Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2019
Edward James, Thomas L Robertshaw, Michael Pascoe et al.
3 citations
A survey of 105 UK nationals found that perceptions of relative harm for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, MDMA, and psilocybin did not match the harm rankings reported in scientific literature. Participants ranked tobacco as most harmful, followed by MDMA, psilocybin, alcohol, and cannabis, whereas the literature ranks alcohol as most harmful, then tobacco, cannabis, MDMA, and psilocybin. Objections to legal pharmacy sales included concerns about sending the wrong message, danger, and disapproval of psychoactive drug use for entertainment or mystical experiences. Most male participants considered legal access to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and psilocybin a human right, while most female participants considered only alcohol a human right. Misperceptions and biases likely sustain policies misaligned with research.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2026
Sam Lasham, Rhys Ponton
1 citation
Drug control laws introduced since the early twentieth century reduce non-medical use and drug-associated harm but unjustly impact medical care and research. Restrictions on controlled drugs and prohibited plants in New Zealand, such as those under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, have limited clinical research on substances like MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, and DMT for decades. Beyond clinical applications, these legal restrictions also severely inhibit non-clinical research, as illustrated by the Act's impedance of research on mushroom-forming fungi in New Zealand.
Drug Science Policy and Law
April 1, 2025
Octavian Brinzei
1 citation
No Summary
Drug Science Policy and Law
March 1, 2025
Dan Petrovitch, Jason van Allen, Sean M. Mitchell et al.
1 citation
Psychedelic-naïve undergraduates generally hold similar views of psilocybin and LSD across clinical therapy, microdosing, and naturalistic contexts, making only limited distinctions. When differences did appear, participants viewed clinical use most positively, followed by microdosing, then naturalistic use. The findings suggest that young adults may benefit from education about the varying safety, efficacy, and legality of psychedelics across contexts, especially given their potential influence on drug policy.
Drug Science Policy and Law
November 1, 2025
S. Viña
A new theoretical framework, the medical sociological and social epidemiological psychedelics paradigm (MSSEPP), is proposed to address ethical concerns, lack of participant diversity, and limitations of the dominant biopsychic model in psychedelic research. MSSEPP integrates medical sociology and social epidemiology to emphasize how social, cultural, structural, and economic conditions together shape health outcomes from psychedelic use. It accounts for indirect and interacting effects across the life-course, often neglected in existing models. The article outlines an agenda to incorporate structural determinants, intersectional stigma, and community-based frameworks into psychedelic science, aiming for a more holistic and ethically grounded orientation for research, clinical design, and policy.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2023
Antonio Metastasio, Silvio Mignogna, Riccardo Paci et al.
LSD, when used under therapeutic guidance, enhanced the filmmaking creativity of Federico Fellini by altering his perception of time, space, body, and self. Time in his films flows irregularly with disorienting flashbacks; colors become supernaturally brilliant and detached from objects; sounds emerge independently from visible sources; and human bodies appear deformed, grotesque, and caricatural. The boundaries between dream and reality collapse. These changes made his films so distinctive that the adjective 'felliniesque' was coined.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2023
WaiFung Tsang, Simon Ruffell, Nigel Netzband et al.
Adults who attended ayahuasca retreats in Peru reported fewer symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity afterward, regardless of retreat length or number of ceremonies. In an exploratory pilot study, 49 adults completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale before and after retreats lasting 8 days to 4 weeks. Scores for inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and total symptoms all dropped significantly. Only four participants had a prior ADHD diagnosis. The findings suggest ayahuasca may be associated with reductions in core ADHD features, but controlled trials are needed to confirm causality.
Drug Science Policy and Law
January 1, 2023
Adriana D’arienzo, Giorgio Samorini
Italy conducted the most clinical studies on psilocybin and lysergic acid amide (LSA) in the twentieth century, and humans first received a high dose of 500 mcg of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) there. The most successful Italian studies used psilocybin intravenously at 3 mg every second or third day, alternated with placebo, to treat depressive states. LSD and psilocybin also showed promise for treating neurosis. Italian psychiatrists contributed to theoretical debates on the psychotomimetic paradigm and the distinction between primary and secondary effects of psychedelics.