Afleveringen
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In this episode, we speak to Prof Matthew Cobb, professor of zoology at the University of Manchester and author of Crick: A Mind in Motion, which profiles Francis Crick. Matthew shares insights into his own academic background in neurobiology and evolution, explaining the motivation behind his latest book. He delves into the collaborative approaches that fueled Crick's work and explains the complex dynamics between Crick, James Watson, and Rosalind Franklin during their pursuit of the double helix structure. Finally, Matthew touches on Crick’s cannabis and psychedelic use.
Links
● Prof Matt Cob
● Crick: A Mind in Motion
● What and how do maggots smell?
● The Double Helix
● Beatles Letter
● Mescaline Poem
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Join us in this episode of the Drug Science Podcast as Prof Jo Neill speaks with David Orren, CEO of GABA Labs, which has pioneered functional drinks with SENTIA Spirits. David recounts his initial communication with David Nutt and emphasises their shared mission to speak to younger generations’ desires for less harmful alternatives to alcohol. He touches on the neurological underpinnings of the drink and explores the future for the company as it expands and partners with other drink producers.
GABA Labs SENTIA Spirits Alcohol Background on GABA Scientific Overview of Functional Drinks ★ Support this podcast ★ -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In this episode, we speak to Dr Lauren Macdonald, a psychiatrist, psychedelic therapist, and group retreat facilitator. She details her path to psychedelics, in particular her cancer diagnosis that left her with existential dread that she felt fully dissipate only after a psychedelic experience. She goes on to discuss her interest in group retreats and treating existential distress. Before closing, she explains problems with the current medical model in the UK and where psychedelics fit.
LINK TO THE 2026 RETURNING TO WHOLENESS RETREAT
Links
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Psilocybin
Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research
Essence Medicine
Psilocybin and Cancer-Related Distress -
Join us in this episode as Prof Nutt speaks to Prof Mark Solms, a leading expert on Freud and author of the new book The Only Cure. Mark details his early fascination with neuropsychology that led him to study the neurological underpinnings of sleep and dreams. He explains how some of his own research lent more credence to Freud’s claims and deepened his interest in psychoanalysis. Mark concludes by discussing what the only cure symbolizes: talking therapies that address the root causes of psychopathology, as opposed to treatments that mask the symptoms.
Links
● Prof Mark Solms
● The Only Cure
● PET Sleep Scan
● Dreaming Study
● MDMA
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Join us in this episode as we speak to Dr Harriet de Witt, professor of psychiatry and neuropharmacology at the University of Chicago. She shares how she fell in love with the field, studying the animal model of self-administration, and how that work fed into her later research with human participants. As a leading expert on the pharmacology of MDMA, she explores the subtle differences between amphetamine and MDMA, before talking about the results from both her MDMA and LSD studies.
Links
● UChicago Profile
● Amphetamine
● MDMA
● LSD
● MDMA/Amphetamine/Alcohol Sociality Study
● LSD Microdosing & Emotionality Study
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Join us in this episode as we speak to Dr. Rachel Andrews, an addiction and harm reduction researcher at the University of Bath, and Hannah Dawes, a PSHE teacher and the creator of the podcast The Exchange. The conversation focuses on the prevalence of vaping in schools, particularly exploring the ways in which vapes have been marketed to children and the patterns of use in schools. Rachel provides data from her team’s analysis of that shows what’s really in the vapes students are using, while Hannah lends her perspective within schools, explaining how a supportive approach to students using vapes is more successful than punitive measures.
Links
Nicotine
Drug Science Blog
Spice
Cannabis
Teaching About Nicotine and Vaping
Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation
The Exchange
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In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, Prof Nutt speaks with Erica Rex, author of the book Seeing What is There, which explores the complex history of psychedelic therapy. She shares her own experiences with psychedelic-assisted therapy, while providing context on the guardrails that are necessary for these treatments to maximize benefits and minimize harms. Viewing psychedelics as therapeutic accelerants, Erica speaks on the current state of mental health treatments and explores how complex trauma and other mental health problems could be better treated.
Erica Instagram
Erica SubstackLinks
● Seeing What is There
● The Culture Is the Poison: Why Psychedelics Are Dangerous Medicine in a Neoliberal Society
● Psilocybin
● MDMA
● 5-MeO-DMT
● More From Erica
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In this episode, we’re joined by Justin Smith-Ruiu, a philosopher at Université Paris Cité and the author of On Drugs. He discusses his motivations behind the book, rooted in his early experiences with psychedelics and the many cultural roles he has seen them play across different contexts. As the conversation unfolds, Smith-Ruiu reflects on his decision to quit drinking in favor of psychedelics and the profound positive changes that choice has brought to his life.
