A psytrance festival in Hungary ends in tragedy as a man jumps to his death in front of 10,000 people. A similar incident took place two nights prior but the man survived. ‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’ Dispatch for Vice www.vice.com/en/article/w...

Why Do People Keep Dying at This Week-Long Psytrance Festival?

vice.com

Journalist @matthabusby.bsky.social embedded with combat sports fighters for a first-of-its-kind study. Supported by the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. Full story in Men's Health ⬇️ 📸: Edinson Arroyo https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/

Can psychedelics fix damaged brains? I joined 10 combat sports fighters at an ayahuasca retreat, where they sought relief from lives spent taking blows to the head. For Men’s Health With huge thanks to the Ferriss - @scipsychedelics.bsky.social fellowship www.menshealth.com/health/a7319...

Can MMA Fighters Taking Psychedelics Unlock the Future of Brain Health? These Researchers Think So.

Ten combat sports fighters suffering from traumatic brain injuries went to Medellín, Colombia, for eight days of psychedelic neuroplasticity-enhancing treatment. The lessons could benefit all of us.

menshealth.com

Will Blunderfield, a 40-year-old former Broadway hopeful, is an unlikely guru for a legion of disaffected men who feel society has wrung them dry.  ‘Imagine we’re naked up in northern Scotland, our bodies painted with blue oud.’ For @playboy.com www.playboy.com/read/sex/my-...

My Afternoon with the Guru of Semen Retention

Come inside "self-pleasure Sunday" with Will Blunderfield, where nobody comes at all. Playboy explores the "semen retention" set.

playboy.com

Bryan Johnson first beamed into my life in Miami in November 2023, when he gave a keynote address remotely at a psychedelics and longevity conference. Two years later, he accused me of being a non-player character. And now he’s ‘cloned’ himself. For @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...

I've watched Bryan Johnson chase immortality for years. Now he's 'cloned' himself

The longevity guru's $2 million-a-year quest to live forever just got even weirder

inews.co.uk

Bristol Greens showing the way to a better approach to drugs www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Bristol declared ‘city of harm reduction’ as Greens seek less punitive drug policy

Councillors pass motion that paves way to setting up drugs-consumption facility where users can be helped and treated

theguardian.com

People shouldn’t assume that nicotine pouches are harmless, even though they are likely to be safer than smoking. 'Even when people grade their discomfort quite high, they still can’t stop putting the pouches in their mouth.' Latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2579...

Nicotine pouches may cause receding gums | New Scientist

Nicotine pouches aren't typically associated with the same health harms as similar products that also contain tobacco, but they have now been linked to receding gums and oral irritation

newscientist.com

Unlike any other drug, the clampdown on Quaaludes wiped out the supply. For every expired batch that was consumed, ludes faded further into history. Until now, and people are eating curb already. Something of an exclusive for VICE www.vice.com/en/article/t...

The Quiet, Curious Return of Quaaludes

After lighting up the 1960s counterculture, methaqualone was outlawed and vanished. Now, the drug's making a comeback to exclusive hedonistic circles.

vice.com

I spoke to @kimondegreef.bsky.social about his shocking new book The Ego Trip, which details the trail of destruction a reckless neoshaman left behind while turning the world onto psychedelic toad venom, and how he even drugged de Greef! newsletter.doubleblindmag.com/p/one-of-psy...

One of Psychedelia's Most Notorious Gurus Is Officially Put on Blast

tktktk

newsletter.doubleblindmag.com

How Bam Margera, ‘The Britney Spears of Jackass,’ Is Getting Back on Top Since getting fired from 'Jackass Forever' in 2020, Bam Margera has found sobriety and love — with a little help from psychedelics and skateboarding. Read: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

Bam Margera tells me his psilohuasca trips were instrumental in his recovery: ‘You go through every single emotion at one point or another during the ceremony … and then you just kind of figure out who you actually are.’ For @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

How Bam Margera, 'The Britney Spears of Jackass,' Is Getting Back on Top

Since getting fired from Jackass Forever in 2020, he's found sobriety and love — with a little help from psychedelics and skateboarding.

rollingstone.com

Can psychedelics fix damaged brains? Earlier this year, I joined 10 combat sports fighters at an ayahuasca retreat in Colombia, where they were seeking relief from lives spent taking blows to the head. For Men's Health via Apple News with photos by Edinson Arroyo apple.news/AeHpmSXl2Qxa...

Inside the Psychedelic Retreat That's Healing Broken Brains — Men’s Health

Ten combat sports fighters, many suffering from traumatic brain injuries, went to Medellín, Colombia, for eight days of intense psychedelic treatment—all in the name of science. The lessons could bene...

apple.news

Pilgrims of a cosmic kind are increasingly going to Sedona to gaze far beyond the towering red rocks. ‘People see things out here. This is what we do in Sedona: Make contact.’ Dispatch for @atmosmag.bsky.social with photos by Andrew Friendly atmos.earth/art-and-cult...

Our Uncertain World Is Fueling a New Search for Aliens | Atmos

As climate fears deepen and trust in institutions erodes, a growing number of UFO enthusiasts are looking beyond Earth for meaning.

atmos.earth

What was your most intense psychedelic experience, I asked Bryan Hubbard. I wasn’t expecting him to start crying as he recounted the story… “I felt the love of God in a way that I had never felt in my life.” For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/he...

Donald Trump’s psychedelic whisperer and his mission to heal Britain

Bryan Hubbard believes a substance far more intense than mushrooms can save lives. Mattha Busby meets him

standard.co.uk

A woman with severe Alzheimer’s disease who spent years communicating in monosyllables started initiating conversations after receiving a large dose of psilocybin, according to a recent case report. Latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2531...

Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin

A woman with severe Alzheimer's disease who hadn't spoken more than monosyllables in years began initiating conversation after a single dose of psilocybin

newscientist.com

It appears that both RFK Jr. and Department of Homeland Security secretary Markwayne Mullin—who is also pushing for a 7-OH crackdown—have strong ties to a kratom lobbyist (and convicted criminal) behind a notorious kratom drinks company. New for @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-kr...

The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side

Both kratom and one of its active components, 7-OH, have opioid-like effects and are widely available across the US. As health secretary RFK Jr. aims to get 7-OH banned, proponents of both are fightin...

wired.com

Excl: Drug diversion schemes led by police that steer people away from the criminal justice system and into treatment and education are significantly more effective in reducing reoffending than prosecution, says new analysis www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... Latest for @theguardian.com

Drug diversion schemes cut reoffending rates more than prosecution, study says

Exclusive: Research in England shows people a third less likely to reoffend under decriminalisation-style schemes

theguardian.com

Playboy sent @matthabusby.bsky.social to the "Coachella of UFO conferences" in the California desert. "Brushing shoulders with so many believers, and some self-professed alien hybrids, the boundaries between science and faith — and evidence and belief — become increasingly difficult to distinguish."

My Weekend With a Celebrity Alien Hunter

What happened when Playboy went to the "Coachella of UFO conferences," Contact in the Desert in California.

playboy.com

'If that’s true, and there’s been contact, and we have bodies, show me the fucking autopsies.' My weird weekend with celebrity alien hunter Jeremy Corbell at Contact in the Desert for @playboy.com www.playboy.com/read/politic...

My Weekend With a Celebrity Alien Hunter

What happened when Playboy went to the "Coachella of UFO conferences," Contact in the Desert in California.

playboy.com

I spoke to Antounette Philippides for @telegraph.co.uk about her work as a sex offender therapist. Some people think she is a 'paedo hugger’ but locking up perps doesn’t work. 'Calling them monsters only deepens the shame that stops people from seeking help.' www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06...

Thanks to Dennis McKenna for having me on his Brainforest Cafe podcast to discuss the wildest stories behind the psychedelic renaissance... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi12...

The Wildest Stories Behind the Psychedelic Renaissance (ft. Mattha Busby)

YouTube video by Mckenna Academy of Natural Philosophy

youtube.com

I spoke to @voxdotcom.bsky.social’s Today Explained podcast about how the MAGA right is enthusiastically embracing a potent psychedelic called ibogaine as part of a new counter-counter-culture. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

How the right embraced psychedelics

Podcast Episode · Today, Explained · May 18 · 26m

podcasts.apple.com

With the advent of sophisticated chatbots capable of generating convincing, slow-building erotic exchanges, a new frontier may be emerging for people who do not want to sexually interact with others. For @wired.com www.wired.com/story/some-a...

Some Asexuals Are Using AI Companions for Intimacy Without the Sex

“I’ve got one hand on the keyboard, one hand down below,” an artist who role-plays with their chatbot tells WIRED. But some asexual advocates aren’t thrilled about the association.

wired.com

@joannabourke.bsky.social Hi Joanna, I'm writing a piece on pain for the BBC and would love to chat

The Trump administration’s decision to restrict use of federal funds for fentanyl test strips could have fatal consequences, experts warned. 'God forbid you should have a safe supply of something that might get you high.' New for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Trump’s sudden cut in substance testing is ‘going to kill people’, experts warn

Samhsa said funding cannot be used to purchase or distribute fentanyl test strips or other drug test kits

theguardian.com

I spoke to the @theguardian.com’s science podcast about the near-fantastical scenes in the Oval Office last month when Trump joked about taking the most earth-shattering of all psychedelics as he gave the emerging industry its biggest green light yet www.theguardian.com/science/audi...

Trump is backing psychedelic research: here’s why – podcast

Madeleine Finlay talks to journalist Mattha Busby about the US president’s recent executive order fast tracking research and funding for psychedelic research

theguardian.com

As the war on drugs approaches an end, a new doctrine could soon take hold: psychedelic drugs for active-duty soldiers suffering from PTSD. 'Our men and women in uniform deserve every tool available to heal and stay in the fight.' Latest for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Active-duty US soldiers to receive psychedelic drugs for PTSD next year

Hope that multiple sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy could help soldiers fight longer by helping them process trauma

theguardian.com

Nicotine’s core mechanism hasn’t changed from puff to pouch; the compound still floods the brain with dopamine. Dependence develops quickly, but for some consumers, the rush of productivity is worth the risk. ‘Fuck yeah, it’s addictive!’ New for @wired.com www.wired.com/story/tech-b...

The Tech Bros Are All In on Zyn

Nicotine pouches are revered among tech workers, who tout them as the perfect brain-boosting, productivity-jacking stimulants.

wired.com

The scene seemed so far-fetched you could be forgiven for thinking you might be hallucinating. Trump checked he was correctly pronouncing the name of a psychedelic as he signed a landmark executive order. But what happens next? My analysis for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

‘Can I have some, please?’: has Trump opened the door to a psychedelic future?

Order to speed hallucinogen research hailed as ‘threshold moment’ but concerns remain over access and protections

theguardian.com

Since cocaine emerged as a popular party drug, its use has been inextricably entwined with the essence of capitalist excess and what it is to be American. But might the cocaine era be coming to an end? For @guardian h/t @maxdaly.bsky.social who broke the news www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Ketamine, psychedelics, GHB: is the US falling out of love with cocaine?

Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generation

theguardian.com