The Drug Science Podcast

In this episode, Prof Nutt meets with Prof Alex Stevens, researcher in drug policy, treatment and harm reduction and Gillian Shorter, a researcher into the health and wellbeing of people who use alcohol and drugs. 

In this episode they discuss harm reduction strategies in the UK. They delve into the root causes of the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and explore the effectiveness of various harm reduction approaches, such as needle exchange programs and drug consumption rooms. The conversation also considers the politics surrounding these strategies and the limitations imposed by the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Drug consumption Rooms BBC

Drug Science Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group

Needle Exchange

Naloxone

Drug Consumption Room

High Tolerance Housing

The Merseyside Model

Drug Testing

Drug Testing Kits

International Harm Reduction Association

HIV and AIDS

Opiate Substitution Therapy

Winter Comfort Case Support the Podcast

What is the UK medical cannabis industry looking like in 2024?

We are 6 years on from legalisation of cannabis-based medical products in the UK and although many patients have now been able to access these products, many others are still struggling to get access. 

In this episode of the Drug Science podcast, Prof. David Nutt is joined by three leading experts in cannabis science and the evolving landscape of regulation. Dr. Callie Seaman, Dr. Leon Barron, and Michael Sassano share their insights into the future of cannabis as a medicine, the current regulatory environment, and the scientific innovations driving the industry forward

Cannabis Industry Council

Medical Cannabis Working Group  

SOMAI Pharmaceuticals 

Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society

London Resilience Clinic 

German medical cannabis market 

NHS Cannabis-based products for medicinal use

Cost effectiveness paper

HHS report 

This episode has been supported by the Cannabis Industry Council 

In this episode, we meet with Darren Murphy, a Chemsex Specialist Practitioner at Forward Leeds, to discuss chemsex, addiction, as well as addressing the link with the LGBTQ+ community. Darren shares his personal journey, navigating the challenges of drug addiction and everything which came with it. Realising the limited support available for people engaging in chemsex, Darren shares how he uses his experiences to help others overcome similar struggles. 

ChemSex and Being Safer

Methamphetamine

mephedrone

GHB

Poppers

Cocaine

Mdma

Ketamine

Eating disorder

HIV

Narcotics Anonymous

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In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Simon Ruffell, a psychiatrist and ayahuasca researcher with extensive experience working with Indigenous communities in the Amazon Basin. He discusses the potential of Indigenous medicines to complement Western psychiatric care and reduce relapse rates. Dr. Ruffell compares Western and Indigenous approaches to using spiritual plants, addressing the ongoing debate about how to respectfully integrate Indigenous medicine into Western healthcare as well as highlighting the key differences between commercial ayahuasca retreats and authentic Indigenous practices. Lastly, he discusses aspects of Shipibo culture and a journey into Shamanism.

Ayahuasca

DMT

Psilocybin

Psychosis

Revolving door syndrome

Shipibo

Heroic Hearts

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Dr Simon Ruffell

Onaya Health

Onaya Science

Mind over matter

Participation in an indigenous Amazonian-led ayahuasca retreat associated with increases in nature relatedness

Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats

Modulatory effects of ayahuasca on personality structure in a traditional framework

In this episode, we meet with Dr Karenza Moore as she discusses changes in drug trends in the UK, focusing on the motivations, risks, and patterns of drug use, particularly among young people. Karenza identifies trends in drug use, including the impact of the lockdown on substance abuse. She also examines various drug trends within dance music culture, which leads to a discussion of safer partying practices, with a particular focus on the LGBT community and the importance of staying safe during a night out.  Finally she addresses the challenges of conducting research in this area and outlines strategies for overcoming these barriers to gain a comprehensive understanding of substance use.

Ketamine

MDMA

Mephedrone

Release

Transform

Beckleys foundation

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In this episode, Prof Nutt meets with Rose Cartwright as she discusses the impact of psychedelics on her Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She reflects on some of the common misconceptions around OCD as well as the impact diagnosis and traditional treatment had on her life. Throughout the episode, she reflects on her own psychedelic experiences, mistakes made along the way and the steps she would have taken differently going into this with the knowledge she has today.

