#84 Neuroscientist Ranks Every Drug By How Hard They Are to Quit! Tier List Part 2

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Professor David Nutt is a neuro­psychopharmacologist, former UK
chief drug adviser, and author of Drugs Without the Hot Air,
Drink?, Cannabis, and Psychedelics. He built the first
evidence-based Drug Harm Scale, ran the world’s first LSD
brain-scan, and is now engineering hangover-free “alcohol” with
GABA science.


After the first drug tier list sparked an overwhelming response,
this round two episode goes deeper. In this rapid-fire sequel,
Nutt ranks twelve more drugs on the same harm scale, responding
directly to audience feedback and tackling substances that
viewers demanded we cover. From benzodiazepines and
methamphetamine to vaping, ayahuasca, kratom, 2C-B, caffeine, and
nitrous oxide, this episode exposes how dose, context, purity,
and policy shape real-world risk far more than headlines ever
admit.


Expect to learn why benzodiazepine withdrawal can be more
dangerous than heroin, how meth differs from “speed” at the
molecular and historical level, why vaping nicotine is
dramatically safer than smoking, how ayahuasca works as
indigenous polypharmacy, what we actually know (and don’t know)
about endogenous DMT, why kratom sits between medicine and
dependence, how edible cannabis changes overdose risk, why
nitrous oxide bans backfire, where 2C-B sits between MDMA and
psychedelics, why caffeine can induce seizures at high doses, and
how harm reduction consistently beats prohibition when it comes
to saving lives.


Timestamps:


01:00 Benzos


14:45 DMT & Ayahuasca


32:23 Meth & Speed


45:47 Nicotine Vapes


52:28 Kratom


55:40 Sentia


58:07 Edible Cannabis


01:06:26 Caffeine


01:09:35 2-CB


01:19:46 Nitrous Oxide ...





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


Check out the amazing work of Drug Science (Dr David Nutt's
Charity)


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


Drug Science Socials


Facebook - @DrugScienceISCD


Twitter (x) - @drug_scienceInstagram - @drugscienceinfoLinkedIn -
@drugscience-ltd


BlueSky - @drugscience.bsky.social


YouTube - @DrugScience





More Resources on Drug Safety


Medical Cannabis:
https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-cannabis-working-group


Medical Psychedelics:
https://www.drugscience.org.uk/medical-psychedelics-working-group


Harm Reduction:
https://www.drugscience.org.uk/enhanced-harm-reduction-working-group


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