Tag: drugs

  • Tripping on tomatoes

    Scientists have created a breed of tomatoes that contain psychoactive properties.

    The breakthrough could lead to more sustainable and scalable production of these compounds by using model plants to biosynthesize common psychedelic “tryptamines,” such as psilocybin from hallucinogenic mushrooms, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from plants, and psychoactive compounds secreted by the Sonoran Desert toad. 

    Eventually, this research could pave the way toward—as one example—tomato plants that contain microdoses of psychedelic cocktails in each fruit. However, the study’s authors emphasized that these modified plants would need to be limited to medical use in clinical settings, and should not be accessible to consumers for recreation.

  • US drug deaths down

    A promising trend: drug deaths are declining. Why?

    Theories include the wider distribution of Narcan, or naloxone; a trend of weaker, less deadly fentanyl being sold by dealers; more readily available addiction healthcare; and also the loss of so many vulnerable young people who have already died.

    Many researchers believe another key factor may be less risky drug and alcohol use among teens and twenty-somethings, a pattern that emerged during the years of the COVID epidemic. One study by a team at the University of Michigan found the number of teens abstaining from substance grew to its highest level in 2024.