Legal Advocacy, Drug Policy and Psychoactive Plants
This chapter explores the growing global expansion of practices involving psychoactive plants, such as ayahuasca, iboga, and psilocybin mushrooms.
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All ICEERS’ studies are peer-reviewed, published in indexed and high-impact journals and follow the strictest methodological and ethical standards.
Associations Between Ayahuasca and Mental Health
The study explores the associations between ayahuasca use in naturalistic settings and mental health and wellbeing, utilizing a dataset of 7,576 participants from over 50 countries.
Ayahuasca: Basic Notions
The study provides a comprehensive review of over a decade of research conducted by ICEERS, focusing on how ayahuasca is embedded in traditional Amazonian medicine and its increasing global relevance.
Cannabis Use Effects in Social Cognition
The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish version of the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) and to evaluate the effects of cannabis use on social cognition.
Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Harmful Alcohol Use
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a single dose of ayahuasca on college students with harmful alcohol use. The trial included 11 male college students, who were administered ayahuasca in a controlled environment with psychological support.
Ayahuasca Preserves Cognitive Function and Improves Memory
This study investigates the cognitive effects of long-term ayahuasca use among members of the Santo Daime church in Brazil, focusing on experienced users (over 20 years of use) and comparing them to beginner users (less than 3 years of use) and a control group of non-users.
Social Dimension of Cannabis Social Clubs
This study delves into the demographics, behaviors, and social dynamics of members of Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) in Barcelona from 2017 to 2020.
Call for Evidence-Based Psychedelic Integration
The authors emphasize the importance of developing and validating models and methods for psychedelic integration practices that help users of psychedelics to process and integrate their experiences into their daily lives.
Ayahuasca-Induced Personal Death Experiences
This paper investigates Ayahuasca-induced Personal Death (APD) experiences during ayahuasca ceremonies, using two cross-sectional studies.
Safety in Ayahuasca and Ibogaine Administration
The research team designed guidelines for managing adverse scenarios in clinical trials involving ayahuasca and ibogaine. These include detailed protocols for participant screening and selection, medication management, and procedures during and after the experimental session.
The Globalization of Ayahuasca
This study offers an in-depth look at the globalization of ayahuasca, focusing on the case of a woman who migrated from the Amazon rainforest to Barcelona.
Scales to Assess the Subjective Effects of Cannabis
This study focuses on the psychometric evaluation of scales measuring the subjective effects of cannabis in Spanish-speaking populations.
Ayahuasca and Harmful Alcohol Use
This study aimed to analyze subjective reports of university students with harmful alcohol use participating in a single-blind study evaluating the effects of one ayahuasca dose (1 mL/kg).
Targets of Ibogaine Associated with Anti-addictive Effects
The paper provides a detailed review of the pharmacological actions of ibogaine and its metabolite noribogaine, highlighting their potential in treating substance use disorders.
The Psychedelic Social Club
The authors propose community or peer-based structures as a viable means to control the supply of psilocybin-containing mushrooms and ensure a safe environment for non-medical use.
Recognition of Emotions in Major Depressive Disorder
The study focuses on the recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE), a key aspect of social cognition, and its alteration in major depressive disorder.
Clinical Use of Ayahuasca in Brazil
This study explores the articulations between the ritual use of ayahuasca by Indigenous and religious communities, the scientific interest in its therapeutic effects and the hegemonic psychotherapeutic models built around hallucinogens.
Insights, Life Changes and Lifestyle Changes with Ayahuasca
This study explores the effects of ayahuasca on the nature and frequency of insights, life and lifestyle changes reported by individuals after consumption.
Sensation Seeking and Antisocial Behavior
This study explores several dimensions of the relationship between sensation seeking, impulsivity, and substance use, in addition to addressing the influence of executive functions on these behaviors.
Hallucinogens, Well-Being, and Post-traumatic Growth
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of the global population. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal transcultural study that was begun at the peak of the pandemic (in April, 2020).
Biopolitics, Knowledge and Borders in Global Drug Policy
The book delves into the intersection of biopolitics and global drug policy. It uses the lens of continental social theory to critically examine the existing drug control regimes.
