Written by Cyrus Rohani-Shukla  Psychedelic Epistemology – Chris Letheby The primary intention behind most psychedelic research is to try to understand whether psychedelics can provide safe and effective therapeutic effects. However, another aspect of psychedelics that is equally important — but less explored — is an understanding of whether we can gain knowledge from their  …

Dr. Joanna Kempner Dr. Joanna Kempner is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, where she studies the overlap of science, medicine, technology, and inequality. When institutionalized medicine has failed to provide adequate treatment options in the past, people tend to mobilise as a movement to develop their own options. In the past, this can  …

Watch some of the day’s highlights The first UK Patient Conference took place during Medical Cannabis Awareness Week on Friday 4th November 2022. It was a unique event bringing together patients, doctors, industry partners, and many more to share their experience with medical cannabis. We welcomed a vibrant community from all around the world, dedicated  …

Prof. Jo Neill The generalised public perception of psychedelic drugs is rooted in their legal categorisation as a Class A, Schedule 1 drug. Drugs in this category are considered to have the potential to harm an individual and society, and have ‘no medical use‘. The former point, regarding their safety, is one of the most  …

Medical cannabis is fast becoming a frequently asked about topic between patients and GPs in the UK, as demonstrated by the Primary Care Cannabis Network’s 2021 Survey which spoke to over 1000 GPs about their attitudes towards cannabis-based medicines: the survey found that more than two-thirds of GPs in the UK are asked about medical  …

Get Prof Nutt’s new book in the Drug Science bookstore. This webinar was recorded during a Drug Science Live Event which included a live Q&A session from the audience. If you want to ensure that you don’t miss any of our events, so that you can ask your questions live, all you need to do  …

What is ayahuasca? Ayahuasca is a psychedelic brew originating from the Amazon, originally used by indigenous populations and later involved for local syncretic purposes. Since it’s origins, ayahuasca has spread across the world and has developed a more varied list of uses. The two hallmark ingredients of ayahuasca are: 1) the leaves of the Psychotria  …

Increasing Diversity in Psychedelic Science Research In order to generate research that is relevant to the masses, it is imperative that the field of psychedelic science involves a level of diversity that is representative of those it intends to treat. This renaissance of psychedelic research thus far has not sufficiently involved people of colour, in  …

This webinar was recorded during a Drug Science Live Event which included a live Q&A session from the audience. If you want to ensure that you don’t miss any of our events, so that you can ask your questions live, all you need to do is join the Drug Science Mailing List. Drug Science is  …

A fascinating Q&A on the ethical and philosophical considerations in psychedelic science and explanations of the psychedelic experience.   Prof David Nutt David is a leading Neuroscientist and drug policy reform advocate. Formerly the Chief Drug Advisor to the UK government he is currently the Edmond J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and director of the  …

In this webinar from the Student Psychedelic Conference, we hear from two groups doing amazing harm reduction work!   PsyCare Amanda Guzinska started working with PsyCare since 2013 having discovered them at a festival a couple of years prior while helping a friend through a difficult experience. Among her friends or even strangers in need,  …

Dosing in psychoactive drugs Dosing represents one of the three critical elements that determine the quality of a drug experience, alongside set and setting. Determining appropriate dosages can be difficult due to ambiguity in drug purity, drug experience of the individual, tolerance, and the aforementioned set and setting. While these represent general guidelines, experience, variability  …

In this webinar, you will learn about the medicalisation of both psychedelics and cannabis, from two of the biggest experts in these respective fields; Prof Jo Neill, and Prof Mike Barnes. We expect these industries to grow to tremendous size and want to prepare the next generation for a new economy of medicine and psychiatry.  …

A personal Q&A from two patients of psychedelic therapy:   Psilocybin for depression – Michael Bourne Michael Bourne is a 57-year-old website designer from the North East of England, who tried several unsuccessful depression treatments, including talking therapy and prescription medications, before turning to psilocybin clinical trials. Michael took part in research into psilocybin treatment  …

What Is Ayahuasca? The word ayahuasca is derived from the phrase “vine of the dead”, or “vine of the soul” in Quechuan languages – succinctly capturing its mystical and spiritual role in South American cultures. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew composed of two primary ingredients: 1) Banisteriopsis caapi and 2) Psychotria viridis. N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT),  …

