Amended Maine Bill To Establish Psychedelic Research Committee Heads to Gov.

Among the many states currently looking to enact measures to investigate psychedelic regulation and increase psychedelic research, Maine is one of the latest to throw its hat in the ring. 

Lawmakers supporting the initial reform bill were hoping to usher in a new era of psychedelic drug regulation for therapeutic use, though the amended bill would pump the breaks and instead set the groundwork to potentially legalize and regulate at a later time.

The legislation would establish a commission to study and make recommendations on psychedelic regulation and related services, specifically examining what a legal framework “for the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs, including but not limited to psilocybin,” may involve, Marijuana Moment first reported. The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills (D).

A Legislative Compromise: The Original Bill

The legislation, LD 1914, was approved by the House via voice vote on Tuesday just days after the Senate approved it. While the current language focuses on studying the proper pathways to potentially legalize and regulate psychedelics in therapeutic settings, the original legislation would have legalized psilocybin in therapeutic contexts.

It’s a disappointing turn of events for those pushing for urgent access to psychedelic medicines and treatments, though Maine lawmakers in favor of psychedelic reform, like Rep. David Boyer (R), still recognized that the bill “represents progress,” albeit not as much as many lawmakers and advocates had hoped for. 

In an email exchange with Marijuana Moment, Boyer cited evidence brought to the committee regarding how psilocybin can help a variety of different people with a wide range of conditions and needs. Still, he said it “seemed like” his Republican colleagues, and even many Democrats, were not ready to vote for the previous measure.

“Hopefully, they do good work and we have a little bit more of a starting place” for the next session, Boyer said. Lawmakers considered other options to amend the bill, like removing provisions that would have allowed for personal possession outside of the regulated program, though Boyer said that route “seemed to cause more problems than solutions.” 

So, if Mills gives the final OK, what exactly would the updated legislation entail?

Maine Psychedelic Commission Could Pave the Way for Future Reform

If passed, the bill would create a 13-member panel comprised of legislative appointees, health experts, a military veteran, academics and folks experienced in psychedelics policy. 

Similar to other states that have created investigative groups to research psychedelic medicine and regulation, the Maine commission would review “medical, psychological and scientific studies, research and other information on the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in treating behavioral health conditions.”

It would also look to other states and their approaches to psychedelic regulation. Additionally, the commission would be responsible for laying out a plan detailing how Maine could establish its own regulatory framework for psychedelic substances, psilocybin and otherwise in the future.

Specifically, the commission would be tasked with developing a “long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services will become and remain a safe, accessible, and affordable therapeutic option for all persons who are 21 years of age or older and for whom psilocybin services may be appropriate.” It would also be responsible for advising and making recommendations to the legislature surrounding a legal framework for the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs.

Luckily for psychedelic reform advocates, the turnaround time to report findings is relatively quick, with the commission required to meet six times and deliver its report to the legislature by Nov. 6, 2024. Still, it’s uncertain if and how quickly findings would lead to the regulation of psychedelic assisted therapies in the state.

Psychedelic Reform: An Ongoing Local Push, Growing National Trend

Maine has made related efforts in recent months, including a similar bill that would have originally decriminalized drug possession and invested in treatment resources. It was since amended to create a task force to study the proposed reform measures instead.

However, Portland, Maine — the state’s largest city — made waves last year when city council voted to pass a resolution to deprioritize prosecution for possession of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs. It is not a decriminalization measure but rather “sets official city policy to put those crimes at the lowest priority for prosecution.”

While the latest bill may not immediately result in therapeutic access for psychedelic medicines in Maine, it represents one of many active bills around the country regarding psychedelic research and reform — a topic that was hardly even mentioned only a few years ago — and serves as another reminder that this momentum surrounding psychedelic access across the U.S. is unlikely to slow any time soon.