Links
Justin Smith-Ruiu
On Drugs
Psilocybin
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Join us in this episode as we talk to Robert Schoevers, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Groningen and one of the pioneers of psychedelic-assisted therapy. He explains why human complexity led him to psychiatry, begoring discussing how his early psychedelic research into esketamine aimed to meet the unmet needs of treatment-resistant patients. Schoevers goes on to explore the ways in which his approach to ketamine-assisted therapy has transitioned over time and has led him to lead bigger projects, like the EU-funded palliative care project, PsyPal.
Links
Profile
Ketamine
Compass Paper
PsyPal
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Join us in this episode as we speak with Emma Robinson, a professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol with extensive experience in animal research. She unpacks the regulations surrounding animal research, offering a scientist’s view on animal rights activism, ethical tension, and why this work remains essential. Robinson also delves into the emerging intersection of psychedelics and animal research, describing how these substances are studied and how they might help reshape mental illness.
Professor Emma RobinsonUK Government’s Roadmap to Ending Animal TestingPETA ConfrontationCognitive and affective models of psychedelics in rodentsPsilocybinKetamineBritish Neuroscience lecture with Prof Robinson and Prof NuttThe 3Hs Initiative ★ Support this podcast ★ -
In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we talk to Simon Doherty, a journalist and content creator with a focus on harm reduction. He explores how reporting on electronic music and rave culture naturally led to his work on harm reduction. He goes on to dissect Talk to Frank and its flaws in providing accurate, evidence-based information. Finally, by comparing the unique landscape of free parties to the regulated club scene, Doherty discusses why and how clubs avoid common sense harm reduction techniques, endangering clubgoers.
Links
Simon’s TikTokInvestigating Talk to FrankCalling FrankThe LoopRave Aid CrewGHB/GHLKetamineNitazenes ★ Support this podcast ★ -
Join us in this episode as we talk to Prof Sara Tai, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Manchester and an NHS consultant clinical psychologist.
Sara’s research is grounded in biopsychosocial frameworks, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms of change that underpin effective psychological therapies. She has extensive experience delivering therapy, and training other clinicians to deliver interventions with individuals, families, and young people across diverse settings, including acute in-patient units, community mental health services, and schools.
For many years, Sara has been at the forefront of research into psychedelic-assisted therapies, working collaboratively with academic and industry partners to explore how psychedelics bring about therapeutic change. She has been instrumental in manualising psychological support models that integrate the core effective components shared across evidence-based psychotherapies, helping to define best practice in this rapidly advancing area. An experienced researcher, clinician, and trainer, Sara has led and collaborated on large-scale randomised controlled trials and has played a central role in training psychedelic therapists worldwide. Her work continues to bridge scientific research and clinical practice, advancing safe, effective, and compassionate approaches to mental health care.
Sara explores her research into the oft-overlooked role of therapy within psychedelic treatments. She discuses how her work has helped to challenge the notion of psychedelic compounds as medicine in themselves, shifting the focus onto the therapeutic approaches alongside them. Ultimately, Sara underscores the need for more transformative psychedelic experiences grounded in peer support, indigenous knowledge, or therapeutic experience in order to facilitate positive outcomes.
Links
Prof Sara Tai
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Method of Levels
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In this episode, we speak with Adam Zmith, podcast producer, writer, and author of Deep Sniff: A History of Poppers and Queer Futures. He describes his motivation behind writing the book, all before diving into the complex history of poppers. By speaking to the policing and regulation of poppers, Zmith explores broader struggles between the queer community and the government, in addition to the necessity for greater harm reduction for poppers. Despite these struggles, he underscores the ways in which queer culture has been shaped by poppers and how, in return, poppers have been shaped by queer culture.
Links
● Adam Zmith
● Deep Sniff
● Poppers
● The Log Books
● Switchboard
● Sir Thomas Lauder Brunton
● UK Man Consumes Poppers Accidentally
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Join us in this episode as Prof Nutt speaks to John, Joanne, and Ryan of the Scottish Ambulance Service in Glasgow. They explore their backgrounds in the Service and how their work exposed them to challenging situations that caused severe detriment to their mental health. After describing the failings of traditional mental health support for emergency workers, they tell their story of travelling to Peru for an ayahuasca retreat, an eye-opening and profoundly heartening experience.