In this webinar, two of the world’s leading psychedelic research experts; Dr Ben Sessa and Dr Meg Spriggs, answer questions on the therapeutic applications of MDMA and psilocybin!   Who is Dr Ben Sessa? Dr Ben Sessa is a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist who has worked with young people and adults in the field  …

Psychedelic drugs in the Netherlands In the Netherlands, it’s not difficult to find a shop selling psychedelic drugs – magic truffles, cacti, 5-Meo-DMT, iboga, and the like are all widely available at ‘smart shops’. Retreat centers are also accessible within the country, where individuals can pay to trip in a safe environment, and undergo therapy  …

What does the future of psychedelics look like? In this Drug Science webinar, Sarah Hashkes, breaks down the key factors which will influence the future of psychedelics.   Why do psychedelics have so much potential and what does it have to do with ‘predictive coding’? “Predictive coding” refers to the brain function theory where the  …

In this Drug Science webinar, we learn how ayahuasca may be helpful in the treatment of addiction, trauma, and anger issues from addiction recovery coach Mark Drax, who describes the efficacy of ayahuasca to treat sex addiction. From the age of 3, Mark Drax’ childhood was riddled with physical abuse both in his home and  …

In this Drug Science webinar, Dr Chloe Sakal explains how she built a career as a psychiatrist focusing on drug use and addiction. She describes her day to day work in a typical week as an addiction psychiatrist and shares the other options available to work in psychedelic research and harm reduction. Addiction psychiatry is  …

In this webinar, we discuss how festivals can be improved as they return from their 2020 hiatus. Drug use at festivals is unsurprisingly high, and always has been, but organisers are often battling against drug policy in their efforts to improve the safety of festival-goers with harm reduction techniques such as drug testing and psy-care.  …

There is no defined road to legalising psychedelics, but there are many options available. Ismail Lourido Ali, of MAPS, discusses the important nuances in this Drug Science webinar on expanding access to psychedelics. Due to the recent progress of medical cannabis legalisation, many expect psychedelics to follow a similar path of medical legalisation, followed by  …

This is the full recording of our 4th Women in Psychedelic Science event, hosted in June. Featuring experts working at the cutting edge of psychedelic science and in related fieldwork. Psychedelic medicine: from lab findings to therapeutic applications Dr Kim Kuypers Kim PC Kuypers (PhD) is affiliated as an Associate Professor with Maastricht University, Faculty  …

Could psilocybin be used for the treatment of OCD? Psilocybin is currently being researched as a treatment for OCD by Drug Science founder, Prof David Nutt, at the Centre for Psychedelic Research. In this Drug Science webinar, Dr Nick Sireau provides an overview of OCD and the new research being launched into psilocybin as a  …

Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs), also known as Supervised/Safe Injection Facilities (SIFs), or Overdose Prevention Centres (OPCs), provide safe environments for people to consume controlled drugs under the supervision of trained professionals who can save lives if medical emergencies such as overdoses take place. These facilities can be a powerful harm reduction strategy when implemented correctly.  …

Prof David Nutt and Prof Jan Ramaekers discuss some of the biggest questions in Drug Science in this interview for the European Behavioral Pharmacology Society. They first discuss psychedelics in the treatment of depression, in light of the recent results comparing psilocybin to one of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants. They then address concerns that liberal  …

In this Drug Science webinar, Dr Balázs Szigeti explains the current science of microdosing as he presents the results from his self-blinded microdosing research, the largest placebo-controlled microdosing study in the world! Dr Szigeti also explains how participants created their microdoses with a placebo control as part of the revolutionary methodology he developed to reduce  …

In this Drug Science webinar, expert Neuropsychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt explains how psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and ayahuasca work in the human brain, and the applications for the treatment of mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and addiction. Prof Nutt outlines the history of psychedelic research, starting in the early 20th  …

There appears to be a growing disconnection between humans and their natural environments which has been linked to poor mental health and ecological destruction. Research shows that psychedelic usage is associated with enduring increases in nature connectedness. What makes psychedelics such as psilocybin promising agents for enhancing nature connectedness, and what are the potential implications  …

The use of therapy assisted by psychedelics like psilocybin looks set to change the face of mental health care. But evidence from clinical trials suggests that it also changes patients in ways quite different to those seen following traditional treatment. In this Drug Science webinar, part of the inaugural Student Psychedelic Conference, Eddie Jacobs introduces  …