Drug Science
150 episodes listed below
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Professor David Nutt has spent a career making the argument for a rational, evidence-based approach to drug policy and drug use. The scientific evidence still challenges perceived wisdom on drugs and for that reason can appear to be contentious. In this podcast, the Professor explores the actual harms and potential benefits of various drugs, challenging myths surrounding classification and legislation, and exploring the societal impact of poorly informed drug policy. Using evidence in public policy should not be controversial. A podcast for anyone interested in understanding the scientific truth about drugs, free from political or moral concern.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Guest conversations make the contested mechanisms, therapeutic practice and policy surrounding drugs intelligible without smoothing away scientific uncertainty.
The Drug Science Podcast lets difficult questions develop through extended guest conversations led by David Nutt, Jo Neill and Dr. Hannah Thurger.
Ayahuasca meets animal research; you get to ask what each can tell you about healing.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A conversation about psychedelic therapy, ethics, public opinion, and why policy still lags behind support.
The episode follows David Nutt, Sam Bloomfield, and Eddie Jacobs as they talk through psychedelic therapy, ethics, public opinion, and drug policy. It moves between the evidence and the politics without pretending those are separate worlds.
A grounded look at plant medicine that centers indigenous rights and practical legal support.
This episode brings plant medicine down to earth, tying it to land, water, law, and indigenous continuity. It is strongest when it moves past patents, clinical trials, and commodification, and instead stays with trust, cultural practice, and the practical support communities…
A grounded look at trauma recovery, group support, and why ambulance workers sought help in Peru.
Three members of the Scottish Ambulance Service talk through what it looks like when traumatic memories from frontline healthcare work become something they choose to address.
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.
A clear-eyed look at school vaping as a parent, peer, and public health problem.
Vaping in schools is treated here as a public health problem first, not a moral panic. The focus stays on how vapes move through year groups, how peer sharing works, and why parents end up caught in the middle.
A grounded conversation that places mushrooms inside a larger story about culture, roots, and renewal.
This episode moves from psychedelics into indigenous context, African traditions, dreams, and the practical work of growing food and plants in London schools.
A blunt conversation about evidence, politics, and public health.
David Nutt and Zoe Cormier spend this conversation on drug science, public health, and the damage politics does when it starts crowding out evidence.
A measured history lesson on psychedelics, science, and the institutions around them.
Mike Jay's return to the Drug Science Podcast delivers a measured tour through psychedelic science, historical context, and the institutional pressures that shape what gets treated as legitimate inquiry.
Live curiosity, answered with scientific mischief.
Masha Gessen narrates her own cousin's murder-for-hire arrest and custody battle.
Rich Roll interviews recovery and endurance guests, plus 'Roll On' segments with Adam Skolnick.
Peter Attia evaluates longevity science, from CETP inhibitors to protein debates, through evidence.
Rhonda Patrick translates NAD, vitamin D, and coffee research into daily health protocols.
Shawn Stevenson interviews researchers and coaches on nutrition, sleep, hormones, and fitness.
Psychedelic therapy does not end with the trip.
David Nutt, Jo Neill, and Hannah Thurger speak with Sarah about the psychotherapeutic side of psychedelic medicine.
The conversation turns to vaping in schools.
David Nutt talks with Darren Le Baron about psychedelics in an indigenous context, dreams, and the ways plants can shape a life.
Ravi Das joins the hosts to talk about his psychopharmacology research at UCL.
The Drug Science Podcast episode with Jon Hopkins traces his path from a music-filled childhood in Wimbledon to a record deal at 19 and later collaborations with Imogen Heap and David Holmes.
David Nutt speaks with Jenny Chapman and Dr Stephen Knowles from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology about six briefings on psychedelic-assisted therapy and the policy questions around them.
David Nutt speaks with Andy Letcher, author of Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom, about how ecology, religion, and psychedelic history shaped his career.
Tim Kerr tells David Nutt that he was a “former doctor and a former prisoner,” then explains how medicine, alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, and the dark web shaped that path.
Andrew Feldmár traces his life from wartime Hungary, where his mother was sent to Auschwitz and a Catholic woman hid him for a year and a half, to his later work in Canada on psychedelic psychotherapy.
David Nutt hosts Sam Bloomfield of SciEDU and Dr Eddie Jacobs, who says he completed the first PhD on the ethics of psychedelics.
Three Scottish Ambulance Service members speak plainly about trauma.
Dr.
Serotonin is still the sore spot.
David Nutt and Jo Neill welcome Emma Robinson, a professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol with a playful streak and a serious research agenda.
David Nutt interviews philosopher Justin Smith-Rui about his book 'On Drugs', exploring how psychedelics intersect with philosophy, consciousness, and personal transformation.
Josh Dugdale, owner of Waysing Estate, discusses his journey from Manchester club culture to ayahuasca ceremonies, founding the alcohol-free Medicine Festival, and campaigning for psilocybin rescheduling.
Professor Robert Schoevers discusses his research on psychedelic therapies, starting with ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and moving to psilocybin studies.
Professor David Nutt interviews journalist Zoe Cormier on the clash between American politics and science in drug policy.
Jo Neill hosts James Morgan and Chris Chandler to discuss the Street Drugs Discussions webinar series, covering topics like heroin research, harm reduction, and drug policy reform.
Mike Jay returns for a third visit with Jo Neill and Dr.
Dr.
David Nutt interviews explorer Bruce Parry about his journey from military background to advocate for indigenous cultures and plant medicines.
David Nutt interviews Matt Lowe about Unlimited Sciences and Realm of Caring, focusing on naturalistic research into cannabis and psychedelics.
This episode features Natalia and Jesus from ICERS discussing the decolonisation of plant medicine, focusing on how colonial laws and the war on drugs criminalise indigenous practices.
In this 'Ask David Anything' episode, Professor David Nutt engages with community members Andrew, Raj, and Neve on topics including using cannabis as a psychedelic therapy, comparing it to ketamine, and discussing regulatory hurdles for MDMA and psilocybin.
David Nutt interviews Dr.
Professor David Nutt interviews psychopharmacologist Harriet DeWitt about their experiences administering drugs to humans and the importance of evidence-based drug policy.
This episode discusses harm reduction and the work of the Harm Reduction Working Group, featuring experts in criminology and criminal psychology.
David Nutt hosts a discussion on medical cannabis with experts Callie Seaman and Dr.
Professor David Nutt interviews Darren Murphy about chemsex, exploring the harms and policy implications of drug use in sexual contexts.
An interview with Dr.
Professor David Nutt interviews Bruce Alexander about his Rat Park experiment and insights on addiction and drug policy.
Professor David Nutt interviews Melanie Sykes about her journey into cannabis activism and her autism diagnosis, exploring the intersection of drug science and personal experience.
Professor David Nutt interviews Mark Plotkin about his work as an ethnobotanist studying plant medicines and the human mind.
Professor David Nutt interviews anthropologist Wade Davis about his journey into ethnopharmacology and drug policy.
David Nutt interviews Dennis McKenna about the upcoming ESPD conference and recent developments in ethnopharmacology.