Affective Attention Tasks in PTSD Patients
This study focuses on the comparison between PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) patients and control groups in relation to affective attention tasks.
New Study on Ayahuasca for the Prevention of Prolonged Grief
Death is the tax we pay for living and grief is the tax we pay for loving. However, the mourning process is especially painful in Western society, which is imbued with a deep materialism and individualism.
Ayahuasca and Cannabidiol in Social Cognition
This study explores the potential therapeutic effects of ayahuasca and cannabidiol (CBD) on social cognition and interactions.
Analysis of Psychedelic Integration Experiences
This study examines the qualitative aspects of ayahuasca integration experiences based on survey responses from 1630 individuals worldwide.
Setting Factors and Ibogaine Safety
This paper evaluates clinical studies of ibogaine with a focus on administration settings, with the goal to identify specific criteria that may promote safer contexts for ibogaine use.
Neural Network Modulation of Ayahuasca
This study focuses on neural network modulation by ayahuasca exclusively. It is a systematic review aimed to assess changes in brain anatomy and neural networks activation with acute, subacute, or chronic use of ayahuasca through neuroimaging techniques.
Cannabis and Public Health
In this study, for the first time, regular cannabis consumers in Spain were assessed using health indicators, comparing these data with the general population.
Hallucinations and Hallucinogens: Psychopathology or Wisdom?
This study proposes that, in light of historical, epidemiological, and scientific research, hallucinations can be better characterized as a common phenomenon associated sometimes with psychopathology but also with functional and even beneficial outcomes.
Adverse Effects of Ayahuasca
This study includes an exhaustive review of all the studies that have been published on the adverse effects of ayahuasca, with data taken from the Global Ayahuasca Survey..
Molecular Pathways of the Therapeutic Effects of Ayahuasca
This study sought to analyze the molecular targets of ayahuasca and its substances and relate their modulation to the possible therapeutic effects the brew seems to provide.
Links Between Ayahuasca Use and the Corpus Callosum
The purpose of this study was to investigate links between ayahuasca use and the thickness of corpus callosum in a normative sample.
Coping Strategies and Use of Hallucinogens During the Pandemic
The study was conducted during the global social confinement measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic to support the development of better strategies for stress management and the protection of mental health during future events.
The Effects of CBD and THC in Social Cognition
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of THC and CBD in social cognition abilities, checking how CBD can counteract the potential effects of THC on these abilities.
Ayahuasca Consumption in Alcohol and Drug Use
This study investigates associations between ayahuasca consumption in naturalistic settings and current alcohol and other drug use.
Learning From the Natural Product Research
In this letter to the editor, the authors suggest that the well-established research with natural products can offer valuable insights for hallucinogen researchers, as they remain one of the main sources for the development of pharmaceuticals.
The Illusion of Knowledge in Psychedelic Research
In this manuscript, we present the main methodological issues in psychedelic research, ranging from the most manageable (e.g., non-representative samples) to the most complex (e.g., limitations of the biomedical model).
Significance of Mammalian Dimethyltryptamine
This study explores historical and recent literature regarding endogenous DMT, with a special interest in the most controversial topics. It also delves into technical aspects that are not discussed in other reviews, in order to offer new insights.
Ayahuasca as a Potentially Rapid Acting Antidepressant
This study gathered data regarding the occurrence of adverse events in all reported randomized, placebo-controlled trials with healthy and clinical populations involving ayahuasca administration (n = 108 ayahuasca administrations).
Effects of Ayahuasca on the Endocannabinoid System
This study assessed endocannabinoid (anandamide, AEA; 2-arachidonoylglycerol, 2-AG) plasma levels in healthy volunteers and in volunteers with social anxiety disorder (SAD) after a single oral dose of ayahuasca or placebo.
Psilocybin and LSD as Potential Rapid Acting Antidepressants
We have analyzed all randomized, double-blind, and controlled trials that assessed the antidepressant effects of psilocybin and LSD in clinical populations to date.
