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Mattha Busby

@matthabusby.bsky.social
667 followers 346 following 171 posts

Drugs, power, culture and health @guardian @wired @rollingstone @vice @playboy @gq @menshealthmag @atmos matthabusby.net Signal: matthabusby.93 Subscribe to my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs

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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 2h
In 1976, the future leading light of psychedelic art, Alex Grey, worked at a Boston morgue. Years later, he described having sex with a corpse there as part of a piece he called Necrophilia. Then he recast what happened. I've profiled him on my Substack: matthabusby.substack.com/p/a-psychede...
matthabusby.substack.com
A Psychedelic Saint’s Original Sin
Half a century ago, visionary artist Alex Grey committed an extraordinary violation in a Boston morgue and called it art. Then he became one of psychedelia’s most revered figures.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At the World Ayahuasca Forum, 100 Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss what happens when an intense psychedelic potion becomes a global phenomenon. I attended too — and I had questions. Latest on my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs. matthabusby.substack.com/p/the-west-d...
matthabusby.substack.com
The West Drank the Ayahuasca. Now What?
At the World Ayahuasca Forum, 100 Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss what happens when an intense psychedelic potion becomes a global phenomenon.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I'm speaking in London with The Psychedelic Society on 4 November. Over more than a decade, I’ve been as much a participant in the psychedelic renaissance as a reporter — and along the way I’ve met good shamans, and bad shamans. This is the story of it all. (It'll be fun.) dandelion.events/e/w2fqw
dandelion.events
Bad Shamans and Transcendent Politics: How the Gods Turn Right
Wed 4th Nov 2026, 6:30pm – 9pm GMT (UTC +00:00)
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
He told them he was investing their millions, but the FBI hasn’t been able to recover any of the money, and none of the women who survived The Family have received a cent of the $14 million in restitution ordered by a court. For the latest Vice magazine. www.vice.com/en/article/w...
vice.com
‘Welcome to the Family’: Inside the Sex Cult of Miami's Most Diabolical Pimp
William Foster lured desperate young women with promises of vast wealth. Instead, they were ensnared by his regime of mind control, sexual punishments, antipsychotic drugs, plastic surgery—and lots an...
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Welcome to my new Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs. I’ve spent much of the past decade writing about drugs, taking some of them, talking to the people who make, sell, study, administer and consume them, and occasionally learning things the hard way. matthabusby.substack.com/p/an-acciden...
matthabusby.substack.com
An Accidental Quaalude Correspondent
How a New Year’s Eve methaqualone misadventure became a viral story about the return of America’s favourite lost drug
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Study Hall @studyhall.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Check out the latest episode with @matthabusby.bsky.social. The journalist chats about drug legalization, psychedelics, MAHA, and empathy with sources! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com
Psychedelics & The War on Drugs ft. Mattha Busby
Podcast Episode · The Study Hall Podcast · September 14 · 47m
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Quaaludes all but vanished after the US banned the euphoric sleeping pills in 1984. Then the 2013 movie Wolf of Wall Street plucked quaaludes from the annals of drug history and became a box office hit. New for @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
The quaalude comeback: a once ‘extinct’ drug from the 70s makes a resurgence
Underground chemists are now producing the notorious party drug after a Scorsese film sparked renewed interest
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Sonoma county has agreed with the @aclu-norcal.bsky.social to effectively end a controversial warrantless drone surveillance operation launched to monitor unpermitted cannabis grows which morphed into a wider code violation search. Latest for @reason.com reason.com/2026/09/03/a...
reason.com
California county used drones to spy on homes. A settlement will now require warrants.
