Sewage Tells What Countries Do Most Designer Drugs
Razi Berry Despite deaths and hospitalizations linked to many new psychoactive substances (NPS), an international wastewater study led by the University of South Australia shows just how prevalent ‘party pills’ and ‘bath salts’ are in different parts of the world. In a new paper published in Water Research, the world’s most comprehensive wastewater analysis of […]
Drug Testing in Public Schools
Razi Berry Thirteen-year-old Aura Brillhart and her 11-year-old sister, Morgan, will face a new sort of test in school this year: a drug test. A new test in school this year: a drug test The middle and high schools in their community of Fort Scott, Kan., are among the latest to require random drug testing […]
Differences in brain systems for habitual behavior distinguish heavy cannabis users
Razi Berry A shift from brain systems controlling reward-driven use to habit-driven use differentiates heavy cannabis users who are addicted to the drug from users who aren’t, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, published by Elsevier. The findings help explain how the brain becomes dependent on cannabis, and why not […]
CBD Helps Anxiety in Those Suffering with Substance Addiction
Razi Berry Cannabidiol (CBD) reduced cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with a history of heroin abuse, suggesting a potential role for it in helping to break the cycle of addiction, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published May 21 in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The […]
New Studies on MDMA Show Possibility for Improving PTSD
Razi Berry Recent research into MDMA (ecstasy) has shown that the drug can induce a neural response that allows the brain to become more sensitive to the reward and value learning process of social behaviors. This “critical period” of learning is typically seen in adolescence when people and animals are most sensitive to the social […]
Legislation to Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms on the Table in Denver
Razi Berry Advocates for the use of psychedelic mushrooms were given the okay to put an initiative before Denver voters to decriminalize magic mushrooms in the city. The Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative The Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative is meant to ask voters in Denver to approve a city ordinance that could make the […]
MDMA Found to Increase Cooperation With Others
Razi Berry A new study from England suggests that MDMA may increase people’s willingness to cooperate with each other.1 A lot of interest has been given to MDMA, a commonly used street drug called ecstasy or molly. Pure MDMA is currently being heavily researched for its potential in treating mental health conditions such as PTSD and […]
Too Much Viagra Could Lead to Long-term Vision Issues
Razi Berry A case study from Mount Sinai was published recently that showed color vision problems resulting from cellular retinal damage from taking high doses of sildenafil citrate (Viagra).1 Viagra is a popular medication that is used to help men who suffer from erectile dysfunction get and maintain an erection. The case study demonstrates that […]
Love Is The Drug
Razi Berry I’d been in relationships continuously since I fell hard for my first love at age 14. Four beautiful years of tenderness, and angst. Coming of age. Then, a series of long-term missing the mark, hanging on too long, and giving up too soon relationships. When I faced divorce, I first thought… When I […]
Sugar Addiction: Are you Addicted?
Refined Crystalline Substance with Coarse Consequences Whether or not it influences our individual food choices, there is a growing cultural understanding that sugar is an unhealthy part of the diet. We’re talking about the refined crystalline substance that comes in soda, cookies and other refined, packaged products. Not the natural sugar that comes in fruit, […]