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Drug Science or DrugScience, originally called the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs (ISCD), is a UK-based drugs advisory committee proposed and initially funded by
hedge fund A hedge fund is a Pooling (resource management), pooled investment fund that holds Market liquidity, liquid assets and that makes use of complex trader (finance), trading and risk management techniques to aim to improve investment performance and ...
manager Toby Jackson. It is chaired by Professor
David Nutt David John Nutt (born 16 April 1951) is an English neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. He is the chairman of Drug Science, a non-profit ...
and was officially launched on 15 January 2010 with the help of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies. The primary aim of the committee is to review and investigate the scientific evidence of drug harms without the political interference that could result from government affiliation.Sacked scientist promises impartial drugs advice
''The
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...
'', January 2010
* The establishment of the committee followed the controversial sacking of Professor Nutt, on 30 October 2009 as chair of the UK's statutory
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is a British statutory advisory non-departmental public body, which was established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Mandate Its terms of reference, according to the Act, are as follows: ...
by UK
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
,
Alan Johnson Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2006 to 2007, Secretary of State for Health from 2007 to 2009, Home Secretary from 2009 to 2010, and Shadow Chancello ...
after the Equasy controversy. The controversy followed his Eve Saville Memorial Lecture (2009) at the Centre. Drug Science initially focused on reviewing official risk estimates for
psychedelic drugs Psychedelics are a subclass of Hallucinogen, hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger psychoactive drug, non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also ...
, ecstasy and
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
, and increasing warnings of the dangers of
ketamine Ketamine is a cyclohexanone-derived general anesthetic and NMDA receptor antagonist with analgesic and hallucinogenic properties, used medically for anesthesia, depression, and pain management. Ketamine exists as its S- (esketamine) a ...
. In 2013, Drug Science launched the peer-review academic journal Drug Science, Policy and Law published by SAGE. They currently have four working groups Medical Cannabis, Medical Psychedelics, Medical Psychedelics, and Enhanced Harm Reduction.


Drug harm comparison

In 2010, Drug Science published a ranking of drug harms in the UK, the results of which garnered significant media attention. Drugs were assessed on two metrics – harm to users and harms to society. The report found heroin, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine to be the most harmful drugs to individuals, with alcohol, heroin, and crack cocaine as the most harmful to others. Overall, alcohol was the most harmful drug, with heroin and crack cocaine in second and third place. Most notably, the report stated that the legal status of most drugs bears little relation to the harms associated with them – several
class A drugs The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (c. 38) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It represents action in line with treaty commitments under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the Uni ...
including ecstasy (MDMA),
LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
and
magic mushrooms Psilocybin mushrooms, or psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms or as shrooms, are a type of hallucinogenic mushroom and a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain the prodrug psilocybin, which turns into t ...
featured at the very bottom of the list. Similar findings were found by a Europe-wide study conducted by 40 drug experts in 2015. Since then, drug ranking by total harm research has come to the same conclusion. Methods used in drug harm comparison The results of the study were based on the opinions and judgment of 15 researchers, doctors, and a journalist. These opinions were exchanged and discussed during a 1-day workshop in accordance with a decision-making procedure called Multiple-Criteria-Decision-Analysis (MCDA). This procedure attempts to structure the debate so as to eliminate biases, but given that it has no input other than the experience and knowledge of the participants involved, it is unlikely to be unbiased if the participants share a similar understanding of a subject, or if the science in the field is inadequate to make a good judgment.


Further drug harm analyses

Drug Science has expanded its MCDA method to a number of contexts to measure the harms of various drugs and drug policies. Using a similar multi-criteria decision analysis process as the 2010 drug harm ranking, Drug Science looked to rank the harms of all nicotine-containing products, including cigarettes, cigars,
nicotine patch A nicotine patch is a transdermal patch that releases nicotine into the body through the skin. It is used in nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), a process for smoking cessation. Endorsed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it ...
es and e-cigarettes. The report concluded that e-cigarettes are 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes, advice which was subsequently used in a report by
Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...
on e-cigarettes and now forms part of the evidence-base for the positions of the UK Government and the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
. This figure was widely reported on in the press, but remains controversial as the long-term harms of e-cigarettes remain unknown. Drug Science also undertook 2 MCDAs in 2015. The first was completed through a grant received by the EU Department of Justice and sought to rank the comparative harms of 20 drugs in the EU. The published report ranked alcohol and
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
as the most harmful and in need of policy reforms, while drugs like cannabis and ecstasy ranked last. The second MCDA was a comparison of policy responses to non-medical opioid usage. The final report, published in 2021, ranked state control of opioid supply as the most effective means of reducing harm, with absolute prohibition ranking as the least effective. Drug Science additionally contributes to international MCDAs for drug policy. In 2018, they supported a Norwegian drug policy MCDA, which ranked policy responses to cannabis and alcohol. The final report concluded that state control of cannabis and alcohol supply is the most effective to reduce the harms of both drugs. In the same year, Drug Science provided support for an Australian MCDA on comparative drug harms, which ranked the harms of 22 drugs and largely mirrored the results of the original 2010 UK harm ranking.