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A Breath of Innovation & the Art Behind Vaporizing

In the digital age, technology intersects with every aspect of our lives. The quest for innovation becomes not just about creating new gadgets but about significantly enhancing personal experiences in ways that resonate on a profound level. This evolution has been particularly notable in areas where smart technology, consumption, and personal preference blend into a cohesive whole. As we navigate through times where smart features and personalization are not just valued but expected, vaporizers have redefined the landscape of a whole industry, emphasizing health, efficiency, and the nuanced demands of a diverse range of users.

Volcano Hybrid. Courtesy STORZ & BICKEL

The Path to Purity and Precision

At the forefront of this evolution for more than 20 years is a German manufacturer of premium vaporizers. From their headquarters in Tuttlingen, STORZ & BICKEL spearheaded the transition to this superior application method with unmatched quality and innovative engineering. Their legendary VOLCANO desktop vaporizer, with its detachable balloon, established the new standard of vaporizing, earning its place as a hallmark of innovation. The VOLCANO’s legacy was further cemented with the creation of the first medically certified version of the vaporizer, showcasing the company’s unwavering commitment to sophisticated engineering, precision, alongside unparalleled reliability, and usability. 

With the introduction of their first portable devices 10 years ago, STORZ & BICKEL further expanded the horizons of convenience, allowing users to enjoy premium vapor quality irrespective of their location. The battery-powered MIGHTY and CRAFTY again transformed vaporizing technology, marking a significant leap in this journey towards a more personalized and mobile inhalation experience.

Today, the VOLCANO Hybrid and the VENTY embody this continuous drive for innovation and improved usability. These devices not only deliver unmatched vapor quality and efficiency but also boast sophisticated features like Bluetooth connectivity and app control, allowing for an unsurpassed customizable and intuitive application.

Mighty+ and Crafty+. Courtesy STORZ & BICKEL

A Diverse Audience

Vaporizers need to appeal to an increasingly wider spectrum of target groups, as each session has become more than a mere act of consumption but a personalized inhalation experience. Embracing the movement towards a cleaner, healthier, and individually nuanced application, STORZ & BICKEL continues to redefine industry benchmarks. Their cutting-edge vaporizers are engineered and crafted in Germany with a keen eye for the evolving preferences of today’s discerning users. Anticipating the demands of a diverse audience, the German manufacturer has ever since masterfully balanced the needs of tech fans, seasoned connoisseurs, and medical patients alike. As a result, their product portfolio excels with refined, certified vaporizers that impress with state-of-the-art features and offer an unparalleled level of customization in application.

Their desktop vaporizers remain the perfect choice for enthusiasts prioritizing endless sessions and the highest vapor quality at home and other stationary locations. For those treasuring the freedom to explore the world with their vaporizer at hand, STORZ & BICKEL’s portable vaporizers offer the essence of mobility, discretion, and flexibility, making them ideal companions for the adventurous and a busy lifestyle. The VENTY and the VOLCANO Hybrid stand out as their latest innovations in both categories, revealing versatile smart features to suit every preference.

Venty. Courtesy STORZ & BICKEL

Precision Meets Pleasure 

STORZ & BICKEL’s VOLCANO Hybrid desktop vaporizer and the portable VENTY illustrate the brand’s continuous drive for excellence. These cutting-edge devices deliver unmatched vapor quality and efficiency, alongside sophisticated features that anticipate and surpass consumers’ demands.

Erupting with excellence – The VOLCANO Hybrid, the successor of a legend, stands as a testament to the unparalleled vapor quality and efficiency that STORZ & BICKEL is renowned for. This desktop vaporizer offers a versatile and first-class vaporizing experience for seasoned connoisseurs and any group occasion. With its new dual application system of balloon and tube, sophisticated heating technology, and intuitive design, the VOLCANO Hybrid is made to enjoy customized, non-stop purity and precision.

From quick heat to cool features – For enthusiasts seeking convenience without compromising on performance, the VENTY emerges as a quintessential choice. It persuades with an astonishingly swift heat-up time of only 20 seconds and is designed for the modern user on the move. This lithium-ion battery-powered device boasts an impressive 20 liters of air per minute and is the world’s first vaporizer to feature customizable airflow settings. Its portability, speed, and app control make it the ideal companion for those who value spontaneity and mobility, allowing them to enjoy premium vapor quality wherever life takes them.

