David Nutt is a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist at Downing College, Cambridge. His research focuses on illicit drugs—their harm, classification, and potential for therapeutic use in psychiatry. In this episode, David discusses his framework for assessing the potential harm caused by common recreational drugs and explains how they are regulated, which is oftentimes misaligned with actual risk. He describes in detail the neurobiology, mechanisms of action, and addiction potential of alcohol, opiates, cocaine, and methamphetamine and contrasts those with psychedelics, which have been given a similar regulatory classification despite their relatively low risk of harm and their numerous potential therapeutic uses. Additionally, David explains the promise of psychedelics like ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin for treating drug addiction and depression and discusses how political pressures have created roadblocks to future necessary research.
We discuss:
#212 - The neuroscience of obesity | Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D.
#211 - AMA #36: Fruits & vegetables—everything you need to know
#210 - Lp(a) and its impact on heart disease | Benoît Arsenault, Ph.D.
#209 ‒ Medical mistakes, patient safety, and the RaDonda Vaught case | Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H.
The Art of Stability | Beth Lewis (Ep. #131 Rebroadcast)
#208 - Tragedy, grief, healing, and finding happiness | Kelsey Chittick
#207 - AMA #35: "Anti-Aging" Drugs — NAD+, metformin, & rapamycin
#206 - Exercising for longevity: strength, stability, zone 2, zone 5, and more
#205 - Energy balance, nutrition, & building muscle | Layne Norton, Ph.D. (Pt.2)
#204 - Centenarians, metformin, and longevity | Nir Barzilai, M.D.
#203 - AMA #34: What Causes Heart Disease?
#202 - Peter on nutrition, disease prevention, sleep, and more — looking back on the last 100 episodes
In remembrance of Sarah Hallberg, D.O., M.S. (Ep. #162 Rebroadcast)
#201 - Deep dive back into Zone 2 | Iñigo San-Millán, Ph.D. (Pt. 2)
#200 - AMA #33: Hydration—electrolytes, supplements, sports drinks, performance effects, and more
#199 - Running, overcoming challenges, and finding success | Ryan Hall
#198 - Eye health—everything you need to know | Steven Dell, M.D.
#197 - The science of obesity & how to improve nutritional epidemiology | David Allison, Ph.D.
#196 - AMA #32: Exercise, squats, deadlifts, BFR, and TRT
#195 - Freedom, PTSD, war, and life through an evolutionary lens | Sebastian Junger
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