{"id":215,"date":"2021-07-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMiiQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5tYXJpanVhbmFtb21lbnQubmV0L25ldmFkYS1zcG9ydHMtcmVndWxhdG9ycy1kaXRjaC1tYXJpanVhbmEtdGVzdGluZy1mb3ItZmlnaHRlcnMtZGF5cy1hZnRlci1yaWNoYXJkc29ucy1vbHltcGljcy1zdXNwZW5zaW9uL9IBAA"},"modified":"2021-07-07T07:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-07-07T07:00:00","slug":"nevada-sports-regulators-ditch-marijuana-penalties-for-fighters-days-after-richardsons-olympics-suspension-marijuana-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=215","title":{"rendered":"Nevada Sports Regulators Ditch Marijuana Penalties For Fighters, Days After Richardson&#8217;s Olympics Suspension &#8211; Marijuana Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Neil deGrasse Tyson has a lot of questions about psychedelic mushrooms\u2014including whether non-human animals willingly partake in the experience and whether eating enough cicadas infected by hallucinogenic fungi would create a psychoactive effect.<\/p>\n<p>The astrophysicist had a wide-ranging conversation on mushrooms and psychedelics during an episode of his podcast StarTalk that was posted last week. Merlin Sheldrake, a biologist who specializes in fungi, joined the discussion and fielded a number of trippy questions from Tyson and viewers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you think mushrooms would have been a part of early animal diets?\u201d Tyson asked Sheldrake.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, I don\u2019t see why animals would neglect these nutritious, delicious organisms growing up within easy reach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyson followed up to ask,&nbsp;\u201cWould an animal knowingly, an animal not human, knowingly eat a mushroom that has psychedelic properties?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"740\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/59JisQXUeTg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;start=907&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The science isn\u2019t settled on that topic, but Sheldrake said there have been accounts of dogs watching their human partners pick psychedelic mushrooms and then eating them. They would then \u201cappear to be under the influence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Reports of cats indulging are less common, though the expert said there has been at least one story of a feline \u201cthat repeatedly ate its owner\u2019s psychedelic mushrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSee, I think cats are always eating mushrooms based on behavior patterns that I\u2019ve seen,\u201d Tyson said.<\/p>\n<p>Later, the conversation turned to cicadas, which the scientist pointed out have infiltrated parts of the U.S. this year. While Tyson said he committed previously to eating three cicadas, Sheldrake cautioned against overindulging because the bugs, when infected by certain fungi, can produce psilocybin or an amphetamine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you eat enough of them, then you might start feeling stranger than you realize,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"740\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/59JisQXUeTg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;start=1442&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a good heads up there, thank you,\u201d Tyson said.<\/p>\n<p>Sheldrake caveated that \u201cyou\u2019d probably need to eat quite a few before you notice anything.\u201d But Tyson assured there was \u201cno risk\u201d in that because he\u2019s not eating any more than he previously promised to.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation got deeper later in the program, with Sheldrake fielding a question about a theory from psychedelic advocate Terence McKenna that prehistoric ingestion of psilocybin mushrooms may have \u201cexpanded the human mind, introducing complex language and culture to early humans through psychedelic experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sheldrake said there are principally two schools of thought on that subject. Some believe that the chemical components of psychedelics may have directly produced physiological changes in the early human brain, creating new neural connections and causing it to increase in size. Others argue that psychedelic experiences may have expanded psychological and cultural horizons and led to innovative thinking\u2014perhaps inspiring the discovery of fire and cooking with fire, for example\u2014that ultimately contributed to increased brain mass.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"740\" height=\"417\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/59JisQXUeTg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;start=2459&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sheldrake said he\u2019s more inclined to accept the latter theory, but it\u2019s a question \u201cwithout a clear answer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyson seemed skeptical, and he asked Sheldrake if he\u2019s personally \u201chad a deep thought that you\u2019re pretty sure you wouldn\u2019t have had had you not exposed yourself to psychedelic mushrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, in a word,\u201d the guest said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo you\u2019d recommend everyone do it then?\u201d Tyson asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I wouldn\u2019t do that,\u201d Sheldrake said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy\u2014if it made you smarter or more insightful and your own work\u2014why not have an over the counter at the pharmacy?\u201d Tyson pressed.<\/p>\n<p>Sheldrake responded that the psychedelic experience \u201ccan be somewhat unruly,\u201d and individuals may require certain settings and mindsets to reap the benefits of the substances. Further, for some people, psychedelics might not be an effective choice at all.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"8.6616541353383\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can mushrooms take over your mind? On this episode, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/neiltyson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@neiltyson<\/a> and comic co-host <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mattkirshen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@mattkirshen<\/a> explore the weird world of fungi with fun-guy fungus expert and ecologist, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MerlinSheldrake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MerlinSheldrake<\/a>. Listen now! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ADIL0CTQnE\">https:\/\/t.co\/ADIL0CTQnE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 StarTalk (@StarTalkRadio) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StarTalkRadio\/status\/1420033875435212803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 27, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While Tyson\u2019s primary academic focus is space, rather than drugs, he has been known to dip into the issue and its intersection with the sciences from time to time. For example, in 2018, he told TMZ that he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/neil-degrasse-tyson-warns-people-not-to-smoke-marijuana-in-space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">doesn\u2019t think people should smoke marijuana in space<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, the problem is, in space now, many things will kill you,\u201d he said. \u201cSo if you do anything to alter your understanding of what is reality, that\u2019s not in the interest of your health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo if you want to get high in space, like lock yourself in your cabin and don\u2019t come out because you could break stuff inadvertently. OK? That\u2019s how that goes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The popular scientific figure&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/neil-degrasse-tyson-backs-legalizing-marijuana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endorsed cannabis legalization<\/a> in 2017 in response to a question submitted by Marijuana Moment\u2019s editor, arguing that \u201crelative to other things that are legal, there\u2019s no reason for [cannabis] to ever have been made illegal in the system of laws.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, Tyson has also said that he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuana.com\/news\/2015\/10\/neil-degrasse-tyson-and-carl-sagan-differ-on-drugs-and-creativity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">doesn\u2019t partake in recreational use<\/a> himself.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"i2jjTIEaxc\" readability=\"0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/federal-agency-loosens-marijuana-related-grant-funding-restrictions-for-mental-health-treatment\/\">Federal Agency Loosens Marijuana-Related Grant Funding Restrictions For Mental Health Treatment<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Photo courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/92252798@N07\/28862243195\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dick Culbert<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"cb_p6_patreon_button\" readability=\"9\">\n<p>Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment?utm_content=post_button&amp;utm_medium=patron_button_and_widgets_plugin&amp;utm_campaign=749657&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_source=https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/neil-degrasse-tyson-has-questions-about-animals-eating-psychedelic-mushrooms-and-people-tripping-on-infected-cicadas\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/patron-button-and-widgets-by-codebard\/images\/become_a_patron_button.png\"><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neil deGrasse Tyson has a lot of questions about psychedelic mushrooms\u2014including whether non-human animals willingly partake in the experience and whether eating enough cicadas infected by hallucinogenic fungi would create a psychoactive effect. The astrophysicist had a wide-ranging conversation on mushrooms and psychedelics during an episode of his podcast StarTalk that was posted last week. Merlin Sheldrake, a biologist who specializes in fungi, joined the discussion and fielded a number of trippy questions from Tyson and viewers. \u201cDo you think mushrooms would have been a part of early animal diets?\u201d Tyson asked Sheldrake. \u201cYeah, for sure,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean,&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connecticut-cbd-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}