Sonoma County launched the program to find illegal cannabis grows, but it secretly morphed into a wider search for minor building code violations.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Chemsex drug GHB is spilling into London’s wider nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to OD. ‘The optimum dose, which will give you the best threesome of your life, is not far away from that which’ll give you your last.’ For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gh...
standard.co.uk
Why GHB is spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife
Long linked to gay clubs, GHB is now spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to overdose
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
A third of British men aged 20 to 34 now live with their parents, including me. The cost of living usually drives us back to the nest, but I wanted to get to know my mother better. This is how it has gone, and what spurred the decision. For @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
inews.co.uk
My son moved back in with me at 32 - it's been healing for us both
I mulled it over for about 24 hours after I had a psychedelic epiphany and realised my mum needed me at home
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Spiralling prices, venue closures and heavy-handed security is pushing Londoners away from licensed clubs. At cheap, illegal parties, many say they recover something missing from conventional clubbing: freedom. For The London Standard www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lo...
standard.co.uk
Inside London's illegal rave renaissance
Secret networks are keeping the capital’s free parties alive
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
In which I attempted to procure a substance called scopolamine, which is often used to drug, manipulate and rob foreigners. I also met sex workers, victims and Medellín’s security chief. Dispatch for @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
rollingstone.com
'I Lost the Ability to Think': The Mind-Control Drug Being Used to Rob Unsuspecting Tourists
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners.
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Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 28/07/2026
Extracted from the seeds of the trumpet-shaped brugmansia flower — which blooms across South America’s Andean regions — scopolamine is tasteless and odorless, and doses as small as 10 milligrams can induce a zombie-like state of compliance. More: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
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Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 28/07/2026
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners. Read: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
apple.news
‘I Lost the Ability to Think’: The Mind-Control Drug Being Used to Rob Unsuspecting Tourists — Rolling Stone
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
'I don't want to yuck anyone's yum as long as things are safe and consensual, but...' For @wired.com www.wired.com/story/these-...
wired.com
These ‘Masturbation Consultants’ Were Hired to Pleasure Themselves With AI
Joi AI hired 10 people to masturbate using AI companions as part of a monthlong “wellness” study. The company claims the practice could help “solve male loneliness.”
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Cannabis seems to reduce persistent and distressing nightmares in people with PTSD, since THC may suppress the stage of sleep when dreams are most likely to occur. That means patients may need to use it nightly to prevent their return. For @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
newscientist.com
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD | New Scientist
A drug made up of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, reduced the severity and incidence of nightmares in people with PTSD
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
It was once unthinkable to post videos demonstrating how to synthesize drugs. But Willy Myco is showing people how to make everything from LSD to DMT vapes. 'It’s all scientific. It’s all education, in the hopes to promote harm reduction.' New for @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-ou...
wired.com
The Outlaw Chemist Teaching People How to Make Drugs From Scratch
Willy Myco has made over 120 videos showing people his exact process for making everything from LSD to DMT vapes. Not everyone’s a fan of his methods.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
What if Britain’s shuttered pubs and shops became alcohol-free cannabis cafés? ‘It's going to create jobs and put the country back to work,’ the ‘cannabis martyr’ Gary Youds tells me in Liverpool. ‘It's oven-ready for the whole of the UK.’ For @reason.com reason.com/2026/08/08/a...
reason.com
After 2 decades of raids and prison stints, Liverpool’s ‘cannabis martyr’ is still ‘fighting for freedom’
Gary Youds says his cannabis café is “what the future looks like the day after the drug war.”
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A psytrance festival in Hungary ends in tragedy as a man jumps to his death in front of 10,000 people. A similar incident took place two nights prior but the man survived. ‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’ Dispatch for Vice www.vice.com/en/article/w...
vice.com
Why Do People Keep Dying at This Week-Long Psytrance Festival?
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UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics @scipsychedelics.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Journalist @matthabusby.bsky.social embedded with combat sports fighters for a first-of-its-kind study. Supported by the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. Full story in Men's Health ⬇️ 📸: Edinson Arroyo www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268…
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Can psychedelics fix damaged brains? I joined 10 combat sports fighters at an ayahuasca retreat, where they sought relief from lives spent taking blows to the head. For Men’s Health With huge thanks to the Ferriss - @scipsychedelics.bsky.social fellowship www.menshealth.com/health/a7319...
menshealth.com
Can MMA Fighters Taking Psychedelics Unlock the Future of Brain Health? These Researchers Think So.
