Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Project Twenty21: August Update 16th August 2022 We’re doing some work behind the scenes to revamp the way our monthly T21 data update is laid out, so this month’s data points will be a little delayed and released as soon as they are ready – please bear with us! In the meantime, …
The Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA) has officially launched with an impressive array of wide-ranging support amongst charities, patient groups, not-for-profits and psychedelic industry partners. Drug Science was an incubator for the PAREA collective. We recognised that to ensure that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy was integrated into each EU member state’s healthcare system, a centralised …
By Professor David Nutt and James Bunn The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently withdrew a proposal to ban five psychedelic substances: 4-Hydroxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (4-OH-DiPT), 5-Methoxy-alphamethyltryptamine (5-MeO-AMT), N-Isopropyl-5-Methoxy-N-Methyltryptamine (5-MeO-MiPT), N,N-Diethyl-5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeO-DET), and N,N-Diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT). Earlier this year, the DEA proposed that these substances ought to be moved to schedule 1 (the most restrictive schedule in the Controlled …
What is the Special Access Programme? On January 5th 2022, Health Canada amended the Food and Drug Regulations and the Narcotic Control Regulations to allow previously excluded ‘psychedelic’ drugs such as Psilocybin to be included on the ‘Special Access Programme’ (SAP). The SAP allows healthcare practitioners to request limited access to drugs that are not …
Author Petter Grahl Johnstad Published July 25, 2022 Abstract Researchers have associated cannabis use with risk for psychosis, cognitive impairment, and traffic accident. However, this review shows that the association between moderate cannabis use and psychosis is no stronger, and often considerably weaker, than the corresponding association for moderate tobacco use. The same holds for …
Author MaryKate Duska, Jared M. Rhoads, Elizabeth C. Saunders, Tracy Onega Published July 25, 2022 Objective To examine the relative changes in opioid overdose mortality rates between states that have and have not adopted naloxone co-prescribing laws. Methods We performed a synthetic control analysis. National Vital Statistics data for the years 2012–2018 were analysed, and …
Author Matthew Robinson Published July 18, 2022 Abstract The objective of this paper is to examine definitions of the terms “drug,” “drug use, “drug abuse,” and “addiction” to determine if the most commonly consumed foods in America are similar or consistent with drug use, abuse, and addiction. The methodology consists of reviewing published studies in …
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Our Project Twenty21 monthly updates have changed. From now on, we will be incorporating the medical cannabis news (previously included in our T21 mailout) into the Drug Science newsletter which goes out around the first Tuesday of every month. This means that from next month you will receive a second …
Diamorphine-assisted treatment is the prescription and provision of hygienic, medical-grade diamorphine to patients in a clinical set-up – patients attend a clinic and are dosed by a clinician once or twice a day depending on individual needs. Drug-related deaths in the UK have risen significantly over the past 10 years, with a steep increase in …
Written by Libby Furminger History 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as Mandy, Molly, Ecstasy or ‘E’, is a class A drug known for inducing feelings of happiness, chattiness, liveliness, and overall feelings of ecstasy, making it a common adjacent to enhancing raves, clubs and parties. Lesser known, MDMA has historically also been used in research …
“All of us at Drug Science were saddened to hear earlier this week of the death of Colin following his year-long battle with motor-neuron disease. Colin was instrumental in the founding of our charity in 2010, coming to the first planning meeting and staying with us as member, a trustee and finally a patron for …
In the United Kingdom, in 2020, there were 4,517 deaths related to illicit drug use; the highest rate of drug related deaths since records began. It is necessary to provide the full range of evidence-based drug treatment and harm reduction interventions to prevent these deaths. Overdose prevention centres are healthcare facilities where people consume their …
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Project Twenty21 June Update The big news this month is that our Chronic Pain paper has been published! Using Project Twenty21 data, it looks at the characteristics of people seeking prescribed cannabinoids for the treatment of chronic pain. Our results demonstrate the complexities of studying chronic pain, and the …
Written by Tiago Vasconcelos. A review of the recent paper – ‘Adjunctive Ketamine With Relapse Prevention–Based Psychological Therapy in the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder’ by Grabski et al., 2021 Alcohol abuse is one of the costliest conditions affecting modern health and a high proportion of people suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD) are …
Authors Carissa Paz Dioquino, Carissa Paz Dioquino Published May 16, 2022 Abstract The drug policy in the Philippines is written as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 or Republic Act 9165. Unlike drug policies in other countries, the law includes policies on drug testing. Aside from mandatory drug testing for specific situations, the law …
