News

Drugs & Magic in Classical Greece

November 18, 2009 - Classical literature abounds with sorcerers, magicians, and witches. Translators rarely reveal that their power stemmed from their great expertise in drugs. Sorcerers were classical drug dealers and the effects of drugs were seen as magical in those times. Drugs and magic were one. Dr. David Hillman writes in his book, The Chemical Muse (2008): "The Greeks and Romans used opium,...
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Professor Nutt is developing a healthy alcohol

November 11, 2009 - Ex Government drugs tsar Professor David Nutt is working on the development of a type of booze without the health risks associated with alcohol. It is said to mimic the effects of alcohol but without the hangover or liver damage. Nutt says that tests on volunteers are underway, and with government backing, the synthetic alcohol could be available in three to five years. There is even an...
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Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe-report

November 6, 2009 - According to figures published in the annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the Dutch are among the lowest users of cannabis in Europe. Only 5.4 percent of Dutch adults reported using cannabis, which is a fair bit below the European average of 6.8 percent. A higher percentage of adults in Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and France took cannabis last...
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Tell the truth, get sacked

November 2, 2009 - The British government's chief drug advisor David Nutt is "extremely disappointed" after being asked to leave for claims that cannabis, ecstasy and LSD are less dangerous than alcohol and cigarettes. In a lecture and briefing paper for the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies at King's College, London, Professor Nutt attacked what he called the "artificial" separation of alcohol and tobacco...
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'Rape drugs in drink is urban myth'

October 31, 2009 - The use of date-rape drugs such as rohypnol and GHB is just “an urban myth” a study revealed where more than 200 students in the UK and US were surveyed. Academics believe this legend is fuelled by young woman unwilling to accept they have simply consumed too much alcohol. The study – published in the British Journal of Criminology - revealed a number of interesting facts. For one,...
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Psychedelic research making headlines

October 28, 2009 - The Guardian, Scientific American and many other reputable news outlets have recently published articles about new studies investigating the therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances like psilocybin and MDMA. Prior to the early '70s lots of research had already been done and many patients had been treated, primarily with mescaline (the active component of the Peyote and San Pedro...
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Supreme Court: Bong water is illegal drug

October 23, 2009 - The Supreme Court of Minnesota ruled that the water left in a bong after smoking can be considered an illegal drug. The case involved a 46-year old woman from Minnesota who was arrested in 2007, and items seized from her home included a glass bong. It contained a small amount of liquid that tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine. The Supreme Court says that bong water now...
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Tougher laws in Australia

October 17, 2009 - The West Australian government plans to toughen its cannabis law by reducing the legal possession limit from 30g to 10g and banning the sale of all smoking implements and paraphernalia. To be introduced this week, the new legislation will repeal the former Labor government's Cannabis Control Act, which allowed people to cultivate two plants for personal use. Under the new laws anyone...
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Dutch Labour Party: ‘lift ban on magic mushrooms’

October 14, 2009 - Lea Bouwmeester, MP of the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) says she would like to see a roll back of the much-criticized mushroom ban. She claims the ban is ineffective and does not tackle the actual problems. She believes combined use of alcohol and drugs amongst tourists is the main issue, and not particularly the use of mushrooms. “Statistics prove this, as 95 percent of ambulance calls related...
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Rise in use of grade-boosting drugs

October 13, 2009 - A study has shown that seven percent of Dutch university students use the ADHD-medicine ritalin for non-medical purposes. Three percent say they use the amphetamine-based 'smart drug' to improve concentration during exam periods, while five percent claim to use it for recreational purposes. Of all interviewed students, 12,5 percent say they intend to use Ritalin for these reasons in the...
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Carl Sagan's essay on cannabis

October 7, 2009 - Below are a few citations from an essay that astronomer Carl Sagan wrote in 1969 for Marihuana Reconsidered , a book published by Dr. Lester Grinspoon. At that time Sagan was 35 years old. He continued using cannabis for the rest of his life. "The cannabis experience has greatly improved my appreciation for art, a subject which I had never much appreciated before. The understanding of the...
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Prince of Pot surrenders

September 30, 2009 - Canadian activist Marc Emery, also known as the ‘Prince of Pot’ was taken into police custody on September 28, and now awaits extradition to the US, where he faces a five year prison sentence. He has sold millions of marijuana seeds around the world through the internet over the past decade. And while the Canadian government was fully aware of his business and did not have any problems...
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The art of acid

September 25, 2009 - Online art and culture magazine Juxtapoz published an interview with blotter artist Mark McCloud, who is known to have the most diverse and extensive collection of Blotter Art on the planet. In the interview Mark gives a rundown on the history of blotter art, and shares his view on this extraordinary art form; McCloud believes "it is the great American art in miniature". About...
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Dutch border town coffee shop owners lose court battle

September 18, 2009 - Following new rules set earlier this year, eight coffeeshops in the Dutch border towns Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom are no longer allowed to sell cannabis. Under the ban, the shops are allowed to stay open and serve alcohol but not marijuana. If they continued to sell marijuana, they could be punished with a five year closure. The ban comes in an attempt from the mayors of these towns to...
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Canada approves new MDMA study

September 9, 2009 - Two Canadian therapists have been permitted to give ecstasy to patients in a scientific trial aimed at finding new ways to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychologist Andrew Feldmar and psychiatrist Ingrid Pacey, with the help of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS ), are recruiting 12 people to take part in the trial, which they hope might...
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Movie night at the Azarius store!

