Professor David Nutt is the neuropsychopharmacologist who built the world’s first science-based drug-harm scale, led the pioneering LSD brain-scan, and lost his post as the UK government’s chief drug adviser after declaring that alcohol is deadlier than LSD.

He’s the author of Drugs Without the Hot Air, Drink, Cannabis, and Psychedelics, and he’s now engineering a hangover-free alternative to booze.

Drug policy isn’t broken by accident—it’s broken by design. From kids denied life-saving cannabis to a global war on psychedelics that stalled mental-health breakthroughs for half a century, Professor Nutt reveals how politics trumped evidence, how psychedelic science is staging a comeback, and why the next revolution in public health might be an alcohol you can enjoy without poisoning your liver.

Expect to learn why alcohol tops the real league table of harm, how the famous drug-harm chart was built (and banned), what happened inside the MRI during the first LSD scan, the truth about cannabis and schizophrenia, how MDMA treats PTSD and ketamine tackles addiction, why prohibition breeds deadlier drugs like fentanyl, how hangover-free “Alcarelle” targets GABA without the toxic fallout, the regulatory red tape still strangling psychedelic research, practical advice for safer drug policy, and much more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

02:35 The Truth About Drugs: A Controversial Revelation

05:32 The Political Landscape of Drug Policy

08:23 The Evidence vs. Beliefs: A Scientific Approach

11:36 The Role of Alcohol in Drug Policy

14:32 The Impact of Political Decisions on Drug Legislation

17:27 The Historical Context of Drug Bans

20:34 The Case of Medical Cannabis: A Heartbreaking Story

30:59 The Politics of Cannabis Legislation

33:06 Medical Cannabis: A Health Scandal

36:25 The Role of Medical Professionals

38:35 Neuroscience and Cannabis: Risks and Benefits

42:36 The Consequences of Drug Prohibition

50:47 Successful Drug Policies: Lessons from Portugal

55:38 The Case for Recreational Cannabis Legalization

…

📚 RECOMMENDED READING

Buy Nutt's Books Drink?: The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health: https://amzn.to/4dZTP9Z

Psychedelics: The Revolutionary Drugs That Could Change Your Life―A Guide from the Expert: https://amzn.to/3SJXAX6

Drugs without the hot air: Making sense of legal and illegal drugs: https://amzn.to/4kyu7eS

Cannabis (Seeing Through the Smoke): The New Science of Cannabis and Your Health: https://amzn.to/3FOiLo2

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