Health Status of Ayahuasca-Ceremony Participants in the Netherlands
This study evaluates the impact of regular ayahuasca ceremony participation on health by assessing the health status of 377 participants in ayahuasca ceremonies in the Netherlands using validated health indicators.
Drugs and Society in Spain in the 2020s
This article aims to outline the basis of an alternative proposal to the traditional approach to drug policy and drug dependence in Spain.
Health Status and Patterns of Cannabis Use in Prisons
This study was carried out by means of a survey to assess quality of life, perceived social support, prison life and cannabis use in a sample of inmates in Spanish prisons.
Whole Natural Products in Psychedelic Research and Therapy
The polypharmacology paradigm, as it has been named, suggests that promiscuous drugs could be safer and more effective than highly selective ones. This is especially relevant with regards to complex diseases, like most mental health problems and neurodegenerative diseases, and for natural products, including psychoactive ethnobotanicals.
Communalistic Use of Psychoactive Plants
The aim of this article is to extend the point of view that takes into consideration cultural context to the traditional and communalistic use of psychoactive plants. Genuine medical systems have been developed, generally carried out in ritual or ceremonial settings, but these practices have often been vilified as a result of social stigma or drug policies.
The Use of Cannabis for Pest Control
It is the first study in a new line of research focused on how psychoactive plants can have an impact on the damage caused by climate change. Cannabis, as an eco-friendly product, could replace the use of chemical pesticides for pest control.
Harm Reduction and Cannabis Social Clubs
This study aimed to serve as a contribution to the existing literature about Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) and their potential as harm-reduction and risk-minimization agents for cannabis use.
Ayahuasca and Speech Performance in Social Anxiety
This study investigates the effects of ayahuasca in volunteers with social anxiety disorder in a randomized, single-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial. Volunteers participated in an experimental session that included a simulated public-speaking test.
Effects of Ayahuasca on Substance Use Disorders
This study updated the previous systematic review evaluating quantitative preclinical and human studies assessing the efects of ayahuasca and its alkaloids on drug use and other psychological and cognitive measures related to substance use disorders.
Psychotomimetic Effects of Cannabis Extracts
The aim of this study was to determine how CBD could counteract the subjective and psychotomimetic effects of THC in a contextual setting, expecting that participants under the effects of THC would show greater subjective and psychotomimetic effects when compared with CBD and placebo, and that THC-CBD coadministration would counteract subjective and psychotomimetic effects of THC.
Adverse Events of Ibogaine in Humans
The aim of this study was to perform an updated (2015-2020) systematic review of literature of the serious adverse events and fatalities associated with ibogaine administration. Special attention was given to those cases in which ibogaine was combined with other drugs, since previously concomitant use of other drugs was associated with serious adverse reactions and/or fatalities.
Risk Assessment of Ayahuasca Use in a Religious Context
The aim of this study was to assess the risk profile of ayahuasca use in a religious context. After reviewing the literature to identify important concerns and common adverse effects, the authors developed an instrument that inquired about the frequency of the following effects: anxiety, diaphoresis, diarrhea, disorientation, distress, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, irritability, nausea, restlessness, shivers, tachycardia, tinnitus, tremor, and vomiting.
Effects of Ayahuasca on Personality
This article presents data from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that evaluated the effects of ayahuasca on personality traits in healthy volunteers. Considering the evidence of associated changes in personality in other classic hallucinogens, and the antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of ayahuasca, the hypothesis was that ayahuasca would produce increases in Openness and Conscientiousness scores and decreases in Neuroticism scores.
The Ritual Use of Cannabis in a Self-Managed Community
This paper, led by Maja Kohek, ICEERS’ associate researcher, about her field work on the ritual use of cannabis in a self-managed community, presents various examples of non-problematic drug use observed in a community in Catalonia, where a variety of psychoactive substances are used in ritual settings.