STORZ & BICKEL’s VENTY and VOLCANO Hybrid additionally stand out with game-changing features, speaking volumes about the German manufacturer’s commitment to innovation. Their patented conduction and convection heating technology ensures that every session is more than an act of inhalation, but an exceptional and nuanced pleasure. With Bluetooth connectivity, app control for customized settings, and unsurpassed low draw resistance due to high airflow capacities, these devices represent the state-of-the-art in vaporization technology on the market.

Volcano Hybrid Onyx Edition. Courtesy STORZ & BICKEL

Innovation, Integrity, Ingenuity

Always ahead of the curve, STORZ & BICKEL has consistently demonstrated that they are visionaries in the sector of vaporization technology, continually pushing boundaries to enhance the user experience. Their premium vaporizers, Made in Germany, have prevailed on the market. Integrity forms the foundation of the company’s operation, from the rigorous testing and certification of their products to their commitment to customer satisfaction and usability. The motive of this German manufacturer is not simply about adhering to standards but about raising them.

STORZ & BICKEL’s genius in suiting customers’ evolving needs becomes evident in their continued creation of certified high-end devices that combine well-proven patented solutions with innovative new features. The blend of individuality, novelty, and tried-and-true ensures that each STORZ & BICKEL vaporizer is more than a tool for consumption but a companion and expression of lifestyle. Their intuitive design, patented heating technology, and intelligent software, alongside features like Bluetooth connectivity and app control, showcase an ingenuity that anticipates and surpasses the desires of contemporary users. As the landscape of vaporizing technology evolves, STORZ & BICKEL continues to lead the way. Pioneering with purpose and precision ensures their position at the forefront of the industry for years to come.

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Drug Mixture Called ‘Kush’ in Sierra Leone Sometimes Contains Ground-Up Human Bones, Reports Say

In Freetown, Sierra Leone, a cheap smoking mix that causes a powerful high—made up of cannabis, fentanyl, tramadol, formaldehyde, and reportedly in some cases, ground-up human bones—is sweeping the city and nation as a whole. It’s less a “new drug” and it’s rather more like a new drug mix made by drug manufacturers cutting drugs with cheaper substances that cause an effect. Locals roll the ground-up blend of drugs into joints and share them with friends for a long-lasting high.

Like the “zombie drugs” you see in the U.S. that cause addicts to be frozen in pose on the street (fentanyl or tranq), West African nations report their own version of a “zombie drug” that causes locals to be in a coma-like state. Sierra Leone leaders declared an emergency due to the prevalence of people, mostly young men ages 18-25 who are smoking “kush.” 

Unlike the landrace strain from Afghanistan and the Hindu Kush mountain range, “kush” in Sierra Leone means a constantly changing mix of drugs in a smoking mixture that probably contains potentially physically harmful ingredients—namely various opioids or human bones.

“One of the drug’s many ingredients is human bones—security has been tightened in cemeteries to stop addicts digging up skeletons from graves,” BBC reports. Smoking crushed human bones contributes to the drug’s hypnotic high that lasts about six hours. (Smoking human bones in a separate drug mixture also gained popularity in South America.) A disturbing now-deleted Reddit thread provided information on smoking human bones. 

The reports of grave-robbing added to the nation’s frenzy over this drug, which reportedly took popularity about six years ago. It drew the attention of Sierra Leone’s president. “Our country is currently faced with an existential threat due to the ravaging impact of drugs and substance abuse, particularly the devastating synthetic drug kush,” said Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio.

The country is also concerned about potential long-term effects, mostly due to the addictive properties of the “kush” mixture.

Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, the only hospital of its kind in the country, says that between 2020 and 2023, admissions specifically for “kush” addicts surged by almost 4,000% to reach 1,865. Dr Abdul Jalloh, head of the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, said that the President’s emergency declaration is “the right step” and will be “crucial in addressing drug use.”

