Nov 1, 2021
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:
- David’s early interest in the
brain and experience in psychiatry [2:45];
- David’s brief work on government
drug policy in the UK [10:15];
- A scale for rating the relative
harm of certain drugs [13:45];
- The contrast in
regulation between cannabis vs. alcohol
and why research on potential benefits of
cannabis is lacking [19:15];
- The opiate crisis and rise of
fentanyl: the cause and potential solution
[25:00];
- The science of addiction and the
potential use of psychedelics for treating drug addiction
[35:00];
- Cocaine: mechanisms of action and
risks [41:45];
- Methamphetamine and crystal meth:
mechanisms of action and neurotoxicity [48:15];
- How psychedelics came to be
classified as schedule I drugs despite their numerous therapeutic
uses [52:45];
- The history of MDMA and the bad
science and political forces leading to its demonization
[1:08:45];
- History of ketamine, medical use
of esketamine, and the waning effects of psychedelics
with increasing usage [1:13:30];
- Psilocybin for depression:
David’s promising research and the roadblocks to more robust
experiments [1:20:15];
More.
Show notes page for this episode: https://peterattiamd.com/davidnutt
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