Lifetime Use of Psychedelic Drugs During the COVID-19 Confinement
One of the main public health strategies adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic consisted of implementing strict lockdowns to stop the transmission of the virus. Despite being an effective measure, the confinement and the associated social isolation create a stressful, potentially lengthy situations that has been proven to have several psychological consequences. Given the potential benefits that certain psychedelic drugs have shown for the treatment of psychological disorders, this study aimed to assess the impact of lifetime psychedelic drug use on mental health in relation to the first strict lockdown adopted by various countries (April-July 2020).
Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Illnesses
This cross-sectional study describes the social and health realities of a sample of Catalan therapeutic cannabis users with chronic illnesses, with the aim that professional pharmacists and other health professionals can learn in detail how this practice works.
Traditional Practices with Psychoactive Plants and Global Mental Health
The global mental health (GMH) movement aims to establish a world in which every human can access mental health services based on two fundamental principles: respect for human rights and evidence-based treatments. However, despite the vast anthropological literature supporting the importance of traditional health systems for the well-being of local communities, the recognition of traditional medicines and healers is highly marginalized within the GMH agenda.
Effects of Ayahuasca on the Recognition of Emotions
The main objective of this pilot, proof-of-concept, randomized trial was to assess the effects of ayahuasca on the recognition of emotion in facial expressions (REFE), hypothesizing that ayahuasca would modify this parameter.
Shipibo Ceremonial Use of Ayahuasca for Well-Being
Over the course of one year, this prospective, observational non-controlled study, supported by ICEERS and the Beckley Foundation, examined the well-being and quality of life of 200 participants in a Shipibo healing program with ayahuasca, conducted by traditional healers. The results suggested that the Indigenous Shipibo healing work with ayahuasca has value to improve long-term well-being and quality of life for Westerners.
Influence of Context on the Health of Ayahuasca Drinkers
This study explores the extent to which one or other specific context, set, and setting may be more or less beneficial to the mental health and well-being of ayahuasca drinkers.
Psychedelic Medicines in Major Depression
The volume of research on the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs has been increasing during the last decades. Partly because of the need of innovative treatments in psychiatry, several studies have assessed the safety and efficacy of drugs like psilocybin or ayahuasca for a wide range of mental disorders, including major depression.
Adverse Reactions in First-Time Ritual Ayahuasca Users
This article provides a case series of challenging psychological experiences found in a subsample of subjects from a previously published study in which the authors recruited ayahuasca-naive participants and followed them for 6 months after their first ayahuasca use.
Policy Opportunities and Challenges for Psychedelics in Therapy
This study discusses the challenges and opportunities for policy makers regarding the use of classic hallucinogens or psychedelics in a therapeutic context, as they have become promising substances to treat depression, anxiety, and substance-related disorders.
Natural Psychoactive Drugs for Central Nervous System Disorders
In the drug development, the formation of highly selective ligands has been unsuccessful in the treatment of central nervous system disorders. Multi-target ligands, from the polypharmacology paradigm, are being proposed as treatments for these complex disorders, since they offer enhanced efficacy and a strong safety profile.
Influence of the Placebo Effect in Microdosing Psychedelics
In order to summarize the current evidence on microdosing and help future studies, this study presents a systematic review exploring issues like the safety of microdosing, main reported benefits, and what aspects of these benefits might be attributed to a placebo effect.
Effects of CBD and THC on the Recognition of Emotions
The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate how THC and CBD alter the recognition of emotions in facial expressions analyzing all randomized control trials done to date regarding the effect of these substances on this measure of social cognition.
Cannabis Policy Innovations and Challenges in Drug Policy
Drug policies in the European Union have not included positions on the regulation of cannabis, making it difficult for them to speak with one voice in this field. Member states implement divergent approaches to drug control, with a lack of consensus regarding drug policy reforms.
Polypharmacology in Psychedelic Research
Research with natural products entails high complexity since natural molecules tend to display multitarget effects, or “pharmacological promiscuity.” Recent studies suggest that these effects could be a promising approach in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Issues from the Study of Cannabis Social Clubs
This article, published in the journal Methodological Innovations, reflects on the research experiences of the authors in studying Cannabis Social Clubs, providing insights for research in this area and within criminology and socio-legal studies more broadly.
