Recent years have seen a resurgence in clinical interest in, and increased public acceptance of, psychedelic drugs in Canada. However, our understanding of how psychedelic drugs are currently used in Canada remains limited. We developed the Canadian Psychedelic Survey (CPS) to gather real-world evidence about psychedelic drug use in Canada. This study aimed to characterize CPS respondents;...
As regulatory agencies have put psychedelics on an expedited path to market approval, North Americans and Europeans might turn away from their repression and join the subset of cultures that have institutionalized the use of hallucinogenic drugs. What is the place of anthropology in this psychedelic renaissance? More specifically, how should anthropology relate to the cycles of hype and...
This article presents an analytical reading of the extraordinarily rich cultural production around drugs by the 20th-century French poet, writer, critic, and visual artist Michaux (1899–1984). Over about a decade, from the mid-1950's, the otherwise habitually sober Michaux wrote five books, included within which were dozens of drawings, and made one half-hour film, charting his adventures as an...
Introduction Visual-spatial perception is a process for extracting the spatial relationship between objects in the environment. The changes in visual-spatial perception due to factors such as the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (hyperactivation) or parasympathetic nervous system (hypoactivation) can affect the internal representation of the external visual-spatial world. We...
The gut-brain axis (GBA) refers to the sophisticated bidirectional communication system connecting the digestive system with the central nervous system. This interaction is enabled by a series of intricate signaling processes, encompassing various neuro-immune and hormonal pathways. The association between the gut microbiome and mental health has garnered immense scientific and public interest,...
Frontiers in PharmacologyMay 9, 2023Kabirullah Lutfy, Robert N. Pechnick, Nissar A. Darmani1 citation
Pharmacology of new psychoactive substancesSeveral classes of novel psychoactive substances have been introduced in illicit markets throughout the world and more are being developed.They present major law enforcement challenges and global public health threats.However, there is limited information on their harmful effects on the central nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal...
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 57(6) Interest in prescribing psychoactive drugs as treatments for mental health conditions has been highlighted recently by the decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to permit, from 1 July 2023, authorised psychiatrists to prescribe medicines containing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and...
Drug use is prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs or festivals. This population can serve as a sentinel population to monitor trends in use of party drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) that may diffuse through larger segments of the population. We surveyed adults entering randomly selected EDM parties at nightclubs and dance festivals in...
Background:Classical psychedelics are a group of drugs which act as agonists on the serotonin-2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Evidence suggests they may have a uniquely rapid and enduring positive effect on mood. However, marked heterogeneity between methodological designs in this emerging field remains a significant concern. Aims:To determine how differences in the type of psychedelic agent used and the...
In a context of popularization and boom of the use and research of psychedelic therapies worldwide, the therapeutic use of psilocibious fungi has gained massiveness. Its two main modalities, macrodosis (occasional use of sufficient doses to produce deep perceptual, physiological and psychological effects) and microdosis (use of dose low enough to allow the development of the person in daily...