Rose Cartwright is a screenwriter whose memoir, Pure, about her life with intrusive sexual thoughts, was adapted for Channel 4. Her revolutionary new memoir, The Maps We Carry, reveals how the failure of the mental health system to cure her OCD led her to radical action. While she explored her trauma through a series of mind-bending psychedelic trips, she began to interrogate our dominant medical paradigm. Her writing about psychedelics, consciousness and mental health has also been published in The Face, Vice and the Guardian. Rose is a writer on the Netflix adaptation of Liu Cixin’s The Three Body Problem.

The Maps We Carry
Rose Cartwright 

OCD

Bulimia 

PTSD

Pure 

Intrusive thoughts

Psychodynamic therapy

Person centred therapy

MDMA 

Psilocybin

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In this episode, we meet with Satya, a consciousness activist, who has been entirely dedicated to the expansion and evolution of human consciousness for 15 years. Throughout this time, she has facilitated retreats for over 63,000 people around the world, with profound processes of transformation. Satya is the founder of Working With Satya and of the Awareness Facilitator School, that is currently training facilitators with the method she has developed, uniting modern therapies with science, meditation and ancient wisdom. 

She discusses the process of her work through a wide range of transformational processes, with a special focus on combining ancient rituals with contemporary therapeutic techniques. Satya shares how her personal healing journey, following sexual abuse, led her to discover the transformative power of Ayahuasca. Inspired by this experience, she became passionate about sharing this sacred medicine and supporting others on their own paths to healing.

Working With Psilocybin - Training Course
Ayahuasca

Psilocybin

mescaline

Working with Satya

Ayahuasca retreat

Trauma

PTSD in Veterans 

Indigenous ethics in psychedelic work

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In this episode, we meet with Prof Susanne MacGregor and Prof Karen Duke to explore the issues surrounding drug use in prisons. They discuss the ways vulnerable inmates can be targeted by gangs, as well as how various aspects of the prison environment can increase the potential harms of psychoactive substances.  Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion that could lead to a safer and more rehabilitative prison system.

The risk matrix: Drug-related deaths in prisons in England and Wales, 2015–2020

Responding to ‘wicked problems’: policy and governance on drug-related deaths in English and Welsh prisons, 2015-2020

Producing the ‘problem’ of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in English prisons

‘Keeping a lid on it’: Exploring ‘problematisations’ of prescribed medication in prisons in the UK 

'Risk, Intoxication and Death: contemporary media framings of drug-related deaths

ACMD report: ageing cohort of drug users

City roads
PPO
Pregabalin 

Cannabis 

Synthetic cannabis 

Ecstasy

Heroin 

HIV

Fentanyl 

ADHD 

Rory Stewart 10 Prisons Project 

Antisocial personality disorder 

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In this episode, David Nutt meets with Dr Duncan Still, a GP with significant interest in integrative medicine. He highlights the importance of adopting a holistic approach when providing support for patients and connecting traditional medicine with modern medicine as opposed to discounting it. Duncan explains how this holistic and integrative approach led to him becoming involved in psychedelic retreats and explains the process participants will undergo.

PsyEduUK

Acupuncture

Psilocybin

MDMA

Australia MDMA and psilocybin

Mind medicine Australia

Nature connectedness

James Hawkins

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In this episode we meet with Dr Apo Aporosa

He discusses his unconventional route to his PhD, having not finished school and joined the Army followed by the police only to break into academia at a masters level and continuing studies from there. 

Apo talks about his PTSD diagnosis and his subsequent journey with Kava, a spiritual drink consumed in Fijian culture. He discusses the affect this had in treating his PTSD symptoms as well as it facilitating his work overcoming his trauma. In this episode, Apo explains cultural aspects of the Kava experience.

Finally, Apo discusses methods of translating Kava into the medical field without impacting on its traditional and cultural uses. as well as its position of legality within the UK.

