Your Dose of Pop is DPA’s contribution to a balanced media diet. Here’s your latest serving of culture and entertainment news.
Scott Disick is Making Ibogaine Famous
I can imagine very little in life that could be more surreal than being a cast member of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, so taking one of the world’s most potent psychedelics might be a walk in the park for Scott Disick.
The tabloids are a-flutter with chatter that Disick, the sweater neck-tying, wise-cracking member of the Kardashian clan that I always found the most ironically self-aware, checked into the Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, which reportedly offers addiction treatment involving iboga, an African root with an intense, long-lasting psychedelic effect (definitely not something to mess with in preparation for attending a Phish show, for instance).
Iboga, whose active ingredient is a chemical called ibogaine, was traditionally part of coming-of-age rituals but is also used in some instances to treat addiction.
Using psychedelics as a treatment for people suffering from addiction has been studied extensively, with promising results. Other psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, have been used for such purposes and, although much more research is needed, there are powerful personal stories suggesting that ayahuasca may help reduce problematic substance use.
The DEA recently approved research into the use of MDMA (or ecstasy – or what the younger generation thinks they’re getting when they procure “molly”) – which is not necessarily considered a psychedelic, but can produce psychedelic effects – for the treatment of anxiety in seriously ill patients.
The tabloids are hollering (as they do) about potential dangers. Truth be told, while ibogaine can have both benefits and risks, the same can be said for living in a household with Kris Jenner. And at least ibogaine can be safely administered in the right setting.
Boy Band Brouhaha in the Phillipines
Word has it Zayn Malik of British boy band One Direction is quitting the band’s world tour over “stress.” Perhaps that stress could be a furor brewing in the Philippines over rumors about his and fellow One Directioner Louis Tomlinson’s penchant for toking weed from time to time.
First, an anti-drug group demanded One Direction members get drug tested before being allowed to perform in the country (bet those urine samples would end up on ebay). Then the Philippines Bureau of Immigration requested Zayn and Tomlinson post bonds ahead their gig in Manila, which they would forfeit upon getting up to anything involving drugs during their visit.
No word on whether Taylor Swift is writing a song about any of this.
Sharda Sekaran is the managing director of communications for the Drug Policy Alliance.
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Author: Sharda Sekaran
Date Published: March 20, 2015
Published by Drug Policy Alliance
Via:: Ddrug Policy Alliance