Options for locals are limited. There is reportedly only one drug rehabilitation center in Freetown. The 100-bed facility was “hurriedly set up in an army training center” earlier this year. Locals, however, say it’s more of a holding center than a rehab center because of its lack of basic facilities.

Locals hope the “kush” craze dies out and other, less harmful, drugs replace it.

Is There Truth Behind Smoked Bones?

The demonization of drugs may also play a role in the reality of how much “kush” actually contains human bones. However, seven cemeteries in Freetown reported grave-robbing for valuables in 2016.

Experiments with various substances that either produce a high or prolong a high have been introduced. Ground-up human bones also have been added to mixtures containing cocaine in other parts of the world.

Vice reported that people in South America are also smoking human bones to get high. The drug mixture in this region also contains extremely harmful ingredients in some cases. Vice reported in 2022 that “Basuco” is now considered the cheapest drug in the world—about 20 cents a hit. It’s made from low-quality cocaine, brick dust, volcanic ash, sulphuric acid, kerosene, and sometimes ground-up human bones. Basuco is described as an epidemic in Colombia. As it contains cocaine, smoking it causes the smoker to compulsively crave another hit. The high for this drug is also shockingly addictive, reported as an epidemic of basuco dependency in South America. 

So where exactly is “kush” being smoked? Mostly in countries in West Africa, where other types of drugs are scarce. The Conversation reports that the drug is reported in both Guinea and Liberia, which border Sierra Leone, making trafficking the drug easy.

Kush costs around five leones per joint, and they’re typically shared between people, with up to 40 joints being consumed in a day. About twenty Sierra Leonean leones (SLL) equals a U.S. dollar. The annual income per capita is around $630.

Drug mixes are common in some African countries, as drugs are cut with cheaper drugs.

Another drug mix, “white pipe”, is a mixture of the hypnotic sedative methaqualone (Mandrax), cannabis, and tobacco, and the drug is smoked in South Africa. South Africa is the leading consumer of Mandrax worldwide, with between 70% and 80% of the drug ending up in this country.

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Study: More Than 9 in 10 Smokable Hemp Products Test Above Federal THC Limit

The lack of standardized third-party testing, and overall regulation, is often cited in reference to the blossoming hemp-derived cannabinoid market. While plenty of consumers will attest to the power behind these products and there are surely plenty of companies doing their due diligence, there is simply less oversight with hemp compared to the legal cannabis industry.

For this reason, consumers of some hemp-derived products may find themselves in the midst of a hefty psychoactive experience when they otherwise assume they are using a solely hemp or CBD offering.

A new study in the journal Forensic Chemistry sheds more light on the prevalence of THC in products advertised as hemp, which must contain less than 0.3% THC, per the 2018 Farm Bill, in order to be federally legal and considered hemp. 

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and State University of New York (SUNY) Albany found that an overwhelming majority of smokable hemp products contained more than the aforementioned THC limit in a recent analysis. 

This means that these products should actually be considered cannabis, not hemp, and that they are technically illegal on a federal level.

A Closer Look at Smokable Products

The study analyzed 53 smokable hemp products from five commercial manufacturers, though specific products and manufacturers are unnamed. Researchers looked for the presence of a variety of cannabinoids including delta-8 THC, delta-9 THC, THC-A and total delta-9 THC.

Researchers took between 10 and 20 grams of each product, used a “small portable Magic Bullet grinder” and four to five pulses “to represent similar procedures forensic laboratories have been using to measure total Δ9-THC in seized cannabis plant samples.” They then utilized a methanol extraction procedure and proceeded to use the LC-PDA method, which separates 11 cannabinoids in less than 10 minutes.

“Over 90% of the samples analyzed by NIST were determined to have a total total Δ9-THC mass fraction above 0.3 % even though samples were being marketed as hemp,” researchers write. “Surprisingly, often the associated online documentation reported total Δ9-THC mass fractions of ≥0.3 %.”

