#74 Psychedelics Expert: Who is Blocking Psychedelic Research? Cannabis Vs Alcohol, MDMA & Ayahuasca

Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley is a neuroscientist and psychedelics researcher whose work is transforming how we understand trauma, addiction, and mental health. From cannabis and psychosis to MDMA and ibogaine, she sits at the frontier of how brain science meets healing.

Grace has led research with the Heroic Hearts Project, helping veterans recover from PTSD through psychedelic therapy, and founded Hystelica, the world’s first research initiative focused on women’s health in psychedelic science. Her studies on cannabis, brain development, and the endocannabinoid system have influenced how clinicians, policymakers, and scientists think about drugs and the mind.

Expect to learn how cannabis actually affects the developing brain, what the data really says about psychosis and THC, why CBD might protect against those effects, how psychedelics like MDMA and ibogaine are being used to treat trauma and addiction, the biological differences that make women’s brains respond differently to psychedelics, what the FDA’s recent MDMA rejection means for the future of mental health, why psychedelic therapy works on both the mind and the brain, and how this new neuroscience could redefine healing itself — and possibly the future of psychiatry.Subscribe to discover why your brain on drugs might not be what you think — and why the future of mental health may depend on rethinking everything we were told about them.

Timestamps:

00:00 Cannabis vs Alcohol: Which Is More Dangerous for the Brain?

04:15 How Cannabis Affects the Teenage Brain and Memory

08:10 Can Cannabis Trigger Psychosis? The Real Science Explained

12:00 The Right Age and Safe Use for Cannabis

16:25 Why Lifestyle and Genetics Matter More Than You Think

21:50 The Forgotten Endocannabinoid System and Medical Cannabis

27:00 The Politics of Drugs: How Science Lost to Bureaucracy

33:05 The MDMA Ruling That Shook Psychedelic Science

38:10 How Psychedelics Are Healing Veterans with PTSD

49:40 Ibogaine: The Psychedelic That Can Reset Addiction

55:20 How Hormones and Gender Shape Psychedelic Experiences

01:03:30 Why Ceremony and Ritual Amplify Psychedelic Healing

01:10:55 Can Psychedelics and Cannabis Improve Aging and Mental Health?

01:12:35 The Future of Psychedelic Neuroscience and Mental Health

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Check out Hystelica (Grace's Non-Profit, that provides education, research and advocacy around women and psychedelics)

Check out Heroic Hearts: A Veterans charity that uses psychedelics, that Grace is the research director of.

Check out Drug Science (Website - https://www.drugscience.org.uk/Prof Nutt Twitter (X) - @ProfDavidNutt

Drug Science Socials

Facebook - @DrugScienceISCDTwitter (x) - @drug_scienceInstagram - @drugscienceinfoLinkedIn - @drugscience-ltdBlueSky - @drugscience.bsky.social

YouTube - @DrugScienceMore Resources on Drug SafetyMedical Cannabis: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-cannabis-working-group

Medical Psychedelics: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-psychedelics-working-groupHarm Reduction: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/enhanced-harm-reduction-working-group

Academic Research: https://www.drugscience.org.uk/research

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