Links
Scottish Ambulance Services
AyahuascaHeroic Hearts Project UK
The Shipibo
Scottish Psychedelic Research Group
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In this episode of the Drug Science podcast, we speak to Dr Andy Letcher, a religious scholar and author of the book Shroom: the Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom. He explores his complimentary background in science and the humanities, depicting how this combination structured his thinking. Noting the religious potential of psychedelic experiences, Letcher links the spiritual with the psychedelic, explaining what he sought to capture in his book and where it has gone since. Finally, he discusses how his interest in transdisciplinary perspectives on psychedelics has coalesced in the University of Exeter’s psychedelic postgraduate courses.
PSYCH SYMPOSIUM 2025Links
Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic MushroomPsychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture
Psilocybin
Seeking the Magic Mushroom by R. Gordon Wasson
Psychedelia Britannia: Druids on Drugs
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Tune into the latest episode of the Drug Science Podcast, where we talk to Jenny Chapman and Dr. Stephen Naulls, researchers at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and authors of ‘Psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health: Policy considerations, a briefing for Parliament’ on the state of psychedelic research. They explore the remit of POST in highlighting objective, emerging scientific research, and how psychedelics have come into their focus. With backgrounds in biology and medicine, both Jenny and Stephen stress the interwoven nature of science and policy. Through this intersection, they highlight the policy levers holding psychedelic researchers back and what Parliament and the greater public can take from the POST brief.
Links
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
POST report on Psychedelic-assisted therapy for mental health: Policy considerations, a briefing for Parliament
Psychedelic drugs to treat eating disorders
Psychedelic drugs to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat anxiety disorders
Psychedelic drugs to treat depression
Psychedelic-assisted therapy in the treatment of addiction
POST Board
Fellowship opportunities
POST All Reports
Knowledge Exchange Unit – KEU
Horizon Scanning
Ketamine
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In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we speak with Darren Le Baron, an accomplished mycologist and educator. He discusses how his hardships from his upbringing in East London have informed his current work, where he uses horticulture to connect with children at risk of being drawn into crime. He transitions to explore his series Psychedelics in Africa, explaining some of the many links between psychedelics and African culture, both in ancient times and modernity. Throughout, he emphasises the importance of African perspectives and similar indigenous ones, challenging their absence in mainstream psychedelic discourse.
Links
Darren Le Baron
Who is Darren Le Baron
Darren's Instagram
We Are Grow Mushrooms
Psilocybin
About Kilindi Iyi
Psychedelics in Africa: The Untold Story
Ibogaine
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Join us in this episode as we speak to Bruce Parry, the creator and star of the BBC series Tribe With Bruce Parry. He explains his sharp career change from a Royal Marine to an advocate for indigenous rights, where he’s developed a humble approach to learning from indigenous tribes, defined by listening and witnessing. He talks about his experiences of psychedelics in these contexts, namely ayahuasca, which have vastly shaped his outlook on life. Through this lens, he lends his opinions on topics like ayahuasca tourism and capitalist culture in the psychedelic space.
Tribe with Bruce Parry
Psilocybin
Ayahuasca
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In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we speak with Sam Bloomfield, founder of PsyEdu, and Dr. Eddie Jacobs, the first person to complete a doctorate in psychedelic ethics. Drawing on their backgrounds in education and ethics, they explore why these perspectives are essential to the evolving field of psychedelics. They also discuss the role of trials, clinics, and retreats within the broader psychedelic ecosystem, highlighting a major blind spot: the vast majority of psychedelic experiences occur outside of these settings. The conversation additionally examines how understandings of medicine often must adapt to the unique nature of psychedelics. Throughout, they underscore the importance of education in driving long-term policy change that ensures safer, more equitable, and more ethical psychedelic access.
Psychedelic Training in the UK
PsyEdu
Beckley Foundation
Psychedelic Ethics
Psilocybin
MDMA
MAPS
Public Attitudes to Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
HOPE Statement
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In this episode of the Drug Science Podcast, we meet with Dr. Joe Tafur, MD, an integrative Family Physician, curandero, author and speaker. He discusses his book, The Fellowship of the River, exploring the role of spiritual healing in modern healthcare. Within this episode. Tafur further delves into topics such as biological and psychological links to Generational trauma as well as the relationship between spiritual practice and healing.
Dr Joe Tafur
Modern Spirit
Medicine Song
Fellowship of the river
Intro into Therapeutic psychedelics
Depression
Peyote
Ayahuasca
Emotional dysregulation
Mamos
Inner child
Psoriasis
Migraine
Allostatic load
Allostasis
Epigenetics
Meditation
Support the Podcast Link
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