Approximately 93% of the samples were above the 0.3% federal limit, and nearly half of the online documents provided by product manufacturers differed from the corresponding product labels. When comparing the NIST results to online documentation provided by manufacturers for 22 samples, researchers note that cannabinoid levels “differed by ≈55 % for total Δ9-THC, ≈68 % for THCA, and ≈18 % for Δ9-THC.”

Researchers said that it’s possible that the differences were due to testing methods, a lack of consistency in samples leading to unpredictable testing outcomes, variability between batches or storage conditions. Though researchers also note that the differences could simply be due to inaccurate product labels and online documentation.

A Complicated New Chapter for Hemp-Derived Products

“These studies demonstrate the need for accurate analytical measurements, batch homogeneity measurements, appropriate long-term storage conditions, and updated product information,” authors concluded. “These results also highlight the need for reference materials in the cannabis industry to establish measurement accuracy.”

The study comes as states across the country increasingly move to crack down on hemp-derived cannabinoids, with some ushering in more stringent regulation procedures and others moving to simply ban certain hemp-derived cannabinoids and associated products altogether.

And this trend of misleading cannabinoid content in hemp products is not an isolated incident.

A recent report took a closer look at hemp-derived products sold on Amazon, looking specifically at a group of gummies, tinctures, topicals and mints all marketed as hemp products. The majority of tested products (35 of 56 products, or 62.5%) contained no cannabinoids at all with more than a third (24 of 56 products, or 43%) containing no hemp.

Nearly 95% of the products did not provide Certificates of Analysis (COA), typically considered an essential for reputable companies selling hemp products. Notably, the report also confirmed that a whopping 96% of tested products did not advertise an accurate dosage.

The next iteration of the Farm Bill is expected later this year, and it’s highly anticipated that it may include provisions to further limit THC amounts in hemp-derived products.

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Missouri Would Allocate $10 Million from Opioid Settlement to Psilocybin Research in New Budget Bill

The House of Representatives in Missouri has approved a budget bill that allocates $10 million from the state’s opioid settlement funds for research grants. But not just any research grants. These are intended to explore the effectiveness of psilocybin in treating opioid use disorder, which is currently considered a public health crisis in the United States.

Originally, thanks to an addition to the bill that came up in a House committee last week, the bill, HB 2010, would have used the $10 million to actually study ibogaine for treating opioid use disorder. However, on Tuesday, that was modified to redirect the funds towards psilocybin research instead. Currently, the measure would allocate a one-time sum of $10 million from the state’s Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund to pay for grants for research universities. These grants are created to finance the study of the role of psilocybin in healing for substance use disorder.

Rep. Cody Smith (R), who introduced the original budget bill, noted that the shift in funding towards psilocybin research stemmed from a discussion he had with the state Department of Mental Health last week.

“They had concerns about the ibogaine research they had read, and there are concerns about the dangers involved in that research,” Smith said. “However, they are interested in the psilocybin piece. And we’ve seen many other states use their opioid settlement funds to that end.”

Smith isn’t the only Republican who backed the original ibogaine research plan. Rep. Chad Perkins (R), another supporter of the ibogaine research plan, told Marijuana Moment in an email: “I had several concerned individuals reach out and provide me with information regarding the potential benefits of ibogaine. After some research, I believed it was a worthy and prudent investment for the state to combat opiate addiction.”

Missouri is expected to get hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid-related settlement funds, which were collected through various lawsuits against the opioid industry and related entities, over the next several decades, And psychedelic advocates are working to allocate that money toward treatment models to help stop the opioid crisis through treatment.

Last year, Kentucky also considered putting money towards researching ibogaine for opiate use disorder. However, they ultimately also backed away from that plan, and advocates set their sights on other states, such as Missouri. Research indeed shows that ibogaine could be revolutionary for healing addiction. One study found that just a single ibogaine treatment not only reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms but “achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months.” However, ibogaine is still illegal in the U.S., and unlike psychedelics like psilocybin, it can lead to cardiac arrest and death, which is likely why the lawmakers opted for psilocybin. 