Authors Sam Gandy, Valérie Bonnelle, Edward Jacobs, David Luke Published May 16, 2022 Abstract Creativity, that is the creation of ideas or objects considered both novel and valuable, is among the most important and highly valued of human traits, and a fundamental aspect of the sciences. Dreams and hypnagogic states have been highly influential in …
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was first synthesised in 1938 by Albert Hoffman at the Sandoz AG Pharmaceutical Company in Basel, Switzerland LSD was the 25th lysergic acid derivative developed by Hoffman during a discovery project for pharmacologically active derivatives of lysergic acid which would act as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant LSD became widely used …
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Project Twenty21 May Update We are well over the 2500 mark now with the number of patients registered with the project. Thank you for everything you do as supporters of Drug Science to help us spread the word about medical cannabis and Project Twenty21. Our research project with the University …
Authors Fabian Pitter Steinmetz, Maja Kohek Published May 3, 2022 Background The supply chains addressing the global demand for major recreational drugs are hardly addressed due to international contracts, particularly the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Currently applied regulatory changes have several disadvantages ranging from political tensions to the neglect of ecological aspects. The …
Authors Published Gillian W Shorter, Magdalena Harris, Andrew McAuley, Kirsten MA Trayner, Alex Stevens May 4, 2022 Background The United Kingdom (UK) is currently experiencing a public health crisis of drug-related deaths. The government has rejected recommendations to open overdose prevention services, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. To report on the operation and …
Topline Results from COMPASS Pathways Phase IIb Trial By Olivia Gorzynska In November 2021, COMPASS Pathways, a mental health care company, published a press release announcing results from its phase IIb trial on psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in mushrooms of the Psilocybe genus. “Magic …
In 2019, Drug Science submitted evidence to the Drugs Policy Inquiry by the Health and Social Care Committee. In 2020, we prepared a detailed report in response to the Dame Carol Black Drugs Review. In 2021, we reacted to the government’s 10-year Drug Strategy. Our 2022 response to the UK government’s call for evidence of …
For far too long school students have been denied access to the truth about drugs, which has undermined their trust in health information in general and put them at greater risk of harm. This new initiative sets out to rectify this failure by presenting teaching materials that are evidence-based, balanced and proportionate. In this way, …
Detailed learning materials on drugs such as cannabis, psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT, as well as harm reduction strategies, healthcare approaches, and resources for students at all levels
Learn everything you need to have an informed opinion on drugs, without any prior knowledge. Understand the pharmacology, history, and laws which affect drugs, as well as harm reduction strategies and healthcare approaches which can improve public safety.
These resources are free, and they always will be. If you’d like to support the production of more evidence-based resources, consider a donation to Drug Science.
Detailed and evidenced-based resources on psychoactive substances which are currently being developed as medicines
These resources have been designed specifically for use in secondary schools so that the next generation has accessed to evidence-based information about drugs
Learn about effective strategies to reduce drug-related harms and prevent drug-related fatalities.
These resources have been designed specifically for those who intend to, or already, work in healthcare systems to provide care which can prevent drug-related harms
The Drug Science Student Society is a student-led group which aims to provide evidence-based education on all psychoactive substances.
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Project Twenty21 April Update This month we’re celebrating another fantastic clinic joining us, plus some of the exciting events that we’re involved with in the coming weeks – including one organised by a Twenty21 patient. And there’s even more in the pipeline – as always, we’ll keep you fully up-to-date …
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email Spring is definitely here – our website has undergone a Spring-clean, we’re continuing to see encouraging results from our data analysis and there are lots of events (both virtual and in-person) on the horizon where we’ll be spreading the word about medical cannabis. We’ve got good news, that we’ve updated …
Authors Jeremy Roscoe, Olivia Lozy Published March 16, 2022 Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychoactive chemical produced by various species of mushroom, mainly in the psilocybe genus. Human consumption of psilocybin, primarily for its psychoactive properties, dates back thousands of years (Tylš et al., 2013). It was first isolated in 1958 by Albert Hoffmann, who was later …
The last decade has seen a new focus on psychedelics as powerful medicines for treating severe mental health issues, including the use of psilocybin for conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. However, many of these potentially life-saving treatments, including psilocybin, remain difficult to research due to overly strict drug laws. In this blog, Professor Jo …
Get Project Twenty21 Updates via Email It’s been a very busy start to the year, with lots of change happening and expansion in the pipeline for the project – so there’s so much to update you on. We’ve got loads of events coming up, so scroll down to get them in your diary. As mentioned …