Federal judge ruled ecstasy sentences too harsh

"Federal Judge Rejects Ecstasy Sentencing Guidelines"
by Phillip Smith, July 19, 2011
stopthedrugwar.org


Highlights:
 "A US District Court Judge in New York Friday refused to sentence an ecstasy defendent according to federal sentencing guidlines, saying they punish offenses too harshly than scientifically justified and are based on 'selective and incomplete' evidence... MAPS executive director Rick Doblin had testified to the relative safety of Ecstasy before the US Sentencing Commission when it was setting the guidelines in 2001, but the commission ignored his and other expert testimony." 

FullArticle: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/jul/19/federal_judge_rejects_ecstasy_se

Maybe a step in the right direction, however, any punishment is too harsh! Ecstasy has helped many people and done a great service to music via artist and audience. An entire subculture has emerged from it's empathy and many strangers have become great friends. Let us be thankful for small victories but remain motivated toward change for the greater good. Check out http://stopthedrugwar.org

Stay informed, folks. Happy Independence

Why We Dream & Thoughts on DMT

People continue to investigate this age-old mystery. Why do we dream? Deirdre Barrett's new theory suggests that dreams are not merely a side effect of REM sleep, or a Freudian gratification, rather a way of problem solving, critically thinking while we sleep. I believe this also has long been a colloquial answer to the mystery of dreaming... however, I believe that scientific credit to Barrett's ten years of research will do much good for the acceptance of shamanistic practices, which, like dreams, make us "ripe for the type of 'out-of-the-box' thinking that some problem-solving requires". 


My hope is that one day, instead of reminding children to wash behind their ears, mothers and fathers will be shouting behind their children "don't forget to clean your brain!!" Our society already notices the importance of "clearing the mind". Perhaps one day LSD and DMT will be seen as evolutionary tools as simple as soap and hot water. 


Even so, mystery will remain. When we dream are we problem-solving, or are We problem-solving? Perhaps the tiny pulse of dmt into our sleeping brains is enough to drop-us into the fabric, into the collective... maybe only half way. Even more, dreams might reveal something about our soul or show us that we are not alone. 

As the universe seems to continually synchronize, I woke up this morning from the most terrible nightmare. More tremendous than all of my monster and dragon dreams combined, there were people killing people. It was a sight that I will not write down in my dream journal. The images are still burning my minds eye. After crying for some time, I got online to read and write about dreams. As I signed on to facebook, the top of my feed lent me this article on Barrett's research. Thank you Luke, Fredrik and David for participating in the synchronicity.

http://www.livescience.com/health/dream-problem-solving-100627.html

NYT: When Sartre Talked to Crabs (It Was Mescaline)

Highlights: Sartre: "Yeah, after I took mescaline, I started seeing crabs around me all the time. They followed me in the streets, into class. I got used to them. I would wake up in the morning and say, “Good morning, my little ones, how did you sleep?” I would talk to them all the time. I would say, “O.K., guys, we’re going into class now, so we have to be still and quiet,” and they would be there, around my desk, absolutely still, until the bell rang.... 

But after I finished school, I began to think I was going crazy, so I went to see a shrink, a young guy then with whom I have been good friends ever since, Jacques Lacan. We concluded that it was fear of being alone, fear of losing the camaraderie of the group."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/weekinreview/15grist.html

Medical science needs your brain

        After reading Robert Jourdain's Music, the Brain and Ecstasy I found myself carried away by the uncertainty lying in the tangle of nerves at the nape of my neck. The transformation of vibration to sound, from information to understanding, is but a mystical light show to our primitive eyes. Once I realized that the answer to my burning questions could not be seen alive (with current affordable technology) I quickly called my mother and told her with grave persistence.... if anything happens to me, donate my brain to music science.
    
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/today/tomfeilden/2009/01/medical_science_needs_your_bra.html

Loud music prolongs ecstasy's effects on the brain

by Charnicia Huggins

Highlights: "In the absence of the loud music, low doses of MDMA did not affect the rats' brain activity compared with rats given placebo. When combined with the loud music, however, low doses of the drug were associated with decreased brain activity, the report indicates...

Long-term experiments showed that the reduced brain activity among rats given the higher dose of the drug persisted for up to five days, the researchers note. Brain activity returned to normal after one day in rats given a similar dose of the drug who were not exposed to the loud music."

http://www.ezilon.com/information/article_16144.shtml

Do entheogen-induced mystical experiences boost the immune system? Psychedelics, peak experiences, and wellness

by Thomas B. Robert Thomas B. Roberts PhD is a Professor of Educational Psychology at Northern Illinois University, DeKaIb, IL (USA), where he has taught courses on transpersonal, mind-body, psychedelic, and consciousness topics.

http://csp.org/practices/entheogens/doc/roberts-immune.html

Scientists study possible health benefits of LSD and ecstasy

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/oct/23/lsd-ecstacy-health-benefits