While many folks believe that the risks of a single ibogaine treatment are worth kicking a deadly opioid addiction, Perkins told Marijuana Moment that he’s satisfied with the shift towards psilocybin. “I’m not disappointed,” he said. “I believe that bringing more exposure to the benefits of psychedelics has been an ancillary effect of the pursuit of this budget item. This issue will hopefully raise the profile of psychedelics and provide a foundation on which we can base future policy decisions.”

Psilocybin is also indicated for opiate use disorder. As TIME reports, a 2022 study featured in Scientific Reports analyzed data from 214,505 U.S. adults whose information was gathered in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) spanning 2015 to 2019. This investigation uncovered a link between a history of psilocybin usage (at any point in a person’s life) and a diminished risk of developing opioid use disorder. 

The study examined 11 criteria used by scientists to identify opioid use disorder (such as dedicating considerable time to acquiring and consuming drugs) and discovered that previously taking psilocybin actually was significantly associated with a reduced chance for seven of these criteria, and slightly reduced odds for two additional criteria, giving folks a pretty awesome excuse to enjoy some magic mushrooms. 

Missouri sets a precedent for even more conservative governments embracing psychedelic therapies to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. In just a handful of examples, recently, the Governor of Indiana signed legislation that included measures to support clinical research trials investigating psilocybin. And in Utah, the Governor established a pilot program that allows hospitals to offer psilocybin and MDMA as alternative treatments. Furthermore, a committee in the Arizona House endorsed a bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers, where folks use the psychedelic under medical supervision.

The post Missouri Would Allocate $10 Million from Opioid Settlement to Psilocybin Research in New Budget Bill appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/missouri-would-allocate-10-million-from-opioid-settlement-to-psilocybin-research-in-new-budget-bill/

The Magic of Mushrooms

You may have mastered the art of growing pot but how about growing psilocybin mushrooms? Welcome to Psilocybin: An Easy Guide to Growing and Experiencing the Potential of Magic Mushrooms explores how to grow mushrooms and trip with the best setting and intentions.

Written by Seth Warner, this book provides the basics for delving into the psychedelic world of mushrooms, with a foreword written by renowned psychedelic pioneer Dennis McKenna.

The book provides information on dosage, sourcing spores, psychedelic safety, and all the tools and instructions needed to successfully grow potent magic mushrooms at home. It also includes a brief overview of the individuals in history who have inspired Warner—notably Maria Sabina, as well as Terence and Dennis McKenna. Welcome to Psilocybin also covers the internet age of psilocybin including pioneer Robert McPherson, aka Psilocybe Fanaticus, who put together early emergent techniques that have since been refined.

Prior to Welcome to Psilocybin, Warner directed the San Francisco Psychedelic Society and helped decriminalize psilocybin in the city of Oakland, California in 2019. Alongside his work with these initiatives, he launched MycoRising to teach home-scale psilocybin cultivation and teaches new growers through his workshops and “Ready? Set. Grow!” online program.

Welcome to Psilocybin is a go-to introductory psilocybin mushroom resource which is critical in navigating the psychedelic with the most effective and safe techniques.

Below is an excerpt from Welcome to Psilocybin that covers a brief history of the activists behind bringing the use of mushrooms into Western consciousness.

————————————-

A Brief History

The story of mushroom cultivation has a very long history, and the history of psilocybin use goes back far beyond our ability to record it. Luckily, the history of cultivating psilocybin-containing mushrooms indoors is mostly recent. Let’s take a brief walk through the record of psilocybin in Western culture. 

Maria Sabina

Maria Sabina

Maria Sabina (1894–1985) was a Mazatec curandera from a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, who became known for her practice of using psilocybin mushrooms, which she called “little saints,” in healing ceremonies. Living a traditional rural life in the Sierra Mazateca mountains, Sabina was born into a family of healers and introduced to the use of sacred mushrooms at a young age. As a curandera deeply respected within her community and surrounding villages, Sabina used many methods in her healing practice, including psilocybin mushrooms, which facilitated communication with the spiritual world to help heal the sick.