September 2, 2009 - For years we've been organizing movie nights at the Azarius head office. On Friday September 18 we'll have our first movie night in the new shop , located at Kerkstraat 119 in Amsterdam. There will be snacks and drinks available, but feel free to bring your own. We'll start off with " Peyote to LSD: A Psychedelic Odyssey ", currently one of the very best documentaries about native and...
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Pot may protect brain from booze

September 2, 2009 - Marijuana may protect the brain from some of the damage caused by binge drinking, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of California San Diego performed brain scans on 16- to 19-year-olds in three groups: binge drinkers, binge drinkers who also smoke pot, and those with very little drug or drinking experience. Binge drinkers showed damage in their white matter. But those...
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Marijuana plantation is university test field

September 1, 2009 - A plantation containing no less than 47,000 marijuana plants discovered in a sweetcorn field near Lelystad on Wednesday belongs to Wageningen University. The plantation was discovered by the police after receiving an anonymous tip-off. A police-helicopter was used to locate the cannabis field. ( video footage, Dutch ) At first, police reported that the plantation estimates a street value of...
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Argentina and Mexico decriminalize small scale marijuana use

August 28, 2009 - Last tuesday Argentina’s Supreme Court ruled that possession of small amounts of cannabis will no longer lead to prosecution. The ruling is based on the “privacy clause” of Argentina’s constitution—private pot use doesn’t “offend public order or morality”, and the court said that "Each adult is free to make lifestyle decisions without the intervention of the state." Ruling in a case...
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Religious use of drugs and alcohol

August 25, 2009 - In the course of human history drug use has developed from an intensely sacred and religious practice to an intensely secular and recreational one. The original usage of many controlled substances can be traced to the various shamans and priests within native cultures and ancient civilizations. Many of these traditions have been lost, but they still exist in records and stories. Others are...
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Former Top Cop: Pot Is Safer Than Booze

August 21, 2009 - In an article in the Huffington Post , former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper voices his views that marijuana is objectively safer than alcohol. “In all my years on the streets, it was an extremely rare occasion to have a night go by without an alcohol-related incident. More often than not, there were multiple alcohol-related calls during a shift. I became accustomed to the pattern. If I...
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Ayahuasca and the realm of spirits

August 18, 2009 - We came across a very interesting article on the use and effects of ayahuasca, the sacred brew that's prepared by shamans in the Amazon, and served in centers of the Santo Daime religion throughout the world. Ayahuasca can also be made at home, for example by preparing one of the Spirit Elixer packs. An excerpt from the article, about the active component DMT (dimethyl-tryptamine): ...
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highDEAS - the best ideas (while you're high)

August 11, 2009 - Any pot smoker will be familiar with the flood of "great ideas" that come up while you're very high. And we all know that these ideas tend to appear kinda silly the next day, when you're sober again. However, some of the ideas can be pretty good, even from a rational perspective, which is why some folks have set up a website where you can submit your best ideas (before you forget them!), and...
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Saliva driving drug test "not feasible"

August 3, 2009 - A leading Dutch research centre on drugs and addiction says a total ban on drugs while driving is not feasible. The warning from the Trimbos Institute, which advises the cabinet, comes in response to a call, launched on Saturday by the Council of Police Commissioners, for zero-tolerance with help of a saliva test. They believe a strict policy will help in reducing overall traffic fatalities. ...
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Drugs in clubs on the decline, alcohol use same

July 28, 2009 - In nightclubs in Amsterdam usage of drugs has decreased significantly over the past five years. That's the conclusion of the University of Amsterdam, which (on behalf of the Dutch Jellinek Institute for Addiction Research) has kept track of the nightlife in Amsterdam for sixteen years. According to the researchers the past five years gave rise to a 'new soberness' in the nightlife. This...
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Harry Potter star Waylett sentenced

July 21, 2009 - Harry Potter actor Jamie Waylett has apologised to the film's fans after being ordered to undertake unpaid community work as punishment for growing cannabis. Waylett, 20, who plays Vincent Crabbe in the popular films, admitted in court to growing 10 plants at his mother's home. The judge told the actor, who marked his birthday on the same day: "Mr Waylett, I accept that the cultivation of...
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Truffles to the rescue of Dutch smartshops

July 21, 2009 - Truffles, which are also known as Philosopher's stones or sclerotia, have replaced of shrooms as the main item sold in Dutch smartshops. Shrooms were banned in December 2008, and the new law specifically outlaws "mushrooms" of various species. A truffle, which can be eaten raw just like shrooms, is officially not a mushroom or toadstool, and can therefore still be sold legally over the counter....
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Dutch poet and activist Simon Vinkenoog passes away

July 13, 2009 - On Sunday July 12 Simon Vinkenoog passed away, due to a brain haemorrhage. Two years ago the celebrated poet and drug activist could be seen and heard at the protest rally against the Dutch ban on mushrooms, as well as the LSD symposium in Basel. For years Simon published articles, books and poems, in which he was always very outspoken about his appreciation of psychedelic substances....
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Letter from Albert Hofmann to Steve Jobs

July 10, 2009 - A never-before-published letter LSD-inventor Albert Hofmann wrote shortly after his 101’st birthday to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, requesting support of LSD research, has been published in the new book ‘"This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America”. Steve Jobs never made a secret about his use of LSD, and in interviews he called it ‘"one of the two or three most...
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Alcohol and tobacco just as harmful as heroin

July 3, 2009 - The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has performed a risk assessment on the harmful effects of 17 illegal drugs plus that of legal drugs tobacco and alcohol. The assessment was performed by a panel of 19 experts who based their judgement on their own scientific expertise and information derived from the literature. The assessment focussed on toxicity,...
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