The International journal on drug policy - The Consciousness Library

Why taking the trip out of psychedelic medicine is a mistake.

The International journal on drug policy September 9, 2026 Julian Heller, Yogi Hale Hendlin

A 2022 article in Nature proclaimed the possibility of "Taking the tripping out of psychedelic medicine," highlighting efforts to engineer medically-compliant designer psychedelics purportedly delivering mental health benefits without inducing subjective experiences. Such developments have since initiated a new mainstream in the pharmaceuticalization and commodification of psychedelics. These...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105487 Full text Ecodelics Pharmaceuticalization Psychedelics Psychoplastogens +1

A cross-national comparison of nonmedical and medical use of psychedelic drugs in the international cannabis policy study.

The International journal on drug policy August 1, 2026 Myfanwy Graham, Yimin Ge, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula et al. 1 citation

We know little about the extent psychedelic substances are consumed therapeutically and/or discussed with medical professionals despite renewed global interest in these substances. We examined self-reported responses from the 2023 International Cannabis Policy Study (ICPS) in repeated cross-sectional surveys in Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The survey included questions...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105348 Full text Adverse events Drug policy Nonmedical use Psychedelics

Psychedelics stores, their regulation and public health: knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and opinions of Canadians.

The International journal on drug policy July 9, 2026 François Gagnon, Anne Philibert, Benjamin Carignan et al.

Psychedelic retail stores illegally selling psilocybin, DMT and related substances have proliferated in Canada, with close to 60 brick-and-mortar shops documented in 2023. This echoes the pre-legalization and regulation cannabis landscape. Public responses have remained inconsistent, oscillating between de facto tolerance and enforcement of the law, raising concerns among public health...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105427 Full text Attitudes Knowledge Opinions Psychedelics stores +2

Redefining the real problem in psychedelic trials: Why fighting the Lessebo matters more than blinding integrity.

The International journal on drug policy July 8, 2026 Laetitia Vanderijst, Jean-Luc Faillie, Thibault Mura et al.

Imperfect blinding is not specific to psychedelic trials. In randomized trials, treatment allocation is frequently correctly guessed, yet blinding integrity is rarely assessed outside of psychedelic research and is generally not considered a barrier in regulatory evaluation. The intense debate in psychedelics may reflect a broader double standard affecting mental health research, when...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105423 Full text Blind integrity Disappointment Expectancies Mental health +2

Setting, context and the regulatory atmospheres of psychedelic medicine.

The International journal on drug policy July 1, 2026 Alex K. Gearin, I Glenn Cohen, Albert Garcia‐romeu 1 citation

The revival of psychedelic medicalization is often narrated as a story of scientific legitimacy and neurotherapeutic promise, yet the unusual sensitivity of psychedelics to environmental conditions has encouraged research on music, therapy, setting, and other contextual factors. Treating setting and context as the building blocks of felt atmospheres, this article examines how regulation...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105327 Full text Affective atmospheres Context Prohibition Psychedelic drug policy +1

Emerging new psychoactive ketamine analogues: patterns of use and health risks identified by the French Addictovigilance Network.

The International journal on drug policy July 1, 2026 Salim Mezaache, Liselotte Pochard, Hélène Peyrière et al.

Ketamine analogues are emerging dissociative substances structurally related to ketamine and increasingly detected on drug markets worldwide. This study aimed to characterize patterns of use, user profiles, and associated health outcomes in France. We conducted a retrospective analysis of cases involving ketamine analogues reported to the French Addictovigilance Network up to 31 December 2024....

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105326 Full text Addictovigilance Chemsex Ketamine analogues New psychoactive substances +1

Poppers, apps, and pleasure: From set to setting among sexually diverse men in Mexico.

The International journal on drug policy June 1, 2026 Juan Carlos Mendoza-Pérez, Keith J Watts

Poppers (alkyl nitrites) are widely used among sexually diverse men to enhance sexual pleasure. However, research has historically been dominated by risk-centered frameworks such as associations with HIV or other STIs, overlooking user motivations related to hedonic reward, intimacy, and agency. This conceptual oversight is particularly evident in the Global South. This study explores the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105295 Full text Apps Harm reduction Mexico Pleasure +3

Building standards of psychedelic care: Qualitative examination of expert perspectives on safety, inclusion, and accountability.

The International journal on drug policy 2026 Christina Chwyl, Adrianne R Wilson-Poe, Kim Hoffman et al. 3 citations

There remain significant gaps in knowledge about best practices for facilitated psychedelic care and psychedelic-assisted therapy. To inform the development of service models that support safe and beneficial experiences, this qualitative study explored expert perspectives on current and ideal standards of care, including key practices (e.g., screening, adapting care to diverse contexts) and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104938 Full text Psilocybin Harm reduction Psychedelics Qualitative research +1

Psychedelics in the age of reproducibility: Reflections on aura, set and setting and the medicalization of mystical-type experiences.