Sabina’s life changed in 1955 when she was introduced to R. Gordon Wasson, an American banker and amateur mycologist who became the first Westerner to partake in a Mazatec ceremony involving psilocybin mushrooms. He published his account against Sabina’s will and inadvertently launched her to international fame and brought a damaging wave of attention and tourism to her small village.

In some ways, Sabina’s story is tragic. She lost her husband and two children, faced many challenges living in a remote village, and was then banished from her own village and even briefly jailed for her role in the surge of outside seekers who brought mass disruption with them.

Despite the immense challenges and tragedies, Sabina’s enduring spirit and profound dedication to healing left a lasting legacy. Her pioneering work as a Mazatec curandera brought the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms to light, forever transforming our understanding of these sacred tools. Sabina’s life also highlights the need to respect and preserve indigenous knowledge and traditions, and serves as a poignant reminder of the wisdom these cultures hold.

“Before Wasson, nobody took the children [the sacred mushrooms] simply to find God. They were always taken to cure the sick.” – Maria Sabina

The McKenna Brothers

About 20 years after the publication of the Life article that revealed Maria Sabina, Terence and Dennis McKenna journeyed to the Colombian Amazon seeking another indigenous tradition, a hallucinogenic snuff called yopo. After giving up hope to find this substance, the team camped out and awoke in a field exploding with Psilocybe cubensis and soon consumed enough mushrooms to write vividly about their experiences: The Invisible Landscape by Terence and Dennis, and The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss by Dennis.

Upon returning to the United States, Dennis developed a reliable method for cultivating P. cubensis that could be replicated outside the lab. It was an exhilarating adaptation of recent innovations in the world of mycology. Soon the brothers (under the pen names Oss and Oeric) published one of the first and best-known mushroom cultivation guides, Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide. The book is still in print, largely to mark a significant piece of history. The brothers launched a new era of democratized access to psilocybin, although their method was complex and required a high initial investment.

PF Tek jar

Internet Age, Professor Fanaticus

The initial success of the McKenna growing guide spurred interest, access, and experimentation just as internet use was becoming widespread. Various websites and message boards popped up to share information. No contribution was more notable than that of the late Robert McPherson, aka Psilocybe Fanaticus, who put together the best of emergent techniques, referred to as teks. He created a method, PF Tek, that removed obstacles and increased the accessibility of psilocybin by several magnitudes. PF Tek’s popularity is waning, as a variety of even simpler methods become available.

Photo by L.G. Nicholas

Shroomery and Beyond

In the late 1990s, the shroomery.com became a new home for mycology online and since then has spawned more new growers than any other source. While not always an easy-to-navigate resource for new growers, it provides a home for ongoing discourse, an often-nurturing community for new experimentation, and a constant source for innovation. At its core, the shroomery has been a cultural catalyst, further democratizing mushroom cultivation.

This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

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source https://hightimes.com/culture/the-magic-of-mushrooms/

A Commitment to the Culture

Legal cannabis businesses exist today only because longtime advocates and cultivators have paved the way for progress. Co-founded by longtime cultivators Dennis Hunter and Ned Fussell under the CannaCraft company umbrella, Farmer and the Felon has two primary missions: First, to preserve cannabis history and collaborate with legacy cultivators who have spent decades growing the plant long before legalization became a reality in California, and second, to work with Last Prisoner Project (LPP) to offer support to individuals who are still suffering in prison for nonviolent cannabis convictions. With these goals in mind, Farmer and the Felon sets out to keep the stories and sacrifices of people in the cannabis industry alive.

Hunter’s personal history as a grower and cannabis prisoner stems from spending his youth living in the Emerald Triangle. The underground cannabis community and lifestyle inspired him, and he began to build upon that passion for cultivation. His passion also led to increased attention from law enforcement. He recalls the early 1990s when the police would use aerial surveillance helicopters to spot hidden cannabis grows from above.