Drugs Live

''Drugs Live: The Ecstasy Trial'' is a two-part TV documentary aired on Channel 4 on 26 and 27 September 2012. The program showed an
fMRI Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow. This technique relies on the fact that cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled. When an area o ...
study on the effects of
MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy (tablet form), and molly (crystal form), is an empathogen–entactogenic drug with stimulant and minor Psychedelic drug, psychedelic properties. In studies, it has been used ...
(ecstasy) on the brain, which was funded by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
. The main researchers on the study were Drug Science's Val Curran and
David Nutt David John Nutt (born 16 April 1951) is an English neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. He is the chairman of Drug Science, a non-profit ...
who also appeared as guests on the show. Curran and Nutt oversaw research at
Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
, in which volunteers took part in a
double blind In a blind or blinded experiment, information which may influence the participants of the experiment is withheld until after the experiment is complete. Good blinding can reduce or eliminate experimental biases that arise from a participants' expec ...
study, taking either 83 mg of
MDMA 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy (tablet form), and molly (crystal form), is an empathogen–entactogenic drug with stimulant and minor Psychedelic drug, psychedelic properties. In studies, it has been used ...
or a
placebo A placebo ( ) can be roughly defined as a sham medical treatment. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. Placebos are used in randomized clinical trials ...
before going into the
fMRI Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI (fMRI) measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow. This technique relies on the fact that cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation are coupled. When an area o ...
scanner. The documentary was presented by
Christian Jessen Christian Spencer Jessen (born 4 March 1977) is an English celebrity doctor, television personality, and writer. He is best known for appearing in the Channel 4 programmes ''Embarrassing Bodies'' (2007–2015) and ''Supersize vs Superskinny'' ( ...
and Jon Snow, and included debate on the harms of MDMA, as well as exhibiting the findings of the study. Some participants in the study also appeared on the show, including a vicar, an ex-soldier, writer
Lionel Shriver Lionel Shriver (born Margaret Ann Shriver; May 18, 1957) is an American author and journalist. Her novel '' We Need to Talk About Kevin'' won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2005. Early life and education Shriver was born Margaret Ann Shriver, ...
, actor Keith Allen and former Liberal Democrat MP
Evan Harris Evan Leslie Harris (born 21 October 1965) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservati ...
. Following the success of ''The Ecstasy Trial'', a second documentary aired on Channel 4, ''Drugs Live: The Cannabis Trial'', on 3 March 2015. Snow, along with fellow journalists
Matthew Parris Matthew Francis Parris (born 7 August 1949) is a British political writer, broadcaster, and former politician. He served as Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire from 1979 to 1986. Ideologically a liberal conservative, he is a member of t ...
and
Jennie Bond Jennifer Bond (born 19 August 1950) is an English journalist and television presenter. Bond worked for fourteen years as the BBC's royal correspondent. She has also hosted '' Cash in the Attic'' and narrated the programme ''Great British Menu'' ...
, took part in "a groundbreaking trial," consuming cannabis in both
skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...
and
hash Hash, hashes, hash mark, or hashing may refer to: Substances * Hash (food), a coarse mixture of ingredients, often based on minced meat * Hash (stew), a pork and onion-based gravy found in South Carolina * Hash, a nickname for hashish, a canna ...
form and having their brains imaged with an fMRI. Throughout the program, Nutt and Drug Science Scientific Committee member, Professor Val Curran, gave expert commentary and interpreted the fMRI results. This experiment, funded by Channel 4, Drug Science, and the
Beckley Foundation The Beckley Foundation is a UK-based think tank and UN-accredited NGO, dedicated to activating global drug policy reform and initiating scientific research into psychoactive substances. The foundation is a charitable trust which collaborates w ...
was a part of a larger trial at
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
(UCL), examining the effects of cannabis on the brain.


Medical cannabis and Project T21

In 2019, Drug Science launched the Medical Cannabis Working Group to provide guidance in the emerging medical cannabis sector. The same year, they established Project T21 (originally Project Twenty21), Europe's largest medical cannabis patient data registry, aiming to create the UK's largest body of evidence for the effectiveness and tolerability of medical cannabis. T21 allowed eligible patients to access affordable medical cannabis treatment, with their progress monitored to gather real-world evidence supporting
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
funding for such therapies. By 2021, Drug Science published its first T21 paper, making findings accessible to the public, and the registry surpassed 1,000 registered patients, a significant milestone for medical cannabis research. In 2022, T21 expanded to Australia in collaboration with the Australian College of Cannabinoid Medicine. After its 5th year, Project T21 ceased operation in 2024. Drug Science has additionally been involved with several cannabis studies, like collaborating with MedCan Support in 2023 to study cannabis use for rare childhood epilepsies. Additionally, Drug Science has studied and published results regarding the usage of CBD-based medicines in controlling symptoms of
Long COVID Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
. This study has demonstrated that these medicines are safe and well-tolerated.


Psychedelic research

In 2020, Drug Science launched the Medical Psychedelics Working Group to promote a rational approach to psychedelic research and explore their therapeutic potential. This initiative aims to develop evidence-based policies and clinical practices for the use of psychedelics in medical settings. In 2024, Drug Science partnered with UCL to study MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, focusing on its therapeutic potential. This collaboration seeks to address concerns that the '
psychotherapy Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
' aspect of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy—which expert opinion considers crucial to long-term success involving MDMA as a psychotherapeutic agent—is not yet well understood and may be suboptimal.


Awards and policy achievements

* 2014: Professor Nutt wins the John Maddox Prize for Standing Up for Science, and his book Drugs: Without The Hot Air wins the Transmission Prize for Communication of Ideas. * 2015: Drug Science's analysis of nicotine harms influences
Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...
to promote vaping as a safer alternative to smoking. * 2016: A Drug Science report prompts the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
to review cannabis for the first time since 1935. * 2017: Professor Nutt testifies in the Pretoria High Court, influencing South Africa’s decision to decriminalise cannabis. * 2021: The Project T21 registry surpasses 1,000 registered patients, marking a milestone in medical cannabis research.


Drug Science publications

* * * * * * * *


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drug Science 2010 establishments in the United Kingdom Drugs in the United Kingdom Research institutes in London