The International journal on drug policy 2026 Guy Simon, Nir Tadmor, Demian Halperin 2 citations

Psychedelics induce transformative experiences leading to lasting changes in attitudes and behaviour, with outcomes depending on both pharmacological factors and the context of the experience ('set and setting'), marking a paradigm shift in mental health treatment. As psychedelics transition from traditional contexts to clinical settings, tension emerges between authenticity and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105074 Full text Psychedelic-assisted therapy Medicalization Naturalistic psychedelic use Set and setting +2

Supporting desistance from crime: The promise of psychedelic-assisted therapy in correctional and reentry contexts.

The International journal on drug policy December 1, 2025 Tereza Dleštíková

This paper proposes a psychedelic theory of desistance, arguing that psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) may support the desistance from crime - the cessation of criminal behavior - by promoting identity transformation and personal meaning-making among criminal justice-involved individuals. Drawing from psychedelic science and desistance focused criminological theories, it suggests that, when...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105067 Full text Psychedelic-assisted therapy Desistance from crime Prison aftercare Rehabilitation

Monstrous substance: 'Tuci', pharmacopolitical assemblages and spectral materialities.

The International journal on drug policy November 1, 2025 Mauricio Sepúlveda Galeas, Ernesto Escobar, Sebastían Ubiergo Scheel et al. 3 citations

This article critically examines the 'Tuci' (or "pink cocaine") phenomenon as an epistemic, cultural, and pharmacopolitical object, proposing its conceptualization as a monstrous substance. Two common assumptions in institutional and media discourses are problematized: that 'Tuci' is a counterfeit of 2C-B and that its identity is defined by the presence of ketamine. Using an approach that...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104942 Full text Decoloniality Monstrous substance Tuci Tusi

Neutral attitude toward the utilization of psychedelic therapy for depression in the United Kingdom population.

The International journal on drug policy November 1, 2025 Liam O Jarvis, Alexander H Jack, Niall Galbraith et al. 1 citation

The global prevalence of depression is high, and there are concerns about the therapeutic effectiveness of current treatments. Research over the past two decades has led to a new class of alternative treatments termed 'psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT).' This study aimed to investigate the attitudes toward the application and use of psychedelic-assisted therapies in the United Kingdom...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104949 Full text Depression Attitudes Personality Psychedelics +1

Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) use and harms in Ireland: New findings from the 2024 European Web Survey on Drugs.

The International journal on drug policy November 1, 2025 Deirdre Mongan, Nicki Killeen, Seán R Millar et al.

Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is a semi-synthetic cannabinoid which was marketed and sold openly in Ireland as a legal alternative to cannabis products until it was controlled in July 2025. There have been reports of psychotic illness precipitated by HHC use. Consequently, there are fears that HHC may become a public health issue. This study's aim was to measure the extent of HHC use and patterns...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105011 Full text Drug harms Drug use prevalence Hexahydrocannabinol Semi-synthetic cannabinoids

Reluctant risk-takers: how law enforcement practices at festivals can obstruct safer drug use.

The International journal on drug policy November 1, 2025 Dara Ruane

Prohibition-based drug policies such as recent UK draft legislation on recreational drug possession assume expanding police powers will deter use and thereby reduce harm. In fact research suggests punitive policing harms PWUD (people who use drugs) in recreational contexts by incentivising behaviours with lower legal but higher health risk. Although some vectors of this harm have been well...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.105013 Full text Drug checking Drug policy Harm reduction Law enforcement strategies +2

Strong increase in the number of intoxications involving psychoactive drugs among adolescents reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center from 2014-2023.

The International journal on drug policy August 1, 2025 Ilze Mj Thoonen, Saskia J. Rietjens, Arjen Koppen et al. 1 citation

The use of psychoactive drugs has been increasing worldwide, with adolescents and young adults accounting for a large share of people who use drugs. To date, there is limited information on trends of intoxications with psychoactive drugs among adolescents, particularly with regard to New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). A retrospective study was performed from 2014-2023 to characterize...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104860 Full text Substance intoxication Drug trends Adolescent Illicit drugs +5

Trends in ketamine use among nightclub attendees in New York City, 2017-2024.

The International journal on drug policy June 1, 2025 Joseph J Palamar 7 citations

Ketamine-related poisonings and law enforcement seizures have been increasing in the United States, but population surveys suggest that recreational use has been rare with trends being relatively stable. This study aimed to estimate trends and correlates of use among nightclub attendees-a population known for high prevalence of party drug use. Adults entering randomly selected nightclubs in New...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104825 Full text Drug trends Hallucinogens Nightclub attendees Nightlife culture +3

Towards a dynamic processual model of psychedelic microdosing.

