The emergence of vaping and e-cigarettes is a relatively new and novel form of harm reduction. The UK has taken a scientific approach to the regulation of vaporisers and has been rewarded with great reductions of new and existing tobacco smokers. However, internationally vaporisers have been met with great distain and in some cases prohibition. In the past few years, we have seen a deliberate attempt to mislead the public over the harms of vaping nicotine and other cigarette substitute products....
Jun 16, 2020•44 min•Ep. 13
Over the last few years, Dr Simon Ruffell has worked closely with indigenous communities in the Amazon basin. He is particularly interested in the tradition surrounding the use of plant medicine in the Shipibo tribe. Simon has been looking at the psychological effects of plant medicine and the role that ceremony and spirit play in healing. In this episode, Simon talks about his research into ayahuasca, the dangers of drug tourism and the ayahuasca diet. Dr Ruffell also explores the cultural hist...
Jun 09, 2020•35 min•Ep. 12
Neil Woods is a former Undercover Drugs Detective Sergeant whose brief was to infiltrate Britain's most dangerous drug gangs, befriending the foot soldiers before taking on their gangster bosses. Neil risked his life to infiltrate some of the UK's most vicious gangs, by doing so he came to realise the terrifying reality of the drug war in Britain. During this time, what Neil discovered is that (like most wars) the war on drugs was futile at best and corrupt at worst. He’s now a board member of t...
Jun 02, 2020•30 min•Ep. 11
Dr Ben Sessa was the first doctor to administer MDMA assisted therapy in the 21st century and Christopher Trudgian was one of his very first patients. They both join Professor David Nutt to answer the question… can MDMA be used therapeutically to treat addiction and/or PTSD? The links between childhood trauma/PTSD and adult addiction are very apparent. It is now well documented that MDMA has a therapeutic potential to treat PTSD could that mean that patients suffering with PTSD-related addiction...
May 26, 2020•46 min•Ep. 10
Adam Winstock joins Professor David Nutt to discuss how drug use has changed in the past 20 years and the data that he has collected as a part of the Global Drug Survey (GDS). Using anonymous online research methods Global Drug Survey runs an annual survey collecting information on people’s drug use. Using this data, the Global Drug Survey creates digital health applications delivering screening and brief interventions for drugs. Survey findings are frank, honest, and revealing. GDS explores the...
May 19, 2020•37 min•Ep. 9
Lucy Stafford is a medical cannabis patient and advocate. Having spent most of her teenage years in severe pain, dependent on opiates and a feeding tube, discovering medical cannabis has transformed her health and quality of life. She is passionate about working towards a healthcare system that integrates the use of medical cannabis in the UK. Lucy is a Director at Patient Led Engagement for Access (PLEA) and patient access consultant for Project Twenty21. Lucy and Kate Stafford (mother) join th...
May 15, 2020•43 min•Ep. 8
Professor David Nutt begins season 2 by taking a deep dive into entheogenic plants with a legend of the psychedelic renaissance - Dennis McKenna. Dennis deliberates on his life’s work, ethnobotany, innovation within psychedelic industry, the therapeutic potential of DMT and the indigenous use of ayahuasca. Dennis McKenna's research has focused on the interdisciplinary study of Amazonian ethnopharmacology and plant hallucinogens. He has conducted extensive ethnobotanical fieldwork in the Peruvian...
May 12, 2020•51 min•Ep. 7
How can psychedelics be used to help healthy people? In our last episode we heard about how psychedelics can be used to help the sick, but what about the healthy? Wellbeing is becoming an increasingly studied element of everyday living. Those that maintain and take active steps to better their own wellbeing are happier people, who are more content with their own existence. One way in which people are doing this is through the process of microdosing psychedelics. However, we have very little evid...
Dec 18, 2019•49 min•Ep. 6
What is the role of psychedelics in medicine? The question professor David Nutt, Michelle Baker Jones and Matt Jackson will be discussing, in the first EVER live Drug Science podcast recording! The world is entering a new phase of psychiatric treatments. Traditional pharmacology is currently unable to address the decline of mental health and wellbeing. Professor Nutt has assembled some of the best and brightest minds in psychedelic science and wellbeing to address the question- Do Psychedelics h...
Dec 03, 2019•55 min•Ep. 5
Professor David Nutt sits down with Mark Johnson and Ian Miller to discuss the science, and challenge the concept, of addiction. • Why do some people become ‘addicted’ to drugs and others do not? • Is addiction physical or psychological? • Should drug and alcohol services focus on the drug or the individual? • How do we as a society treat the cause of addiction? To answer these questions, Professor Nutt and his guests examine; the Portuguese model, talking to teenagers about drug use, the use of...
Oct 30, 2019•42 min•Ep. 4
Professor David Nutt sits down with Joss Stone, Suzi Gage & Hannah Deacon to discuss the recent progress and biggest issues relating to medicinal cannabis. Many people up and down the country have turned to cannabis to alleviate pain & reduce symptoms of a wide range of ailments. Despite this, the drug still carries hefty penalties of up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both for possession. Joss Stone is a singer songwriter from Devon. She gained international acclaim for her f...
Sep 25, 2019•54 min•Ep. 3
Professor David Nutt sits down with Fiona Measham, Anna Wade & Janine Milburn for an in depth look into why drug testing is so vital at festivals and beyond. Topics discussed include; Janine's views following her daughters accidental overdose, how drug testing works at The Loop's facilities, tackling the idea that the practice sends 'mixed messages', what happens in other countries & the results The Loop are seeing from their work. Fiona Measham is a Professor of criminology at Durham Un...
Aug 28, 2019•55 min•Ep. 2
Professor David Nutt, Doctor Christian Jessen and Adrian Chiles in a wide-ranging, frank and open conversation on the topic of alcohol - exploring such topics as their own relationship with alcohol, a ‘healthy’ amount of units a week, binge vs regular drinking, self-medication, health and social ‘benefits’ and harms, the hypocrisy of current regulation, David’s invention of a calorie free, non-toxic synthetic alcohol, and whether or not any of us would want to live in a world where no one drank....
Jul 29, 2019•53 min•Ep. 1
