This question of how to proceed when economics and spirituality come into contact with each other is difficult. I will offer my perspective. If there is a legitimate good or service being offered, then infuse them with spiritual intention and advertise/sell away in an open and honest manner. But if we are going to try to "capitalize" on the actual spiritual forces themselves (shamanic initiations, healing energies, etc) then frankly, I think we are treading on dangerous ground and run the risk of stirring up this kind of negative energy. Was the money in this Peru trip going for tangible things like food, lodging, and travel expenses or was someone trying to turn a profit on the spiritual energies themselves? If so, I find that troubling.

Levamisole, an agricultural de-worming agent, is getting harder and harder to find in the U.S. (even for forensic scientists) as chemical companies take it off the shelves to keep it out of cocaine.

I guess we're headed back to our regular old garden variety cocaine adulterants! Whew...

Originally published in 1966, 'Psychedelic Prayers after the Tao Te Ching' by Timothy Leary is a work of textual interpretation, an exercise in creativity and an attempt to illuminate and guide the psychedelic experience through the lens of an ancient text. The cover drawing, a psychedelic, red horse motif, is illustrated by Michael Bowen.

Having already published 'The Psychedelic Experience: A manual based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead', as an LSD guide book, Timothy Leary decided to look further East for his next inspiration. A fresh framework for exploring the "awareness-of-energy" and the "patterns of neurological signals which are usually censored from mental life."

Hot on the heels of new research showing marijuana’s pain-relief value and the reintroduction of a bill in California to legalize, regulate and tax the drug, the Bay Area this week saw the premiere of its first marijuana-themed television show.

“Cannabis Planet,” a 30-minute weekly program, is slated for a 26-week run on KOFY-TV Channel 20 at midnight Fridays.

The show — focusing on the merits of the marijuana plant in medicine, industry and agriculture, and “the benefits this plant brings to planet Earth, mankind and the United States,” according to a news release — is already seen in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, and will roll out in Sacramento in March and in Colorado this spring.

Weekly topics will include cannabis news and information, profiles of medical marijuana collectives, cannabis cooking, patient testimonials, celebrity interviews, music, entertainment and more.

Looks like you can watch on ye olde interwebs too!

A 26-year-old Swedish man who felt his supplier had given him more than he bargained for walked into a police station to complain that his weed had been laced with LSD, according to Skanskan.

Surprised police officers listened as the man, who admitted to being an habitual hash smoker, told police he wanted to complain about a bad cube -- as he had never had such a bad trip.

Police officers had difficulty containing themselves as the man said that after his smoke, his television seemed to begin talking to him and his girl friend turned in to a dolphin.

After ten years of hash smoking, the man said he knew a bad trip from a good one, adding that his cube must have been laced, and asked the authorities to run an LSD test on a piece he had brought with him. Skanskan, which reported the case, said the man claimed the trip had left him 'shaky and scared'.

See kids, don't do drugs!

Now I can understand the need for a law something like this. I knew a guy who woke up paralyzed after a night of drinking in the third world. It was thankfully temporary and he subsequently discovered that it was well known that certain bar operators added insecticide to their hooch as a cheap way to stretch it out without losing any kick. No one wants that.

But the way they seem to be enforcing this, one has to wonder where they draw the line. Are they going to bust someone for adulterating their gin with tonic? What if they add a wedge of lime?

I am one of dozens of presenters at Psychedelic Science in the 21st Century, an international conference in San Jose, California, April 15-18, 2010. This will be a historic event with experts presenting on a variety of topics related to psychedelics such as: ayahuasca effects and safety, ibogaine as a treatment for substance abuse, the pharmacology of LSD, MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD, psilocybin to ease anxiety associated with cancer, and scores of other fascinating subjects. Numerous notable researchers and scholars will be part of the three full days of programming with concurrent tracks exploring clinical and spiritual applications, issues relevant to healthcare professionals, and social and cultural issues surrounding the therapeutic and recreational uses of psychedelics.

I hope you will join me there and I encourage you to register before March 15 to avoid the late registration fees. Medical doctors and healthcare professionals (including psychologists and social workers) can earn continuing medical education/continuing education credits by attending.

To be more specific, I am presenting a talk entitled "The Mechanics of Hallucination" at 11:00 AM on Saturday April 17th, 2010. This talk will correspond to the online release of 'Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason'. I will represent DoseNation and drop a fat PowerPoint presentation guaranteed to blow minds, and try not to embarrass myself too badly. To learn more about this event please visit the link below.

[Thanks Christopher!]

World-renowned Harvard child psychiatrist Joseph Biederman, whose work has helped fuel an explosion in the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs in children, has been caught up in controversy since a Congressional inquiry by Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) in 2008.

Biederman has been criticized for being an advocate of diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder in even the youngest of children, and using antipsychotic medicines to treat them. Pharmaceutical companies are continuing to profit from the sale of these powerful and sometimes unnecessary drugs. The problem was that much of Biederman's work was underwritten by drug makers for whom he was a private consultant. He was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

The Congressional inquiry revealed last year that Biederman earned at least $1.6 million in consulting fees from drug makers from 2000 to 2007, but failed to report all but $200,000 to Harvard officials. This constituted a major conflict of interest.

Biederman appeared at a deposition on February 26, 2009, and was questioned by several lawyers for the states, who were claiming that makers of antipsychotic drugs defrauded state Medicaid programs by marketing their medicines improperly.

At the deposition, Biederman was asked what rank he held at Harvard.

"Full professor," he answered.

"What's after that?" asked Fletch Trammell, one of the attorneys.

"God," Biederman responded.

"Did you say God?" Trammell asked.

"Yeah," said Biederman, after which there was a moment of stunned silence.