Acid Test: How psychedelics shaped the modern world

Psychedelic drugs are regularly in the news as a fresh generation of scientists researches them. Who knows how they might be used in future – but, historically, how have they shaped the world already? The negatives of substance use are obvious – but what other impacts are there? From ceremonial plant medicines to the war on drugs; their cultural significance cannot be understated. 

Dr Kasia Tomasiewicz is joined in The Bunker by Mike Jay to discuss his new book Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind. 

• “If you want to know how drugs change your own perception, there’s only one way of doing it.”
• “Pharmacies would sell products called ‘Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup’ which would be full of morphine and opium.”
• “Magic Mushrooms were ancient and sacred, people used them for spiritual experiences for millennia.”

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Book Link

https://yalebooks.co.uk/page/detail/psychonauts/?k=9780300257946

Written and presented by Kasia Tomasiewicz. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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