Author: Sophie Saint Thomas

[ad_1] If you’ve ever listened to country music (there’s no shame in embracing your inner redneck), you’ve likely heard about cowboys modifying their trucks to have as much Big Dick Energy as possible. And when the rapper DMX died (rest in power) in 2021, his brilliant red casket was carried around his home city, New York, in a customized Ford F250 with “Long Live DMX” inscribed on its side. But in Mexico, drug cartels are making monster trucks to use like tanks. The cartels are retrofitting pickups with battering rams, four-inch-thick steel plates welded onto their chassis complete with turrets…

[ad_1] Minnesota legalized cannabis, and as a result, some dogs are out of a job. Canine officers such as Jango, a 9-year-old German shepherd, and Cobra, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, are set to retire soon after the law goes into effect on August 1, Capt. Ryan Mangan said, according to USA Today.  These pups are the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office’s only K-9s left trained to detect cannabis. Police dogs across the country are losing work as departments like Mangan’s no longer teach them how to smell your weed. If cannabis legalization continues to spread, it’s likely that these departments will…

[ad_1] A new study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that serotonergic antidepressants like SSRIs and SNRIs can decrease psilocybin’s effects, Psychedelic Spotlight reports. Serotonergic antidepressants are often the first avenue for treating depression and include household names such as Prozac and Zoloft.  The research, published in June of 2023, comes from an online retrospective survey involving 2,153 people who had taken psilocybin mushrooms while also using an antidepressant and individuals who had used psilocybin within two years after stopping their antidepressants. The 611 respondents who had taken mushrooms alongside an antidepressant reported weaker-than-expected psilocybin effects, as did the…

[ad_1] It’s never a happy ending if you’re a Columbian drug smuggler and your boat breaks down. The feds seized 223 pounds of cocaine and arrested two people headed toward Long Beach after their ship became disabled, FOX11 Los Angeles reports.  The panga-style vessel, an open and outboard-powered fishing boat commonly used in the developing world, broke down on the 4th of July off the Colombia coast, and it’s far from the first boat filled with cocaine to do so. U.S. pressure on the Colombian government to crack down on the cocaine trade has epically failed. Coke production in Colombia…

[ad_1] AOC is doing what we love her best for: calling out the old-guard Democrats. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Representative from New York, says she’s worried that President Joe Biden may derail bipartisan efforts to address psychedelics due to his past conservative comments about cannabis usage, Business Insider reports.  “I believe the president has displayed a regressiveness for cannabis policy,” she said, making it clear that she has concerns about Biden’s approach to cannabis and psychedelics. “And if there’s a regressiveness toward cannabis policy, it’s likely to be worse on anything else,” AOC added.  Cannabis and “classical” psychedelics, such as…

[ad_1] A proposed amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida would cease cannabis testing for military members, Politico reports. Should the amendment make it into the National Defense Authorization Act, it would further relax rules regarding cannabis testing within the military. As marijuana legalization sweeps the nation, more and more recruits seek out the benefits of cannabis, whether for recreational use, medical benefits, or both, especially in legal states. According to The New York Times, nearly 33% more recruits tested positive in 2022 than in 2020. At the time of reporting, medical marijuana…

[ad_1] The White House is putting a new meaning to its name. A white substance found in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue reportedly tested positive for cocaine, according to a preliminary field test, The Guardian reports. From fast food chain bathrooms to childhood bedrooms over Christmas, the infamous “white powder” (and we’re not talking about snow) tends to show up where authorities, whether it’s the federal government or someone’s parents, are going to make a stink about it. This time it landed in the Executive Mansion. The U.S. Secret Service is investigating how the drugs got into the President’s home. Mind you,…

[ad_1] President Joe Biden’s youngest brother said the president has been “very open-minded” in their conversations about therapeutic psychedelics, AP reports. During a phone interview with The Michael Smerconish Program on SiriusXM Wednesday, Frank Biden opened up about his brother’s views.  “He is very open-minded,” Frank Biden responded when probed by Smerconish about discussions with his presidential brother about the medical benefits of psychedelics. “Put it that way. I don’t want to speak; I’m talking brother-to-brother. Brother-to-brother,” Frank Biden said, hinting that the general public has more of a regressive attitude than the President. “The question is, is the world,…

[ad_1] The United States Food and Drug Administration, aka the FDA, issued the first-ever guidance for clinical studies on psychedelics, according to a news release issued Friday. They filed the 14-page document shortly after Congress introduced bipartisan legislation led by Texas Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw, directing the issuance of clinical trial guidelines. They aimed the guidance specifically towards classical psychedelics, which include psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, and DMT, the psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, in addition to entactogens or empathogens such as MDMA. This means that it does not cover other drugs used therapeutically embraced by the psychedelic community, such as ketamine,…

[ad_1] The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill last Thursday that includes an amendment allowing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to recommend medical cannabis for their patients in legal states. It will now move forward as part of the approved legislation that funds the VA for the 2024 Fiscal Year. The amendment, which passed via a voice vote, was sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon. It will lead to the same results desired in a standalone bill refiled in the House with bipartisan backing by Representative Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, and…

[ad_1] A New Jersey government official wants to keep track of your entire relationship with cannabis in an effort to tackle stoned driving, the New Jersey Monitor reports. Assemblywoman Shanique Speight (D) wants to create a division tasked with compiling data, such as information on any arrests made for driving under the influence where cannabis is present, through use or possession, in addition to other marijuana-related arrests, dismissals, convictions, cannabis seized, and even adjudications of cannabis charges. The reality of the dangers of driving with cannabis in one’s system is hotly debated. U.S. lawmakers are scurrying to find a way…

[ad_1] The city of Albuquerque now has more cannabis dispensaries than liquor stores open, KRQE News reports. New Mexico became the 18th state to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2021. They were the fifth to do so through the legislative process versus voter initiative. The law went into effect on June 29, 2021, making the announcement regarding cannabis shops news almost a year after marijuana became legal. However, the high number of stores is causing conflict between owners and turning local industry members against one another in a fight to stay alive.  “We were coming down to our very last, you…