Kava Drug information

What is Kava?

Kava Myths and Misunderstandings

PTSD

PTSD in Veterans

Fijian Kava Ceremoney

Become a drug science community member

In this episode, Kate Hayes reflects on her experiences with the LSD Microdot Gang, drawing upon her interactions and experiences with Dr. Christine Bott and Richard Kemp. She addresses Richard and Christine’s aspiration to bring about positive change in the world using LSD which led to their eventual arrest following involvement in an LSD production and distribution network. At the time, however it was not uncommon for there to be a separation from LSD funders and manufacturers with distributors and dealers. Kate, therefore, further reflects on her own personal experiences with having fallen victim to the drug trade and trafficking at a young age and how this impacted on her experiences going forwards. Kate further reflects on the historical issues in treating mental health conditions and the current limitations of this, drawing further upon Christine and Richards aspirations for LSD.

Buy the books here

Listen to Acid Dream here

The Club of Rome report

Carl Rogers 

Carl Rogers 2

LSD 

Cannabis

Albert Hoffman 

University Occupation for Palestine 

The Million Man March

Martin Luther king

Death of the Family, David Cooper

PTSD 

Gabor Mate

Instagram

Facebook

Blog

You Tube Channel

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In this episode we meet with Dr Julie Holland. 

She discussed how MDMA influenced her career and inspired her to investigate its therapeutic potential. Controversially, she has investigated the effect of MDMA in schizophrenia and its potential in preventing paranoia and inhibiting auditory hallucinations during its effects. 

Dr Holland touches upon debate subjects such as the likelihood of addiction following consumption of MDMA as well as classifications of various substances under regulatory bodies. 

Finally, Dr Holland highlights the ‘alpha bias’ in current clinical research as expressed through her book ‘moody bitches’ and indicates the implications this could have.

Moody Bitches Book

Good Chemistry book

Maps 

Mdma

Mescaline

PCP

LSD

Cannabis

Fentanyl

Benzodiazapines

Ketamine

Psilocybin

Psilocybin psychotherapy

Schizophrenia

Anxiety

PTSD

Eating Disorders

Rosalind Watts

Norman Ohler

Telehealth Ketamine Study

Become a Drug Science Community Member

 In this episode, we meet with Dr. Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, an Associate Professor of Pharmacy in Auckland. Dr. Muthukumaraswamy discusses his early research, exploring the functional connectivity of substances like DMT and Ketamine. He proceeds to share insights into his breakthrough realisation regarding the disparity between the self-reported success of microdosing outside the lab setting and why it has failed to be replicated in controlled research settings. Finally, he shares his opinions on recent developments of drug policy in Australia and the prospects of New Zealand adopting a similar policy.

Ketamine

DMT

LSD

Fmri

MEG

EEG

PET

5-HT Receptor

Microdosing

Neuroplasticity

Endocrine

Menstural Cycle Hormones

Australia Law on MDMA and Psilocybin

Research

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Professor Mitul Mehta explains how his studies in neuroscience and the role of dopamine in learning and memory led to his own career in neuroimaging. He offers an overview of what neuroimaging entails and how these scans can contribute to the advancement of research. 

Drawing from his latest research centred around Schizophrenia, Mitul delves into our understanding of drug interactions within the brain and how these can be used in drug development.

Dopamine

Dopaminergic system

Executive function

Episodic memory

Brain imaging

Lesion Study

Pet scanner

Temporal resolution

Fmri

MRI

Receptors

neurons

Blood Brain Barrier

Ketamine

Cocaine

Psilocybin

Schizophrenia

In this episode, Prof Neill and Dr Thurgur meet with Dr Gül Dölen, a neuroscientist known for studying social behaviour and psychedelic drugs. Together, they explore the role of critical periods in trauma and mental health; following the potential of Psychedelics in reopening critical periods which were previously thought to be closed, they debate whether a critical period closing is ever truly permanent.

