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Dr Gillian Shorter is currently a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, with 17 years’ research experience on substance use and allied works. Her main research focus is supporting people who use drugs or alcohol who are not seeking formal treatment. She led the evaluation of the UK’s first unsanctioned drug consumption site in Glasgow, Scotland run by Peter Krykant, and has an interest in developing models for overdose prevention centres including community engagement, evaluation, understanding, and delivery in partnerships with people who have lived or living experience of substance use.   Matt Southwell is a high-level advocate, technical advisor and drug user activist. He was one of the UK’s first generation of harm reduction workers in the late 1980s founding the pioneering and award-winning Healthy Options Team (HOT). In 1999 Mat decided to come out publicly as a drug user on a BBC documentary leading to dismissal from his position in the NHS Drug Services and the loss of his successful private consulting firm. Since this time Mat has supported drug user organisations and led different drug user networks from the local to the global level. Mat is currently Project Manager for the European Network of People who Use Drugs (EuroNPUD).   Is the UK on its way to opening first official drug injection sites? How can one influence police officials and politicians to lobby for a positive change? How effective are these solutions in preventing drug related deaths? Tune in to listen to this highly insightful and simply important episode.    EuroNPUD Supervised Injection Facilities Harm reduction coAct Overdose Prevention Centres Needle and syringe programmes Reducing drug-related harms in Sandwell: the need and feasibility of an overdose prevention service Opioid agonist therapy Methadone  Buprenorphine Diamorphine (Heroin-assisted treatment) Drug Science Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group  Illicit drugs classification in the UK Peter Krykant CAS Baluard Barcelona Drug consumption rooms ★ Support this podcast ★

Libby and Ben are third-year students from Swansea University and the University of York, who are deeply interested in the use of psychedelics in medicine and drug policy. At their universities, they are presidents of their respective Psychedelics in Medicine societies which raise awareness on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs among fellow students. Tune in to the episode to find out about their journeys into the world of Drug Science and how to get involved yourself!    Get in touch with the Student Society Network!  Find out more about the Drug Science Student Society Network  Psychedelics in Medicine Podcast   Serotonin Neuroscientifically Challenged Psilocybin  LSD Ben Sessa MDMA MDMA and psychotherapy in alcohol dependence treatment Brain on LSD imaging Psycare Drugs Harm Scale Project Twenty21 Drug Science Student Society Network Brain and Mind Made Simple by David Nutt UK Patient Conference: Medical Cannabis Awareness Week 2022 Medical cannabis awareness week  Anything Can Happen Secondary School Education Resources Transform Drugs Anyone’s Child Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Harm Reduction ★ Support this podcast ★

Mattha Busby is a freelance journalist for publications including the Guardian, Observer, London Times, Vice, Jacobin and Leafly. Based in Mexico, Mattha writes about health, drugs, nutrition, human rights, blockchain, the environment, and events in Latin America. 'Should All Drugs Be Legalized?’ reads the title of his first book, listen to this week’s episode to find out the answer! Should All Drugs Be Legalized Mexican drug war Medical cannabis Oaxaca  Awakn Life Sciences Group Ibogaine Ayahuasca Psilocybin  Jamaican Psilocybin Retreats Maria Sabina Peyote R. Gordon Wasson “Seeking the Magic Mushroom” by Gordon Wasson Mezcal  Cocaine The Peyote Dance Aldous Huxley ‘I’m a lighter me’: Can Mike Tyson and psychedelics help boxers with brain trauma? Hunter S. Tompson Mexico’s Supreme Court rules personal marijuana possession legal, again Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Jalisco New Generation Cartel Dutch Ecstasy “Shop” MDMA LSD could help alcoholics stop drinking, AA founder believed Mick Lynch ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s episode features Andrew Gold of the On the Edge with Andrew Gold podcast. Andrew Gold is a journalist and TV presenter who lived in 6 countries, producing documentaries on bizarre and controversial subcultures. His documentaries range from the award-winning Exorcism: The Battle for Young Minds to stories on hunted UFOs.  ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Badiani received his doctoral degree in Medicine and Surgery from Sapienza University of Rome and carried out post-doctoral research in Italy (CNR), Canada (CSBN), and USA (University of Michigan) to then return to Sapienza University Medical School as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, progressing to the rank of Full Professor in 2008. At Sapienza he also served as Associate Chief Physician in the Drug Addiction unit of the University Hospital. Additionally, he has been President of the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society (EBPS) from 2011 to 2013.  Professor Badiani conducts research in the field of drug addiction with the focus on the role of environmental factors in determining individual vulnerability to drug addiction in both humans and animals. In this episode of Drug Science podcast you’ll learn about the most recent research on the science of drug addiction from a leading expert in the field.   Jane Stewart Dopamine  Terry Robinson Cocaine  Amphetamine Drug sensitization (reverse tolerance) Psychotomimetism Psychosis Incentive sensitization theory of addiction  Kent C Berridge Morphine Heroin  Adrenal gland Huda Akil Striatum Nucleus accumbens Frontal cortex Opiate Psychostimulant  Naloxone precipitated withdrawal increases dopamine release in the dorsal striatum of opioid dependent men Russell’s Circumplex Models ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Allan Young is a psychopharmacologist and the Director of the Centre for Affective Disorders in the Department of Psychological Medicine in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Prof Young is the clinical academic lead in the Psychological Medicine and Integrated Care Clinical Academic Group in the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust where he is also a Consultant Psychiatrist and the head of the National Affective Disorders Tertiary Clinic.   Professor Young’s research interests focus on the cause and treatments for severe psychiatric illnesses, particularly mood disorders like depression. He has received research grant funding from the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and numerous other respected funding agencies worldwide. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed publications and a number of books about psychopharmacology and affective disorders. According to the 2014 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher list, Professor Young was recently ranked as one of the world's leading scientific minds in the field of Psychiatry and Psychology. Depression Bipolar disorder Major depressive episode Anhedonia ICD-10 DSM-5 Atypical depression Immuno-metabolic depression SSRI Rapid cycling bipolar disorder Tricyclic antidepressants Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) Dopamine receptor D2 Cognitive Remediation Therapy Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience CBT Ketamine Esketamine: Ketamine nasal spray  Bioavailability Psilocybin: From Serendipity to Credibility? COMPASS Pathways ★ Support this podcast ★