Ten combat sports fighters suffering from traumatic brain injuries went to Medellín, Colombia, for eight days of psychedelic neuroplasticity-enhancing treatment. The lessons could benefit all of us.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Will Blunderfield, a 40-year-old former Broadway hopeful, is an unlikely guru for a legion of disaffected men who feel society has wrung them dry.  ‘Imagine we’re naked up in northern Scotland, our bodies painted with blue oud.’ For @playboy.com www.playboy.com/read/sex/my-...
playboy.com
My Afternoon with the Guru of Semen Retention
Come inside "self-pleasure Sunday" with Will Blunderfield, where nobody comes at all. Playboy explores the "semen retention" set.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Bryan Johnson first beamed into my life in Miami in November 2023, when he gave a keynote address remotely at a psychedelics and longevity conference. Two years later, he accused me of being a non-player character. And now he’s ‘cloned’ himself. For @theipaper.com inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
inews.co.uk
I've watched Bryan Johnson chase immortality for years. Now he's 'cloned' himself
The longevity guru's $2 million-a-year quest to live forever just got even weirder
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Joel Lewin @joellewin.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Bristol Greens showing the way to a better approach to drugs www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Bristol declared ‘city of harm reduction’ as Greens seek less punitive drug policy
Councillors pass motion that paves way to setting up drugs-consumption facility where users can be helped and treated
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
People shouldn’t assume that nicotine pouches are harmless, even though they are likely to be safer than smoking. 'Even when people grade their discomfort quite high, they still can’t stop putting the pouches in their mouth.' Latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2579...
newscientist.com
Nicotine pouches may cause receding gums | New Scientist
Nicotine pouches aren't typically associated with the same health harms as similar products that also contain tobacco, but they have now been linked to receding gums and oral irritation
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Unlike any other drug, the clampdown on Quaaludes wiped out the supply. For every expired batch that was consumed, ludes faded further into history. Until now, and people are eating curb already. Something of an exclusive for VICE www.vice.com/en/article/t...
vice.com
The Quiet, Curious Return of Quaaludes
After lighting up the 1960s counterculture, methaqualone was outlawed and vanished. Now, the drug's making a comeback to exclusive hedonistic circles.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I spoke to @kimondegreef.bsky.social about his shocking new book The Ego Trip, which details the trail of destruction a reckless neoshaman left behind while turning the world onto psychedelic toad venom, and how he even drugged de Greef! newsletter.doubleblindmag.com/p/one-of-psy...
newsletter.doubleblindmag.com
One of Psychedelia's Most Notorious Gurus Is Officially Put on Blast
tktktk
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Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 03/07/2026
How Bam Margera, ‘The Britney Spears of Jackass,’ Is Getting Back on Top Since getting fired from 'Jackass Forever' in 2020, Bam Margera has found sobriety and love — with a little help from psychedelics and skateboarding. Read: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Bam Margera tells me his psilohuasca trips were instrumental in his recovery: ‘You go through every single emotion at one point or another during the ceremony … and then you just kind of figure out who you actually are.’ For @rollingstone.com www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
rollingstone.com
How Bam Margera, 'The Britney Spears of Jackass,' Is Getting Back on Top
Since getting fired from Jackass Forever in 2020, he's found sobriety and love — with a little help from psychedelics and skateboarding.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Can psychedelics fix damaged brains? Earlier this year, I joined 10 combat sports fighters at an ayahuasca retreat in Colombia, where they were seeking relief from lives spent taking blows to the head. For Men's Health via Apple News with photos by Edinson Arroyo apple.news/AeHpmSXl2Qxa...
apple.news
Inside the Psychedelic Retreat That's Healing Broken Brains — Men’s Health
Ten combat sports fighters, many suffering from traumatic brain injuries, went to Medellín, Colombia, for eight days of intense psychedelic treatment—all in the name of science. The lessons could bene...