“Helicopters [were] looking for your plants out in the woods, and you’re trying to camouflage them,” Hunter said. “And so back then, we were growing, you know, hiding all of our plants before Prop. 215, where people started to be allowed to grow a certain amount of plants in their backyards.”

Even after Prop. 215 was passed in California in 1996, Hunter’s operation continued to grow, and its prominence eventually attracted the attention of the DEA. In 1998, his operation was raided, which forced him and his family to hide for four and a half years—complete with alternate identities. However, the DEA finally caught up with him, and he went to prison.

After spending six and a half years away from his family, Hunter left prison on federal probation. 

He wasn’t permitted to grow cannabis and instead created an ancillary company to serve other growers by supplying products such as hydroponics equipment, fabric pots, and nutrients. That’s when Hunter met Fussell, who was one of his customers.

“We became fast friends, and pretty soon we got to a point where I was about to get off probation and I’m like, ‘Well, hey, I want to dive back in, but I want to do it right this time,’” Hunter said.

Hunter and Fussell created CannaCraft in 2014 and began to build a family of brands, starting with AbsoluteXtracts (ABX) and Care By Design that same year. This was followed by Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions in 2017, Farmer and the Felon in 2020, Loud + Clear (a sister company of ABX) and Humboldt Terp Council in 2021.

Having personally experienced the tumultuous landscape for cannabis business owners, Hunter and Fussell created Farmer and the Felon to help preserve the industry’s history.

“As things legalized, you started seeing more suits and people from all industries come in and start getting involved in the industry,” Hunter said. “You can see that you start to lose some of the culture and stuff, and we thought it was really important to save that culture of being that outlaw, and the stories and the kind of feelings and how it affected people’s lives.”

Farmer and the Felon’s flower is cultivated in Lake County, California, near Kelseyville, but the brand also collaborates with other legacy farmers or growers who transitioned into California’s legal industry with the passage of Prop. 215.

“We really like to collaborate with other small farms in our area in Northern California. And so we still do collaborations and purchase product from a lot of these farms,” Hunter said. “A lot of times, we’re able to share their stories. A lot of them are second/third-generation growers. Families have been growing up on these hills for many years and have similar stories to my own.”

Growers in the Emerald Triangle industry have always been a part of a tight-knit community. Hunter explains that they have connected with other cultivators through word-of-mouth, friend-based connections, and various trade shows or industry events. This has led to legacy collaborations with Rebel Grown, Hogwash Pharms, Soma Rosa Farms, and many more. Around the time of our interview in the fall of 2023, Farmer and the Felon had just rolled out a collaboration with Canna Country Farms, Sour Skunk OG.

Farmer and the Felon also offers a variety of its own flowers, pre-rolls (both a regular pre-roll and a hash extract-infused pre-roll collaboration with Kalya Extracts), and cold cure rosin. The brand has amassed a lengthy list of awards from The Emerald Cup in 2022 and 2023 and the 2023 California State Fair, many of which included these legacy farm collaborations.

Meanwhile, thousands of people are still in prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses, and Farmer and the Felon refuses to ignore those who need help and support.

“There’s still like 40,000 people in prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses,” Hunter said. “As much as we think it’s completely legal, there are still people away from their families for growing cannabis, and really to remind people of that. Because there’s still work to be done.”

Farmer and the Felon works with the LPP to keep cannabis prisoners in the spotlight by offering a percentage of Farmer and the Felon’s revenue to help fund ongoing cannabis prisoner support efforts. The brand has also previously hosted writing campaigns that allow people to write letters to cannabis prisoners and help them remain hopeful while they wait to be freed.

The brand serves as a reminder that “there are still people left out there that got sentenced long before it was legal and are still serving time,” Hunter said.

This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

The post A Commitment to the Culture appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/a-commitment-to-the-culture/