Listen in to hear Robin’s valuable perspective on matters such as assisted death, private education and the difference between a debate and a conversation.   The Demon-Haunted World The Infinite Monkey Cage Assisted dying Section 28 Peter Singer  if… Frankie Howerd Amusing Ourselves to Death ★ Support this podcast ★

Coming from Canada, home to one of the most progressive drug addiction services in the world, Manisha was reporting for VICE News in their new documentary 'Beyond Fentanyl' which looks at how drugs like “benzos,” "dope” and “tranq” are ravaging North American communities and how U.S. policy affected the latest flood of synthetic street drugs.   Tune in to this week’s episode for a VICE  journalist’s perspective on drug policies around the world.    Oxycodone Heroin Fentanyl Benzodiazepines Downer and upper drugs Drug overdose Noradrenaline Lofexidine Awakn clinic “This Is Something That Changed My Life”: A Qualitative Study of Patients' Experiences in a Clinical Trial of Ketamine Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders ibogaine Psilocybin Ayahuasca DMT Toad venom 5-MeO-DMT Supervised injection sites Naloxone Bristol drug testing The Loop Mephedrone Monkey dust Bath Salts drug oxycontin crisis Cannabis Beyond Fentanyl documentary  ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s episode features Professor Bruce Alexander, a psychologist and professor emeritus from Vancouver, BC, Canada, author of two books about addiction: Peaceful Measures: Canada's Way Out of the War on Drugs and The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit.   Professor Alexander conducted a series of experiments into drug addiction known as the Rat Park experiments. Which brought into light the true complexity of addiction and the influence of our environment on how we use drugs and how they affect us. Listen to this episode to find out why the “demon drug myth” is extremely out of date with the scientific world and what we can do to debunk it.   Skin poppers Heroin Morphine Demon drug myth Ian Kershaw Rat park How permanent was Vietnam drug addiction ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s episode features English television and radio presenter, and model Melanie Sykes. Melanie is an advocate for medical cannabis use for childhood epilepsy and other chronic conditions. In 2021 she became an Ambassador in Medcan Support - a non-profit community interest company who provide free resources and educational material on medical cannabis, the endocannabinoid system and the positive outcomes cannabis treatment has had on so many people throughout the UK. With her support, she helps fight the stigma and raises other issues which are preventing access to the natural medicine. Listen to this episode of the podcast to find out more about medical cannabis and also how an autism diagnosis at 51 can change your life!    Don’t ‘Talk to FRANK’ but do check out the Frank magazine -> The Frank Magazine   Cannabis Autism Harry Thompson ADHD Neurodivergence Medcan support The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum The Frank Magazine Hemp Weed the People Epilepsy Project Twenty21 William Broke O’Shaughnessy ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s episode features yet another great speaker at the ESPD55 conference Mark Plotkin, an ethnobotanist, advocate for tropical forest conservation and the host of Plants of the Gods podcast.  Following research at Harvard under Richard Evans Schultes and years of working in a close relationship with the native communities of Amazonia, Mark with his books, podcasts and talks educates the public about the wondrous world of plants, their history, medicinal and cultural significance. Accordingly, he advocates for saving tropical forests as entities inseparable from their indigenous cultures. His group Amazon Conservation Team focuses on helping the communities to survive within the modern world rather than subordinate to it.  Tune in to the episode to find out how we can help these communities grow but also how wine, magic mushrooms and other substances might have influenced our own culture. The Plants of the Gods Kary Mullis Thujone  ESPD55 Dennis McKenna Stoned Ape Hypothesis Drunken monkey hypothesis The Ethnobotany of Wine as Medicine in the Ancient Mediterranean World Richard Evans Schultes Scopolamine Erik the red The Shamans and Apprentices Program Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice Timothy Leary Amazon Conservation Team  Ethnographic mapping Peyote Ayahuasca Mescaline Richard Spruce Alfred Russel Wallace DMT Coca Cocaine Cannabis Kratom Ibogaine ★ Support this podcast ★

