Psychoactive Self-Experimentation: Consuming plants for science

In this presentation, Dr Liam Engel delves into the often-overlooked scientific contributions of psychoactive self-experimentation. Originally delivered to a leading harm reduction service, the presentation explains how prohibitionist policies surrounding psychoactives hinder scientific research and exacerbate potential harms to users. The solution? Beyond improved regulatory systems, we need to study chemistry and pharmacology more deeply.

With psychoactive plants like cannabis and psilocybin gaining traction for their therapeutic benefits, one would assume that research into these plants is widely supported. This is not the case. Legitimate research of any plant containing scheduled compounds is exceptionally difficult. Limitations make it almost insurmountable for scientists to administer psychoactive plants to participants, or even to undergo routine experiments with psychoactive plants, despite the value these experiments offer to consumption risk management. Consequently, a significant portion of the data we have on the effects of psychoactives comes from the self-reports of citizen scientists, chemistry enthusiasts, and psychonauts.

Dr. Engel traces the lineage of psychoactive self-experimentation, drawing inspiration from pioneers like Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, whose groundbreaking work on psychedelics still shapes our understanding today. The presentation also highlights online platforms such as Erowid, where users document their personal experiences with various psychoactives, offering a rich source of information for researchers and harm reduction services alike.

While self-experimentation may carry risks, it has been instrumental in advancing psychoactive science. From Shulgin’s methodical exploration of novel compounds to individuals’ own self-experiments, people’s personal data relating to their own psychoactive experiences has a lot to formal research. There is desperate need for greater access to scientific methods like chemistry and pharmacology to manage risks associated with psychoactive use. In the absence of institutional research, real-world user experiences play a crucial role in guiding scientific understanding and public health interventions.