The Drug Science Podcast

This week’s episode features Andrew Gold of the On the Edge with Andrew Gold podcast. Andrew Gold is a journalist and TV presenter who lived in 6 countries, producing documentaries on bizarre and controversial subcultures. His documentaries range from the award-winning Exorcism: The Battle for Young Minds to stories on hunted UFOs.  ★ Support this podcast ★

17 Aug 202249min

Professor Badiani received his doctoral degree in Medicine and Surgery from Sapienza University of Rome and carried out post-doctoral research in Italy (CNR), Canada (CSBN), and USA (University of Michigan) to then return to Sapienza University Medical School as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, progressing to the rank of Full Professor in 2008. At Sapienza he also served as Associate Chief Physician in the Drug Addiction unit of the University Hospital. Additionally, he has been President of the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society (EBPS) from 2011 to 2013. Professor Badiani conducts research in the field of drug addiction with the focus on the role of environmental factors in determining individual vulnerability to drug addiction in both humans and animals. In this episode of Drug Science podcast you’ll learn about the most recent research on the science of drug addiction from a leading expert in the field. Jane StewartDopamine Terry RobinsonCocaine AmphetamineDrug sensitization (reverse tolerance)PsychotomimetismPsychosisIncentive sensitization theory of addiction Kent C BerridgeMorphineHeroin Adrenal glandHuda AkilStriatumNucleus accumbensFrontal cortexOpiatePsychostimulant Naloxone precipitated withdrawal increases dopamine release in the dorsal striatum of opioid dependent menRussell’s Circumplex Models ★ Support this podcast ★

3 Aug 202246min

Professor Allan Young is a psychopharmacologist and the Director of the Centre for Affective Disorders in the Department of Psychological Medicine in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London. Prof Young is the clinical academic lead in the Psychological Medicine and Integrated Care Clinical Academic Group in the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust where he is also a Consultant Psychiatrist and the head of the National Affective Disorders Tertiary Clinic.  Professor Young’s research interests focus on the cause and treatments for severe psychiatric illnesses, particularly mood disorders like depression. He has received research grant funding from the UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and numerous other respected funding agencies worldwide. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed publications and a number of books about psychopharmacology and affective disorders. According to the 2014 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher list, Professor Young was recently ranked as one of the world's leading scientific minds in the field of Psychiatry and Psychology. DepressionBipolar disorderMajor depressive episodeAnhedoniaICD-10DSM-5Atypical depressionImmuno-metabolic depressionSSRIRapid cycling bipolar disorderTricyclic antidepressantsMonoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)Dopamine receptor D2Cognitive Remediation TherapyInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceCBTKetamineEsketamine: Ketamine nasal spray BioavailabilityPsilocybin: From Serendipity to Credibility?COMPASS Pathways ★ Support this podcast ★

20 Jul 202247min

Listen in to hear Robin’s valuable perspective on matters such as assisted death, private education and the difference between a debate and a conversation. The Demon-Haunted WorldThe Infinite Monkey CageAssisted dyingSection 28Peter Singer if…Frankie HowerdAmusing Ourselves to Death ★ Support this podcast ★

6 Jul 202247min

Coming from Canada, home to one of the most progressive drug addiction services in the world, Manisha was reporting for VICE News in their new documentary 'Beyond Fentanyl' which looks at how drugs like “benzos,” "dope” and “tranq” are ravaging North American communities and how U.S. policy affected the latest flood of synthetic street drugs. Tune in to this week’s episode for a VICE  journalist’s perspective on drug policies around the world.  OxycodoneHeroinFentanylBenzodiazepinesDowner and upper drugsDrug overdoseNoradrenalineLofexidineAwakn clinic“This Is Something That Changed My Life”: A Qualitative Study of Patients' Experiences in a Clinical Trial of Ketamine Treatment for Alcohol Use DisordersibogainePsilocybinAyahuascaDMTToad venom5-MeO-DMTSupervised injection sitesNaloxoneBristol drug testingThe LoopMephedroneMonkey dustBath Salts drugoxycontin crisisCannabisBeyond Fentanyl documentary  ★ Support this podcast ★

22 Jun 202230min

This week’s episode features Professor Bruce Alexander, a psychologist and professor emeritus from Vancouver, BC, Canada, author of two books about addiction: Peaceful Measures: Canada's Way Out of the War on Drugs and The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit. Professor Alexander conducted a series of experiments into drug addiction known as the Rat Park experiments. Which brought into light the true complexity of addiction and the influence of our environment on how we use drugs and how they affect us. Listen to this episode to find out why the “demon drug myth” is extremely out of date with the scientific world and what we can do to debunk it. Skin poppersHeroinMorphineDemon drug mythIan KershawRat parkHow permanent was Vietnam drug addiction ★ Support this podcast ★

8 Jun 202242min

This week’s episode features English television and radio presenter, and model Melanie Sykes.Melanie is an advocate for medical cannabis use for childhood epilepsy and other chronic conditions. In 2021 she became an Ambassador in Medcan Support - a non-profit community interest company who provide free resources and educational material on medical cannabis, the endocannabinoid system and the positive outcomes cannabis treatment has had on so many people throughout the UK. With her support, she helps fight the stigma and raises other issues which are preventing access to the natural medicine.Listen to this episode of the podcast to find out more about medical cannabis and also how an autism diagnosis at 51 can change your life!  Don’t ‘Talk to FRANK’ but do check out the Frank magazine -> The Frank Magazine CannabisAutismHarry ThompsonADHDNeurodivergenceMedcan supportThe Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the SpectrumThe Frank MagazineHempWeed the PeopleEpilepsyProject Twenty21William Broke O’Shaughnessy ★ Support this podcast ★

25 Mai 202243min

This week’s episode features yet another great speaker at the ESPD55 conference Mark Plotkin, an ethnobotanist, advocate for tropical forest conservation and the host of Plants of the Gods podcast. Following research at Harvard under Richard Evans Schultes and years of working in a close relationship with the native communities of Amazonia, Mark with his books, podcasts and talks educates the public about the wondrous world of plants, their history, medicinal and cultural significance. Accordingly, he advocates for saving tropical forests as entities inseparable from their indigenous cultures. His group Amazon Conservation Team focuses on helping the communities to survive within the modern world rather than subordinate to it. Tune in to the episode to find out how we can help these communities grow but also how wine, magic mushrooms and other substances might have influenced our own culture.The Plants of the GodsKary MullisThujone ESPD55Dennis McKennaStoned Ape HypothesisDrunken monkey hypothesisThe Ethnobotany of Wine as Medicine in the Ancient Mediterranean WorldRichard Evans SchultesScopolamineErik the redThe Shamans and Apprentices ProgramTales of a Shaman’s ApprenticeTimothy LearyAmazon Conservation Team Ethnographic mappingPeyoteAyahuascaMescalineRichard SpruceAlfred Russel WallaceDMTCocaCocaineCannabisKratomIbogaine ★ Support this podcast ★

11 Mai 202246min