Wade Davis is a Canadian cultural anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, and photographer. Davis came to prominence with his 1985 best-selling book The Serpent and the Rainbow about the ‘zombies of Haiti’. He is professor of anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Davis has published articles in Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Outside, National Geographic, Fortune, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society and had produced 18 documentary films. His work has largely focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, and has taken him to, among others, East Africa, Borneo, Nepal, Peru and Tibet. As a honorary citizen of Colombia, Wade Davis educates about the true culture of a country known mostly for its drug cartels and cocaine scandals. Listen to this week’s episode to find out about Colombia and its sacred plant - Coca, a stimulant milder than tea and with more nutritional benefits than all the plants we know of.   ESPD55.com Leaves of Grass Gold Museum, Bogotá Kogi people Morphine Opium Opioids How Coffee Fuelled Revolutions Caffeine Penny university DEA Drug Scheduling Hallucinogens Timothy Leary Manuel Santos Cocaine Coca leaves Coca wine (Vin Mariani) Dennis McKenna  Albert Hoffman Peyote Richard Evans Shultes Alkaloid Volstead act Andrew Weil ★ Support this podcast ★

Dennis Jon McKenna is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He received his doctorate in botanical sciences from the University of British Columbia and completed post-doctoral research fellowships in the National Institute of Mental Health and in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University School of Medicine.  His research has included the pharmacology, botany, and chemistry of ayahuasca and oo-koo-hé, the subjects of his master's thesis. He has also conducted extensive fieldwork in the Peruvian, Colombian, and Brazilian Amazon. Having authored numerous scientific articles and books, McKenna’s work led to the development of natural products for Aveda Corporation as well as greater awareness of natural products and medicines. Additionally, together with his brother Terence McKenna and Jeremy Bigwood, he developed a technique for cultivating psilocybin mushrooms, and published what they had learned in a book Psilocybin - Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide. With that immense experience and knowledge of psychedelics, Dennis McKenna is a founding board member and the director of ethnopharmacology at the Heffter Research Institute, A non-profit which investigates the potential medicinal uses of these substances. Tune in to this week’s episode to find out about the true significance of ethnopharmacology and a conference organised by Dennis that you’ll be able to stream online very soon! ETHNOPHARMACOLOGIC SEARCH FOR PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS Dennis McKenna ESPD 50 National Institute of Mental Health Alexander Shulgin Andrew Weil Ethnopharmacologic Search for Psychoactive Drugs Ethnopharmacology Coca Cody Swift COMPASS psilocybin trial Psilocybin ESPD 55 “Sea DMT” Tryptamine in Sea Sponges New York Times DMT toad article  How to Change your Mind by Michael Pollan National Institutes of Health (NIH) Poison arrow frogs Bufotenin Serotonin receptors Ayahuasca Autoradiography LSD Salvinorin Kappa opioid receptor ICCERS - The International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service Iboga Ayahuasca tourism Mckenna’s mission DMT: The Spirit Molecule (documentary) ESPD55.com Psilocybin Pulse Dosing Microdosing Oregon Drug Decriminalization Set and setting Serotonin Dopamine Default mode network Robin Carhart-Harris 5-HT2a receptor ★ Support this podcast ★

