Marc Lewis's Blog, page 11

New directions in our understanding of addiction: The role of psychedelics

Since the discovery of LSD’s mind-blowing properties (in the 1940s-50s) there have been several waves of research, clinical trials, and of course “recreational” tripping with LSD and its close cousins, mescaline and psilocybin (magic mushrooms). The interest and excitement of the scientific community was pretty much squelched in the US by legislation making LSD strictly […] (Read the rest.)

New directions in our understanding of addiction: 1. The science of habits

Since retiring from the university about a month ago, my “career” seems to be better defined than ever. I’m a science writer and a speaker. And because I get invited to write articles and give talks, I’m obliged to continue to update my understanding of my field, which happens to be addiction. And things keep […] (Read the rest.)

Soft drugs, addiction, and legalization: What can Canada learn from other countries?

…by Hanna Anderson… In marijuana news, the government of Canada is looking to create and finalize a bill that will legalize marijuana in the spring of 2017. Some changes are already in motion. Just recently, Minister of Justice, Jody Wilson-Raybould, announced the Task Force for Marijuana Legalization responsible for creating Canada’s drug policy on marijuana […] (Read the rest.)

Radical rehab: Colin Brewer tells his own story

…by Colin Brewer… Greetings from London and thanks, everybody, for what are — amazingly for this field — almost entirely positive comments on the ‘language’ analogy that I first suggested in 1989 and that my co-author Emmanuel Streel and I have been writing about since 2003. (Emmanuel is a neuropsychologist but also a psychopharmacologist.) Since […] (Read the rest.)

The notorious British doctor and his lessons on addiction

Hi everyone. I haven’t been writing on the blog much lately. My book was released in the UK on July 14th, and that meant shooting off articles for various publications and giving talks and interviews. So I went to London two weeks ago. It’s still there, as colourful and overwhelming as ever. Despite Englands’ majority […] (Read the rest.)

Out of the box

…by Matt Robert… There is a well-known unconscious defense mechanism in psychology—compartmentalization. All humans compartmentalize. It’s one of the ways we make sense of the world, putting things in little boxes, so we can understand and move through the world more effectively. But compartmentalization can cause more harm than good. Especially when it comes to […] (Read the rest.)

The great debate?

Hi again. It’s me this time. No guests. I want to tell you about the debate I just had with a high priest of the Disease Church. Not the bishop, Nora Volkow. But her second in command, George Koob. Those of us who oppose the disease label have been trying to organize a real debate […] (Read the rest.)

Response to the heroin epidemic: 5. The argument for decriminalization

…by Regina S. Murillo (Gina, in the comments)…   So much of what we’re trying to hash out about drug courts here wouldn’t be an issue but for poor drug policy (the War on Drugs — as discussed in the comment section following the last post). The War on Drugs causes far more harm than good. […] (Read the rest.)

Response to the heroin epidemic: 4. Tough love from drug court

…by Judge Allison Krehbiel with Marc Lewis… I (Marc) was in Minnesota last fall, invited to speak at a conference on addiction to a large university audience. I met many fascinating people during my visit, but the most memorable moment was an unexpected tour of the trenches where the War on Drugs is still being […] (Read the rest.)

Response to the heroin epidemic: 3. OST, the economics of diversion, and the dangers of naltrexone

…by Shaun Shelly… Percy Menzies’ post has stirred up a lot of controversy! Here, Shaun’s extensive rebuttal gathers some of these arguments, plus many of his own, and launches them in torpedo-like fashion. Shaun’s command of the research landscape is awesome, but let’s take care to keep a balanced perspective. ………………………………… In the previous post […] (Read the rest.)