A New Jersey Senate committee approved a bill to legalize a therapeutic psilocybin program in the state, with even hesitant lawmakers saying that they’re coming around on the psychedelics proposal.

Some of the members at the Senate committee hearing were visibly swayed by testimony from advocates who spoke in favor of the change. One speaker, for example – lawyer Lauren Dayton, who has served as a local elected official for the borough of Tenafly – explained that a single dose of psilocybin can effectively curb her otherwise incapacitating cluster headaches. Check it out: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/new-jersey-senate-panel-approves-psilocybin-therapy-legalization-bill/

PharmAla Biotech Holdings (which specializes in MDMA research and manufacturing), announced that it landed a deal to supply MDMA for a proposed clinical trial at the University of Texas, San Antonio. Pursuant to a submitted grant funding application by the principals, the contract envisions the creation of a new dosage form for MDMA, which will subsequently be tested in an investigator-initiated human clinical trial.

This news comes just one week after the company announced that it had been contracted as a supplier of MDMA for a clinical trial at Harvard’s McLean Hospital, the largest neuroscientific and psychiatric private research hospital in the world.  You can read more about PharmAla’s latest deal with the University of Texas here: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/08/2959739/0/en/PharmAla-to-supply-the-University-of-Texas-San-Antonio-with-novel-dosage-form-of-LaNeo-MDMA.html

Veteran service organization, Heroic Hearts Project, aired a new ad promoting a new psychedelics legalization ballot initiative in Massachusetts.

Television ads promoting psychedelics legalization initiatives are not common, so it’s not surprising that this one is getting a lot of attention, and fortunately, a lot of positive reaction, too. 

With Election Day right around the corner, Heroic Hearts launched the ad, which features a health professional and a cancer patient discussing the need to provide regulated access to psychedelic substances. It’s a moving ad, and you can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ddtPeCHj4&t=1s

Did you know that people with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression?

Using data from the UK Biobank and artificial intelligence, researchers from the University of Surrey grouped participants into three categories: health-conscious, omnivores, and sweet tooth.

They found that the sweet tooth group had a 31% higher risk of depression than other groups. As well, this group had poorer blood markers for inflammation and glucose levels, indicating higher risks for metabolic and mental health conditions. 

The study was published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, and you can check it out here: https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-024-05663-0