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Pilgrims of a cosmic kind are increasingly going to Sedona to gaze far beyond the towering red rocks. ‘People see things out here. This is what we do in Sedona: Make contact.’ Dispatch for @atmosmag.bsky.social with photos by Andrew Friendly atmos.earth/art-and-cult...
atmos.earth
Our Uncertain World Is Fueling a New Search for Aliens | Atmos
As climate fears deepen and trust in institutions erodes, a growing number of UFO enthusiasts are looking beyond Earth for meaning.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
What was your most intense psychedelic experience, I asked Bryan Hubbard. I wasn’t expecting him to start crying as he recounted the story… “I felt the love of God in a way that I had never felt in my life.” For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/he...
standard.co.uk
Donald Trump’s psychedelic whisperer and his mission to heal Britain
Bryan Hubbard believes a substance far more intense than mushrooms can save lives. Mattha Busby meets him
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
A woman with severe Alzheimer’s disease who spent years communicating in monosyllables started initiating conversations after receiving a large dose of psilocybin, according to a recent case report. Latest for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2531...
newscientist.com
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
A woman with severe Alzheimer's disease who hadn't spoken more than monosyllables in years began initiating conversation after a single dose of psilocybin
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
It appears that both RFK Jr. and Department of Homeland Security secretary Markwayne Mullin—who is also pushing for a 7-OH crackdown—have strong ties to a kratom lobbyist (and convicted criminal) behind a notorious kratom drinks company. New for @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-kr...
wired.com
The Kratom Civil War Is Heating Up, and MAHA Has Picked a Side
Both kratom and one of its active components, 7-OH, have opioid-like effects and are widely available across the US. As health secretary RFK Jr. aims to get 7-OH banned, proponents of both are fightin...
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Excl: Drug diversion schemes led by police that steer people away from the criminal justice system and into treatment and education are significantly more effective in reducing reoffending than prosecution, says new analysis www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... Latest for @theguardian.com
theguardian.com
Drug diversion schemes cut reoffending rates more than prosecution, study says
Exclusive: Research in England shows people a third less likely to reoffend under decriminalisation-style schemes
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Playboy @playboy.com · 11/06/2026
Playboy sent @matthabusby.bsky.social to the "Coachella of UFO conferences" in the California desert. "Brushing shoulders with so many believers, and some self-professed alien hybrids, the boundaries between science and faith — and evidence and belief — become increasingly difficult to distinguish."
playboy.com
My Weekend With a Celebrity Alien Hunter
What happened when Playboy went to the "Coachella of UFO conferences," Contact in the Desert in California.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
'If that’s true, and there’s been contact, and we have bodies, show me the fucking autopsies.' My weird weekend with celebrity alien hunter Jeremy Corbell at Contact in the Desert for @playboy.com www.playboy.com/read/politic...
playboy.com
My Weekend With a Celebrity Alien Hunter
What happened when Playboy went to the "Coachella of UFO conferences," Contact in the Desert in California.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I spoke to Antounette Philippides for @telegraph.co.uk about her work as a sex offender therapist. Some people think she is a 'paedo hugger’ but locking up perps doesn’t work. 'Calling them monsters only deepens the shame that stops people from seeking help.' www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06...
telegraph.co.uk
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Thanks to Dennis McKenna for having me on his Brainforest Cafe podcast to discuss the wildest stories behind the psychedelic renaissance... www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hi12...
