The Drug Science Podcast

In this episode, Prof Neil and Dr Thurgur speak with electronic musician Jon Hopkins.

Together, they explore the intersection of music, mental health, and psychedelics. Jon shares his personal journey, from his early love of music to his experiments with electronic sounds as well as discussing how experiences with meditation and psychedelics have profoundly influenced his music, shaping albums like ‘Music for Psychedelic Therapy’ and ‘Ritual’. They delve into the therapeutic potential of music, especially within psychedelic therapy, and reflect on how music can serve as a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery.

Find out more about Jon Hopkins and his music below!

Jon Hopkins

Ritual 

Music For Psychedelic Therapy 

Links

Mercury prize

Leo abrahams

Qigong shaking practice

Cannabis

Mdma

Michael pollan

Magic mushrooms

DMT

TM - transcendental meditation

Psilocybin

Tayos caves

Shuar tribe

Ayahuasca

Mendel kaelan wave paths

East forest

Ram dass

Ketamine

Ptsd

Sit around the fire

Ram dass foundation talks

Spotify

The icaros

Ketamine therapy

Psychedelic therapy

Dolby atmos format

Glastonbury fest

Charli xcx

Coldplay

Brat album

Kundalini yoga breathing meditation

Yoga nidra

Vedic mantra meditation

Wim hof 

Become a Drug Science Community Member

Brat album

Kundalini yoga breathing meditation

Yoga nidra

Vedic mantra meditation

Wim hof 

Become a Drug Science Community Member

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.  

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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