Professor John Marsden

After a long hiatus, there is astonishing interest and international research on the question of whether psychedelic drugs can help people reduce harm and recover from substance use disorders (SUD). This presentation will trace the history of this topic, summarise a recently completed systematic review of studies of classical and contemporary psychedelic drugs with SUD outcomes, reflect on the limitations and strengths of the extant literature and discuss the challenges and features of high-quality studies that will be needed to secure policy support for these interventions.

Professor John Marsden is a Professor of Addiction Psychology, School of Academic Psychiatry, King’s College London.