This week we’re talking about ketamine with Professor Celia Morgan, a Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Exeter and the academic lead for Exeter Translational Addiction Partnership (ETAP) and Ketamine for Reduction of Alcoholic Relapse (KARE). Professor Morgan is interested in the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain and behaviour. Her research focuses on examining both the benefits and side effects of recreational drugs on cognition, mental health and neurobiology. Through behavioural, neuroimaging studies and clinical trials, she has investigated the potentially therapeutic sides of controlled substances in clinical trials aimed at the treatment of addiction and in particularly looking at drugs such as ketamine and MDMA in combination with psychological therapies.  Tune into this week's episode to find out all about ketamine and how cycling around squats in North London can be part of scientific research...  ★ Support this podcast ★

Dr Watts is a clinical psychologist, a mother, and a nature lover. Her work as the Clinical Lead for Imperial College London’s psilocybin trial, and subsequent role as the Clinical Director at Synthesis Institute, have made her one of the most prominent voices and minds in the field of psychedelic research. Dr Watts builds tools and structures to foster connectedness after psychedelic experiences, finding inspiration for their design from nature. The most recent of which is the integration community she’s created - ACER Integration.   While working in clinical practice Rosalind has developed a psychedelic therapy model she coined ACE, which stands for, ‘Accept, Connect, Embody’. Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the ‘Psychological Flexibility Model’, she mapped the journey that individuals under the influence of a psychedelic go through when they dive into their experience, extract the meaningful lessons to heal, and then integrate and embody them afterwards. Her qualitative research, exploring the perspectives of participants in several psychedelic research studies, gave rise to her interest in the common theme of ‘connectedness to Self, others, and the world’ as an essential aspect of psychedelic treatment. With that patient-centred attitude, she gives insightful talks focusing on the patients’ perspective on the psychedelic journey as a part of the healing process. Listen to the podcast to learn about the beauty and the nuances of psychedelic experience and healing. Join Dr Watts for the inaugural launch of ACER Integration here -> https://dandelion.earth/events/622233b3025fc50011891f2e Learn more about ACER Integration -> https://www.drrosalindwatts.com/  Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) Psychedelic therapy Forensic psychology The Portman Clinic Psychoanalysis Psychedelic use and recidivism Ayahuasca Michael Pollan Robin Carhart-Harris MDMA Mendel Kaelen Kintsugi Psilocybin Bad trip William A. Richards (Bill) Abraham Maslow Carl Jung Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) Dialectical behaviour therapy Psychological flexibility Synthesis Institute Island (Huxley novel) Journal of Humanistic Psychology ★ Support this podcast ★

Professor Dame Carol Black studied history at Bristol University, then worked as a schoolteacher, however, in 1965 Black enrolled as a mature student to study medicine which she graduated from at the age of 30. During her career, she’s been an advisor for the government on issues such as the relationship between work and health. She’d issue reports regarding sick leaves due to physical and mental health, including drug addictions. In 2019 Professor Dame Carol Black was appointed to lead a major 2-part review that looked into the relationship between drugs and violence but also treatment, recovery and prevention of drug addictions. Listen to this week’s episode to hear the perspective of a dedicated physician but also a government advisor on the approach to both treatment and social implications of drug addictions.   Cicely Saunders Scleroderma Royal College of Physicians Newnham College Review of drugs: phase two report Methadone Individual placement and support Sajid Javid Matt Hancock National Treatment Agency of Substance Misuse (NTA) ★ Support this podcast ★

Ethan Nadelmann studied at Harvard University and London School of Economics and was a lecturer at Princeton University. While at Princeton, Nadelmann’s work focused on drug policy, attracting considerable attention with his articles in Science, Foreign Affairs, National Review and many others. He also formed the Princeton Working Group on the Future of Drug Use and Alternatives to Drug Prohibition.    In mid-90s Nadelmann founded the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy institute that six years later became the Drug Policy Alliance, a group for drug policies "grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.” As the Executive Director of the organisation, Nadelmann advocates for the application of harm reduction principles to minimize the public health effects of the War on Drugs.    In 2021 he launched Psychoactive, a podcast on drug policy, drug use, and drugs research featuring Nadelmann interviewing leading figures in current debates on drugs such as head of the US National Institute of Drug Abuse Nora Volkow, authors Michael Pollan and Andrew Weil.    What’s the future of drug policies? Will tobacco become the next substance politicians will go to war against? Be sure to tune in to find out!    McGill University Cannabis Hash Magic Mushrooms (Psilocybin) Cops Across Borders  DEA Andrew Weil  Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin  Lester Grinspoon  Harry Levine  Jeffrey Fagan  Tobacco (Nicotine)  Kenneth Warner  Sylvia Law   Arnold Trebach  National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws  Kevin Zeese  War on Drugs  George Soros  Foreign Policy magazine  Open Society Foundations  Lindesmith center  Alfred Lindesmith  Drug Policy Alliance  International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD)   Ballot initiative  Brompton cocktail  The Heroin Solution by Arnold S. Trebach  Misuse of Drugs Act 1971  Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam  Keith Hellawell  Heroin-assisted treatment  Partnership for a Drug-Free America  Jesse Jackson  Charles Rangel  Chuck Schumer  The Beckley Foundation  Fentanyl  Tobacco Harm Reduction  Smoking Cessation and Psilocybin  ★ Support this podcast ★

