Psychedelic science.

Broadcaster Jamie Bartlett reports from the first Psychedelic Society Weekend Experience to explore the legitimacy of the use of psychedelic drugs in mainstream medical research. First, Psychedelic Therapist Dr Bill Richards recounts his first experiences taking Psilocybin in the 1960s. He goes on to talk about the scientific climate at the time, and where research into psychedelic substances sat within that. Biographer John Higgs talks about Psychologist Timothy Leary’s early research into Psilocybin and other psychedelics. Bartlett begins to explain how psychedelic drugs made their way into popular culture in the 1960s and 70s. Audio recordings of Aldous Huxley and Allen Ginsberg talking about psychedelic drugs are played. An audio recording of Timothy Leary is played, in which he urges young Americans to engage with psychedelic drug use. Richards recalls the events preceding the legalisation of psychedelic drugs in the USA. Bartlett describes a study conducted by Richards and Professor Roland Griffiths in 1999, involving consumption of Psilocybin. Griffiths and Bartlett discuss the study’s significant findings, and their impact on contemporary scientific research. Robin Carhart-Harris discusses a study he conducted investigating the use of psychedelic drugs to treat depression. Bartlett speaks to individuals taking part in the Psychedelic Society Weekend Experience, who legally consume psychedelic drugs for scientific purposes. Griffiths posits how these drugs work psychologically to help to remedy addictions such as smoking. Carhart-Harris talks about research using fMRI scanning into the effects of Psilocybin on the default mode network. Bartlett talks about the complications involved in controlling scientific studies into psychedelic drugs. Richards explains how to guide somebody through a bad trip. He then talks about the social and political stigma attached to researching with LSD, as opposed to Psilocybin. Bartlett interviews Stephen Reid, who runs the Psychedelic Society, about his motivations for setting up the society. Carhart-Harris speaks about the concerns surrounding an increase in consumption of psychedelic substances. Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Atholl Johnston discusses how lengthy a process psychedelic drugs trials will be in the future.