Critical period

Sensitive period

Lorenz 1935

MDMA

cocaine

Oxytocin

Ibogaine

psilocybin

Theory of mind

Albert Hofmann

Schizophrenia

Become a Drug Science Community Member

In this episode, Prof Nutt meets with German author Norman Ohler as he speaks about his new book “Tripped” which addresses drug use in post-Nazi Germany. Ohler shares how a secret history held back therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs for decades and eventually Nazi policies became part of the foundation of America’s War on Drugs. Ohler discusses theories as to why substances have been omitted from certain parts of history. This episode delves into deep debates regarding the weaponisation of substances within war environments, touching upon the CIA’s attempts to weaponise psychedelics such as LSD in their MK Ultra experiments. 

Methamphetamine

Amphetamine

Blitzkrieg

Blitzed – drugs in nazi Germany book

LSD

Tripped

Cocaine

Albert Hofmann

Psychedelics David Nutt

Become a drug science community member 

On the 100th Episode of the Drug Science podcast, Prof David Nutt meets with Dr James Rucker to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Maudsley Hospital. James shares his experiences as one of the first clinicians in a psychedelic study hosted by David Nutt before explaining his own personal journey into psychedelic research. 

Starting from a PhD in Genetics, James’ interest shifted, becoming increasingly interested in psychiatry and discusses his research into psilocybin regarding both its optimum dosage as well as its effectiveness in treatment resistant depression.

Depression

Maudsley Hospital

Maudsley Hospital Psychedelic Research

NIHR

Compass pathways

Psilocybin

Magic medicine documentary

Mdma 

Dmt 

Ketamine

MAPS

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In this episode, we meet with Jane Slater, co-founder of Anyone’s Child and Anne Marie, a mother who tragically lost her child, Martha, to an accidental overdose. Anne and Jane discuss the consequences of drug policy failures and the need for safe drug use education, drawing in on Anne’s personal journey. She discusses the pain of losing a loved one to a preventable drug related death and how this pain led to the start of Anyone's Child - creating a voice for those who have been directly impacted by drug policy failures and are now calling for the legal control and regulation of the drug market.

Anyone's child

Transform drugs

Anyone's Child Get involved

Release Harm Reduction Advice

Drug information

Ecstasy

Heroin

Overdose prevention centres

The loop

How to regulate psychedelics book

Good Morning Britain 

Dealing with grief

UNGAS 2016

In this week's episode, we feature John Marks, an Addiction Psychologist who spearheaded the Merseyside experiment in northwest England from 1982 to 1995. Throughout this 13-year period, Marks fearlessly operated clinics in Liverpool, basing his practice on the long-term maintenance prescribing of opiates to opiate users.

The high media profile of his work, set against the backdrop of febrile local politics in Liverpool, brought immense political pressure. This pressure eventually led to the closure of the clinics.

Tune in to this episode as John Marks shares his first-hand experiences, recounting the challenges, triumphs, and controversies surrounding his work on the experiment. He provides insights into the intricacies of the UK's drug laws and discusses their impact on his experiment.

Alcohol 

heroin

Misuse of drugs act 1971

The ‘Classic paper’ – The North Wind and the Sun

Accidy, Addiction and the Prohibition

Electroencephalographic Correlates of Psychometry

EEG and Psychometry

The Cartesian Bridge: On the Psychology of Consciousness and the Psychopathology of Addiction and Schizophrenia

North wind and the sun

County lines

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In this episode, we meet with Patrick Cox, a fashion designer with a background collaborating with Vivianne Westwood. Patrick shares his personal journey from his lifestyle in fashion, led to confronting deep-seated intergenerational trauma. Patrick opens up about undertaking the highly secretive Hoffman Process, and the transformative impact this had on him. From there, he further recounts his journey through the healing use of psychedelics, emphasising the transformative power of ego death. Patrick highlights how this journey led to him becoming a 5-MeO facilitator, and guiding others through these healing experiences.

5-MEO

Vivienne Westwood

The Hoffman process

Christopher Hitchens

LSD

Cannabis

Ayahuasca 

Ego Death

Hermet phase

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