Psychedelics in Times of Pandemic Outbreaks
On Sep 28, 2020, Maja Kohek and others published “Psychedelics in times of pandemic outbreaks,” a chapter of the book RESET: Reflexiones antropológicas ante la pandemia de COVID-19, where the authors propose considering the potential of psychedelics to help people deal with some of the challenges that we are facing in pandemic times.
Mapping Cannabis Social Clubs in Europe
The CSC model remains prohibited across the EU. CSC activists have thus by and large shaped the way CSCs operate, often adapting to domestic law particularities or law enforcement activities. In this article, we present and discuss the range of CSC practices from 13 different European countries, and what these represent for the consideration of the CSC model in current policy debates.
Psychedelic Drugs as an Innovation in Psychiatry
The need for innovative treatments in psychiatry could be responded to in part through the greater introduction of psychedelic psychotherapies, as they represent an integrative approach to mental health, involving the use of pharmacological tools that can be combined with enhanced psychotherapeutic interventions.
Iboga Alkaloids in Ibogaine Treatment Products
This study is aimed to gain more insight into the purity and content of iboga samples available on the market. Consequently, we can evaluate the claims made by the vendors about the characteristics of their products.
Acute Subjective Effects of Ibogaine
This study investigates the physical and psychological aspects of the experience with ibogaine, extracting categories that can be used to improve the assessment of the subjective effects of ibogaine and other psychedelics.
Ayahuasca on Mental Health and Quality of Life
Since ayahuasca use is expanding worldwide, the aim of this study was to observe the effects of ayahuasca on psychological and mental health variables in naïve users in order to help medical practitioners to understand possible adverse effects and potential therapeutic uses.
Quality of Life in Cannabis Users with Chronic Diseases
This study examined a sample of therapeutic members of Social Cannabis Clubs who used cannabis to treat a chronic disease, with a prospective assessment of quality of life, mental health and personality variables.
Therapeutic Potential of Ayahuasca in Grief
This study investigated the long-term effects of ayahuasca in participants who were grieving the death of a loved one, following a sample of subjects with a history of grief who willingly attended ayahuasca ceremonies at an ayahuasca center in Peru.
Serotonergic Hallucinogens in End-Stage Cancer
In this commentary, we expand the information available on the original article by briefly reviewing data from recent placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over clinical trials showing evidence that administration of single (or few) doses of LSD and psilocybin was associated with rapid and sustained reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with end-stage cancer and other life-threatening diseases (e.g., Bechterew’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Celiac disease).
Ayahuasca as an Antidepressant
This article reviews the previous preclinical, experimental and clinical studies available in the scientific literature in order to provide further translational evidence of the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca and Public Health
Assessing the health status of ayahuasca users has been challenging due to the limitations involved in randomized clinical trials and psychometric approaches. The main objective of this study is the implementation of an approach based on public health indicators.
Cannabis Social Clubs in Barcelona
In Spain, cannabis users are turning to Cannabis Social Clubs (CSCs) as an alternative for obtaining supplies of the substance, free from the risks of the illegal market. The current study aims to establish the profile of a sample (N = 155) of Spanish CSC members and identify the impacts that these clubs have had on their consumption.
Mental Health of Natural Psychoactive Drug Users
In order to study the patterns of use, the desired effects and the mental health status of individuals who make use of natural psychoactive drugs, ICEERS conducted detailed research through an online questionnaire that collected responses from 564 NPD users from 52 different countries.
Serotonergic Hallucinogens and Recognition of Facial Expressions
Recent preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the potential of serotoninergic hallucinogens in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and drug dependence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to present a systematic review of the effects of these substances in the recognition of facial expressions, which is one of the main factors involved in social cognition.
Cannabis in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder
This article represents chapter 8 of the book Advances in Psychedelic Medicine: State-of-the-Art Therapeutic Applications, edited by M. Winkelman and B. Sessa, and published by ABC-CLIO as part of a project called Psychoactive Plants and Public Health.
