybin research its “Breakthrough Therapy” designation, the FDA is expediting the development and review of psilocybin—the psychedelic compound in “magic mushrooms”—based on the results of preliminary clinical trials that demonstrate its potential to perform better than available treatments.

    Previous research on psilocybin has yielded promising results for treating end-of-life anxiety and depression, alcohol and tobacco use disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

    With the FDA’s blessing, the first large-scale clinical trial for treating refractory (treatment-resistant) depression with psilocybin will run for about one year in Europe and North America.

    Psilocybin researchers say this is a significant development in the future of the psychedelic compound’s role in medicine.

    “FDA Breakthrough status is a big deal,” Matthew Johnson, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, told Inverse. “It implies that the FDA recognizes the treatment is potentially one with a large impact on a largely under-treated condition.”

    Johnson and his colleagues recommend that the federal government re-categorize psilocybin to Schedule IV, instead of its current place in Schedule I, the category reserved for drugs defined as having a high potential for abuse and no medical value.

    In Schedule IV, psilocybin would instead be in the same category as Xanax and Ambien. The scientists say that while there’s less of a risk for harm than heroin (Schedule I), “that doesn’t mean [psilocybin is] safe, and they certainly need to be regulated in some fashion.”

    But while the FDA’s Breakthrough designation suggests that psilocybin is closer to mainstream acceptance than ever, it’s unlikely that the potential treatment will be widely distributed to the general population.

    Roland Griffiths, PhD, another prominent psilocybin researcher and a colleague of Johnson’s, says, “It seems unlikely that these are compounds that will be dispensed at a pharmacy.”

    “This is a significant positive development in the potential future regulatory approval of psilocybin, a classic psychedelic drug, for medicinal purposes,” Griffiths told Inverse.

    “After a decades-long hiatus of research with psilocybin and related psychedelic drugs, investigators in the United States and Europe have demonstrated the safety and preliminary signs of efficacy of psilocybin for a variety of therapeutic applications.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Could "Magic Mushrooms" Help You Stop Smoking?

    Could "Magic Mushrooms" Help You Stop Smoking?

    A new study examined whether psilocybin could help long-time smokers put down their butts for good. 

    Once dismissed as a remnant of ’60s counterculture, and eventually banned as a Schedule I drug, psilocybin—the naturally-occurring psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms, thus earning them the sobriquet “magic mushrooms”—has in recent years been ushered to the forefront of medical and psychological research for its reported efficacy in treating any number of health conditions, including depression and alcoholism.

    Now, a new study suggests that psilocybin may also help to curb smoking, as evidenced by the results of six years of research involving smokers who had tried and failed to quit smoking on multiple occasions.

    The study found that through controlled psilocybin use and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), more than half of the participants had successfully quit smoking after a six-month period—a higher rate of abstinence than with CBT alone, according to researchers.

    The study, conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, involved 15 study participants—10 men and 5 women, all at an average age of 51, and who smoked, on average, slightly less than a full pack (19 cigarettes) daily for 31 years. All had attempted to stop smoking on previous occasions, but had failed.

    The study authors administered treatment to the participants and then followed up with them over a period of six years, between 2009 and 2015.

    The treatment consisted of carefully controlled and monitored psilocybin use in conjunction with CBT. After a period of more than two years, the researchers invited the participants to take part in a follow-up interview to determine if and how the treatment affected their smoking. Twelve of the original 15 participants took part in the interview.

    What researchers found was that the 12 participants had not only succeeded in complete smoking cessation after six months, but also experienced a host of additional emotional and psychological responses to the treatment.

    Participants said that through a combination of the treatment, counseling, a “strong rapport” with the study team, and a sense of momentum after taking part in the study all contributed to their achieving abstinence.

    They also reported “gaining vivid insights into self-identity and reasons for smoking” from the psilocybin treatment, and the sense of “interconnectedness, curiosity and awe” continued after the treatment had ended. Participants also said that they felt an array of “persistent” positive feelings, including “increased aesthetic appreciation, altruism, and pro-social behavior” as a result of their participation.

    The researchers concluded that the results of their study underscored the value in continuing research into what some have labeled “psychedelic therapy,” and recommended future research trials.

    Their findings also supported previous study findings by Johns Hopkins researchers, which suggested that lifetime smokers treated with psilocybin experienced twice the rate of abstinence than those who used the FDA-approved drug Chantix.

    View the original article at thefix.com