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

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

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 Robinson
• UK Government’s Roadmap to Ending Animal Testing
• PETA Confrontation
• Cognitive and affective models of psychedelics in rodents
• Psilocybin
• Ketamine
• British Neuroscience lecture with Prof Robinson and Prof Nutt
• The 3Hs Initiative

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 TikTok
• Investigating Talk to Frank
• Calling Frank
• The Loop
• Rave Aid Crew
• GHB/GHL
• Ketamine
• Nitazenes

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

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

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

Ayahuasca

Heroic Hearts Project UK

The Shipibo

Scottish Psychedelic Research Group

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 2025

Links
Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom

Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine, and Culture

Psilocybin

Seeking the Magic Mushroom by R. Gordon Wasson

Psychedelia Britannia: Druids on Drugs