Psychedelics for the Crisis in Psychopharmacology
A more integrative treatment is required that combines pharmacological tools with psychosocial interventions. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy could satisfy this need, offering pharmacological action along with enhanced psychotherapeutic interventions.
The Role Played by Cannabis Social Club Federations
This exploratory study seeks to shed light onto how current Cannabis Social Clubs in Barcelona are operating and on whether and how their affiliation with a federation has shaped their practices. In particular, it aims to uncover the differences and similarities between federated and non-federated clubs and investigates whether federated ones adhere in practice to their respective codes of conduct.
Efficacy, Tolerability, and Safety of Serotonergic Psychedelics
This study summarizes the most compelling evidence from clinical research with serotonergic psychedelics, performing a systematic review of systematic reviews where efficacy, tolerability, and safety have been assessed regarding the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders.
Enhanced Visual Imagery with Ayahuasca
In October 2016, the authors were contacted by a 39-year-old man, Scotty Enyart, who claimed that ayahuasca improved his aphantasia. He was diagnosed with poor visual imagery in elementary, middle, and high schools.
Subnational Approach to Drug Policy
This report, written by Constanza Sánchez (ICEERS) and Michael Collins (Drug Policy Alliance) and published by the Global Drug Policy Observatory, offers international audiences valuable insights into recent developments in Spanish drug policy, with an emphasis on reforms at the regional level, tensions with the central government, and potential lessons applicable to other countries and contexts.
Psychological Variables in the Therapeutic Effect of Ayahuasca
The underlying psychological processes related to the use of ayahuasca in a psychotherapeutic context are not yet well described in the scientific literature, but there is some evidence to suggest that psychological variables described in psychotherapies could be useful in explaining the therapeutic effects of the brew.
Psychedelics and Personality
Psychedelics can have a positive impact on some dimensions of personality traits, opening a new field of therapeutic possibilities, where personality and associated brain modifications could be the basis of future therapeutic change.
Cannabis in the International Treaty System
This document was submitted as an official contribution to the work of the 40th Meeting of the Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Since this meeting, the documentation has been available on an earlier basis according to established rules of proceedings.
Serotonergic Psychedelics and Personality
Serotonergic psychedelics act as agonists at cortical 5-HT2A receptors, expressed in fronto-temporo-parieto-occipital areas. This study reviews all previous scientific literature regarding the effects of serotonergic psychedelics in modulating users’ personality.
Therapeutic Potential of Ayahuasca for Social Anxiety
In the present article, we review basic and clinical evidence supporting the possible beneficial effects of ayahuasca (and other serotonergic or classical hallucinogens) in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in general, with a focus on social anxiety.
The Global Drug Prohibition Regime
In this article, we trace the operations of power, i.e., how different forms of power combine, compete and resist each other in the emergence, later evolution and the present dynamic of the international drug control regime (IDCR). We confirm the assumption that the prohibition in the IDCR, as well as other features of the system, has been the result of a series of political decisions taken by a specific group of powerful states at the center of global capitalist economy, and the USA as the system hegemon above all.
Ayahuasca and Mental Health Professionals
This article, intended for mental health professionals, reviews the most recent human studies about the effects of ayahuasca, a natural psychoactive concoction used for centuries by indigenous groups from Northwestern Amazonian countries.
Therapeutic Use of Cannabis
The article reviews the therapeutic use of cannabis, from the direct consumption of the plant to the use of one or more of its components or even of compounds synthesized in a laboratory.
Social and Health Effects of Cannabis Use in Spain
The legal status of cannabis and the entire state response to ensure this status have generated an imaginary in which solutions are often polarized. This chapter discusses, based on scientific evidence and the analysis of epidemiological data, the social and health effects caused by prohibitionist policies on cannabis in order to differentiate them from the direct harm caused by cannabis.
Risks Associated With Cannabis Treatments
This report, written by Mariano García de Palau, medical director of Kalapa Clinic, and José Carlos Bouso, scientific director of ICEERS, constitutes chapter 15 of the book Efectos terapéuticos de los cannabinoides, edited by the Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Neuroquímica of the Complutense University of Madrid and coordinated by José Antonio Ramos Atance.
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