#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


...


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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