youtube.com
The Wildest Stories Behind the Psychedelic Renaissance (ft. Mattha Busby)
YouTube video by Mckenna Academy of Natural Philosophy
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I spoke to @voxdotcom.bsky.social’s Today Explained podcast about how the MAGA right is enthusiastically embracing a potent psychedelic called ibogaine as part of a new counter-counter-culture. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
podcasts.apple.com
How the right embraced psychedelics
Podcast Episode · Today, Explained · May 18 · 26m
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
With the advent of sophisticated chatbots capable of generating convincing, slow-building erotic exchanges, a new frontier may be emerging for people who do not want to sexually interact with others. For @wired.com www.wired.com/story/some-a...
wired.com
Some Asexuals Are Using AI Companions for Intimacy Without the Sex
“I’ve got one hand on the keyboard, one hand down below,” an artist who role-plays with their chatbot tells WIRED. But some asexual advocates aren’t thrilled about the association.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
@joannabourke.bsky.social Hi Joanna, I'm writing a piece on pain for the BBC and would love to chat
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The Trump administration’s decision to restrict use of federal funds for fentanyl test strips could have fatal consequences, experts warned. 'God forbid you should have a safe supply of something that might get you high.' New for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s sudden cut in substance testing is ‘going to kill people’, experts warn
Samhsa said funding cannot be used to purchase or distribute fentanyl test strips or other drug test kits
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I spoke to the @theguardian.com’s science podcast about the near-fantastical scenes in the Oval Office last month when Trump joked about taking the most earth-shattering of all psychedelics as he gave the emerging industry its biggest green light yet www.theguardian.com/science/audi...
theguardian.com
Trump is backing psychedelic research: here’s why – podcast
Madeleine Finlay talks to journalist Mattha Busby about the US president’s recent executive order fast tracking research and funding for psychedelic research
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
As the war on drugs approaches an end, a new doctrine could soon take hold: psychedelic drugs for active-duty soldiers suffering from PTSD. 'Our men and women in uniform deserve every tool available to heal and stay in the fight.' Latest for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Active-duty US soldiers to receive psychedelic drugs for PTSD next year
Hope that multiple sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy could help soldiers fight longer by helping them process trauma
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Nicotine’s core mechanism hasn’t changed from puff to pouch; the compound still floods the brain with dopamine. Dependence develops quickly, but for some consumers, the rush of productivity is worth the risk. ‘Fuck yeah, it’s addictive!’ New for @wired.com www.wired.com/story/tech-b...
wired.com
The Tech Bros Are All In on Zyn
Nicotine pouches are revered among tech workers, who tout them as the perfect brain-boosting, productivity-jacking stimulants.
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
The scene seemed so far-fetched you could be forgiven for thinking you might be hallucinating. Trump checked he was correctly pronouncing the name of a psychedelic as he signed a landmark executive order. But what happens next? My analysis for @us.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Can I have some, please?’: has Trump opened the door to a psychedelic future?
Order to speed hallucinogen research hailed as ‘threshold moment’ but concerns remain over access and protections
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Since cocaine emerged as a popular party drug, its use has been inextricably entwined with the essence of capitalist excess and what it is to be American. But might the cocaine era be coming to an end? For @guardian h/t @maxdaly.bsky.social who broke the news www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Ketamine, psychedelics, GHB: is the US falling out of love with cocaine?
Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generation
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Max Daly @maxdaly.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Good to see @matthabusby.bsky.social for Guardian US follow up on my story for @san.com [👉: san.com/cc/why-ameri... on America falling out of love with cocaine www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Ketamine, psychedelics, GHB: is the US falling out of love with cocaine?
Use of the illicit drug has plummeted in recent years among gen Zers, compared with their parents’ generation
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Mattha Busby @matthabusby.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
A growing subculture claims that DMT and a red laser can reveal a hidden code lurking beneath everyday life. But are we sure it is actually there? 'It's an optical illusion, and some people can perceive them better than others.' New for DoubleBlind newsletter.doubleblindmag.com/p/wait-are-w...
newsletter.doubleblindmag.com
Wait, Are We In a Simulation?
This DMT laser experiment suggests yes, but neuroscientists say probably not.
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