The International journal on drug policy February 1, 2025 Jason Hughes, Joshua Stuart-Bennett, Michael Dunning et al. 2 citations

Existing research highlights an increase in psychedelic microdosing, particularly for therapeutic purposes and as a means for self-enhancement. However, we know little about the different routes into and out of microdosing, particularly by those who do not consume other illicit substances, and of the processes involved in the development, maintenance, and cessation of practices. Drawing upon a...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104691 Full text Microdosing Phases Process sociology Psychedelics +1

Psychoanalysis and psychedelics: The censored story in Argentina.

The International journal on drug policy November 1, 2024 Rodolfo Olivieri, Luís Fernando Tófoli 1 citation

This essay examines the combination of psychoanalytic therapy and psychedelic substances in mid-20th century Argentina. Through document analysis, it examines the intersection of psychedelics and psychoanalysis, drawing from historical texts and writings by local psychoanalysts to develop a comprehensive understanding of the distinctive clinical practices and therapeutic approaches in the...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104596 Full text LSD Psychedelic therapy 20th century Argentina +6

The Global Psychedelic Survey: Consumer characteristics, patterns of use, and access in primarily anglophone regions around the world.

The International journal on drug policy August 1, 2024 Stephanie Lake, Philippe Lucas 31 citations

Despite advancements in policies governing psychedelic substances globally, our understanding of real-world psychedelic use and its variations across international jurisdictions remains limited. We implemented the Global Psychedelic Survey (GPS) to capture information about psychedelic consumer characteristics, access, and usage patterns around the world. The GPS was administered online in...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104507 Full text Comparative analysis Psychedelics research International drug survey Substance use patterns +2

The cultural turn in understanding 'addiction'.

The International journal on drug policy July 1, 2024 Masoomeh Maarefvand, Maziyar Ghiabi

In this essay we want to foreground a question: what happens to 'addiction' when we take seriously cultural scripts informing its trajectories? Can this bring us to unthink addiction as problematic notion and move it onto new paradigms that fit better the now acknowledged fluidity and pluralistic episteme of 'addiction' and more broadly of chronic life conditions? Indeed, 'addiction' has become...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104473 Full text Addiction history Critical drug studies Cultural turn Decolonisation +6

The relationship between cryptomarket drug purchase, social networks and adverse drug events: A cross-sectional study.

The International journal on drug policy 2024 Leigh Coney, Amy Peacock, Aili Malm et al. 2 citations

Drug use and trading are typically social activities; however, supply through cryptomarkets can occur without any in-person social contact. People who use drugs alone may be at higher risk of experiencing harms, for example, due to lack of others who may call for emergency assistance. Alternatively, cryptomarkets may be a source of harm reduction information and drugs with better-known content...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104258 Full text Adverse drug events Cryptomarkets Social network analysis Social networks +4

No prescription? No problem: A qualitative study investigating self-medication with novel psychoactive substances (NPS).

The International journal on drug policy August 1, 2023 Tayler Holborn, Fabrizio Schifano, Paolo Deluca 15 citations

The proliferation of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) presents a challenge for global drug policy. The ease of online drug purchase and the emergence of the dark web have created new avenues for the growth of NPS. Despite the global nature of this issue, limited research has examined motivations of use. These include perceived safety or convenience, an interest in novel pharmacology and...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104109 Full text Anxiety Depression Internet Novel psychoactive substances +1

Trends in drug use among nightclub and festival attendees in New York City, 2017-2022.

The International journal on drug policy May 1, 2023 Joseph J Palamar, Austin Le, Charles M Cleland et al. 41 citations

Drug use is prevalent among people who attend electronic dance music (EDM) parties at nightclubs or festivals. This population can serve as a sentinel population to monitor trends in use of party drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) that may diffuse through larger segments of the population. We surveyed adults entering randomly selected EDM parties at nightclubs and dance festivals in...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104001 Full text Ketamine Club drugs Epidemiology Methamphetamine +6

Liminal spaces, seasonal faces: Challenging drug market assumptions via an exploration of naturally occurring magic mushroom markets in rural Kent.

The International journal on drug policy April 1, 2023 George Henry Robert Simpson, Caroline Chatwin, Elke van Hellemont 4 citations

This article presents an exploration of naturally occurring Class-A magic mushroom markets in the UK. It aims to challenge some of the mainstream narratives about drug markets and to identify features of this specific market, which will extend our understanding of how illegal drug markets operate and are structured more generally. The research presented comprises a three year ethnography of...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.103973 Full text Magic mushrooms Psilocybin Drug markets Drug production sites +1

Acid liberalism: Silicon Valley's enlightened technocrats, and the legalization of psychedelics.

The International journal on drug policy December 1, 2022 Maxim Tvorun-Dunn 20 citations

The history of psychedelia within the New Left counterculture often implies a cultural alignment between psychedelics and progressive values or the promise of radical communitarian social reform. In contrast to these potentials, this paper examines Silicon Valley's engagement with psychedelics, a community which has demonstrated considerable financial and personal interests in these drugs...

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103890 Full text Legalization Political-economy Psychedelics Tech industry +1

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