136. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology with Jenny Chapman and Dr Stephen Naulls

·47 min·3 clips

Jenny says the briefing highlighted stigma, confusion about rescheduling, and public interest around psychedelic-assisted therapy.

1. The Drug Science Podcast episode focuses on the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology's work on psychedelic-assisted therapy and the policy questions around it. 2. David Nutt speaks with Jenny Chapman, a biology and health advisor at POST, and Dr Stephen Knowles, a medical doctor training in psychiatry. 3. The episode asks how POST chooses a topic, builds an impartial briefing, and turns evidence on psychedelics into material Parliament can use. 4. Jenny Chapman says POST selected psychedelic-assisted therapy because it was already appearing in House of Commons debates and in a 2023 Home Affairs Committee report. 5. She also links the briefing to UK university clinical trials, a major international conference on psychedelic drug research, and public interest from books, films, and newspaper articles. 6. Stephen Knowles says his own route into the work came through the National Medical Directors Clinical Fellow Scheme and later policy work with POST. 7. He adds that he has practical experience on the MoreCare trial, a phase 3 ketamine-assisted therapy study for alcohol use disorder led by Celia Morgan at the University of Exeter. 8. Jenny explains that POST is a small team that writes briefings for parliamentarians across biology, health, social science, digital, physical topics, energy, and environment. 9. She says the office uses fellows from universities and professional bodies, including PhD researchers and senior academics, to exchange knowledge and improve science communication. 10. Jenny describes the briefing process as topic scoping, stakeholder interviews, government interviews such as with the Home Office, and internal and external peer review. 11. One policy consideration she highlights is stigma, including concern that Schedule 1 status can make ethics approval and research recruitment more difficult. 12. Another is confusion between rescheduling, reclassification, prescription, decriminalization, and legalization, which can blur public and parliamentary debate. 13. A third is the effect of high-profile coverage on public interest and possible illegal use of psychedelic drugs. 14. Stephen explains the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by separating drug class from drug schedule. 15. He says class A, B, and C determine penalties for possession or supply, while scheduling reflects whether a drug has recognized medical utility. 16. He uses cocaine as an example of a class A drug that is still Schedule 2 because of its medical use as a local anaesthetic. 17. He then notes that psilocybin is Schedule 1, which is why researchers argue the legal framework may lag behind emerging evidence. 18. Jenny details the operational barriers researchers described, including Home Office licence fees, paperwork, DBS checks, import and export licences, storage rules, and staff time. 19. The conversation stays technical but accessible, with David Nutt prompting clarifications and both guests explaining Parliament's scrutiny role in plain language. 20. People interested in drug policy, parliamentary evidence work, or psychedelic research will likely get the most from this episode, while listeners wanting a light or purely anecdotal discussion may skip it.

As heard by us

A clear look at how psychedelic research is handled inside Parliament.

The episode traces psychedelics research as it moves into Parliament through the work of Jenny Chapman and Stephen Knowles at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

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Why you'd press play

You want the policy path, not just the psychedelic headlines.

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