James Fadiman is a true man of many talents. Wikipedia calls him an ‘American writer’, but actually, he’s worked in multiple fields, from psychology, through to IT and, finally, to psychedelic research. He studied Psychology at Harvard University and obtained a PhD from Stanford University. As a graduate student at Stanford, Fadiman was Stewart Brand's LSD guide on Brand's first LSD trip, at Myron Stolaroff's International Foundation for Advanced Study in Menlo Park, California. He was also part of the team in the psychedelics in problem-solving experiment at the International Foundation for Advanced Study, which was abruptly halted in 1966 together with all the remarkable psychedelic research that was happening in the US.   Additionally, Fadiman worked at Stanford's Augmentation Research Center, a division that did research on networked computing. What did the technological research group need a psychologist in their team for? How are psychedelics and technological advances interconnected? And finally, what happens when you give psychedelics to a group of scientists? Listen to this week’s episode to find out!   Richard Alpert (Baba Ram Dass) Psilocybin Timothy Leary Aldous Huxley International Foundation for Advanced Study Myron Stolaroff LSD Brandeis University Willis Harman PTSD Set and setting Mescaline  Doug Engelbart The Mother of All Demos Nixon’s War on drugs Abraham Maslow Microdosing microdosingpsychedelics.com  FDA Double-blind studies Lupus ★ Support this podcast ★

If you were told you had months, weeks or even days left to live...would you care what the law said about consuming psychoactive substances? This week’s episode features Spencer Hawkswell the CEO of TheraPsil - a non-profit coalition dedicated to helping Canadians in medical need access legal, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat end-of-life distress.  Spencer believes that responsible drug policy requires effective organization and leadership and is dedicated to bringing together the experts and advocates, to facilitate change that results in increased access to compassionate care, harm reduction, and treatment options for those in need. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear how the Land of Maple Leaf implements its patient-centred approach in healthcare. What happened in the UK? Are there lessons to be learnt from Canada?    Psilocybin Cannabis Trigeminal neuralgia  Patty Hajdu Jean-Yves Duclos Health Canada Fentanyl  Clonazepam  Section 56 Exemption  Roland R. Griffiths Mathew W. Johnson Robin Carhart-Harris Anthony P. Bossis Ketamine Holotropic breathwork Cluster headache ADHD Acid (LSD) Medical assistance in dying Letter to Minister Duclos Re: Proposed Regulations for Medical Access to Psilocybin ★ Support this podcast ★

This week’s episode features Paul Glue, professor of Psychiatry at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand. With a vast experience in both academia and pharmaceutical industry, Paul Glue's research focuses on clinical and basic science to investigate the pharmacology of drug treatments in psychiatry and the disease mechanisms of neurological and psychiatric disorders. He is also interested in psychopharmacology and the development of novel therapeutics for affective disorders. One of these novel substances that have dominated his career is ketamine for treatment-resistant depression.  Tune in to this episode to listen to a fascinating conversation between two great scientists about, well… Drug Science. Ketamine Ibogaine National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Microdialysis Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) NMDA glutamate receptor Overexcitement and disinhibition Dynamic Neurotransmitter Interactions in Alcohol Withdrawal by Paul Glue and David Nutt  Methamphetamine  John Krystal Treatment-resistant depression Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale Douglas Pharmaceuticals Plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and response to ketamine in treatment-resistant depression Mechanisms of ketamine action as an antidepressant - P Zanos, T D Gould Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Good manufacturing practice (GMP) Paroxetine  QT interval  The Anti-Addiction Drug Ibogaine and the Heart: A Delicate Relation Noribogaine Prozac Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity - Ly et al. Serotonin 2a receptor ★ Support this podcast ★