Psychoactive Plant Database - Neuroactive Phytochemical Collection

1. BMC Public Health. 2024 Oct 18;24(1):2879. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20336-9.

The decriminalization of illicit drugs in British Columbia: a national 
evaluation protocol.

Russell C(1)(2), Ali F(3)(4), Imtiaz S(3)(4), Butler A(5), Greer A(5), Rehm 
J(3)(4)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10); Decriminalization Evaluation Research Group.

Collaborators: Bardwell G, Bonn M, Boyd J, Bruneau J, Costello J, Crichlow F, 
Crépault JF, Degenhardt L, Elton-Marshall T, Ferencz S, Gomes T, Goulão JC, 
Griffiths PN, Hickman M, Hodgins DC, Hodgson K, Hyshka E, Le Foll B, Linklater 
R, Lock K, Patenaude S, Mackinnon LM, McLuckie T, Mitra S, Nurse M, Sedgemore 
KO, Shahin R, Smith WM, Stewart SH, Werb D, Xavier JC.

Author information:
(1)Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental 
Health (CAMH), 250 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada. 
Cayley.Russell@camh.ca.
(2)Ontario Node, Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM), 250 
College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada. Cayley.Russell@camh.ca.
(3)Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Centre for Addiction and Mental 
Health (CAMH), 250 College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.
(4)Ontario Node, Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters (CRISM), 250 
College St., Toronto, ON, M5T 1R8, Canada.
(5)School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University (SFU), 8888 University Drive, 
Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
(6)Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 1, King's College Circle, 
Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
(7)Institute of Medical Science (IMS), University of Toronto, 1, King's College 
Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
(8)Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College St., 
Toronto, ON, M5T 3M7, Canada.
(9)Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Centre for Addiction and 
Mental Health (CAMH), 1001 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4, Canada.
(10)Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research (ZIS), Department of 
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 
Martinistraße 52, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.

BACKGROUND: On January 31st, 2023, the province of British Columbia (BC), 
Canada, was granted a federal exemption allowing adults (aged 18 +) to possess 
up to 2.5 g of select illicit drugs. The exemption will be in place for three 
years (2023-2026), marking the first formal decriminalization of illicit drug 
policy reform in Canada. BC's decriminalization initiative is premised on 
several goals. This project seeks to evaluate each of these goals and their 
individual and combined contributions to determine the overall success of this 
policy.
METHODS: The following protocol paper provides a detailed outline of a five-year 
(2022-2027) national evaluation of BC's decriminalization initiative, as well as 
the specific objectives, methodologies, and planned analyses for eight 
interrelated sub-studies that comprise the evaluation. These sub-studies fall 
under the following five topical areas of research: 1) people who use drugs 
(PWUD), 2) the police and the criminal justice system, 3) the general public, 4) 
the health services system, and 5) an economic analysis. Additional research 
activities may also be explored.
RESULTS: The overall evaluation and specific sub-study designs were informed by 
intensive stakeholder engagement. The evaluation was developed in collaboration 
with an international expert committee who came together to undertake a nominal 
group technique to decide on the final evaluation design and corresponding logic 
model. The evaluation will also employ an advisory board and individual 
sub-study working groups comprised of experts and PWUD who will oversee the 
development and implementation of the overall evaluation as well as each 
sub-study.
DISCUSSION: This evaluation will draw on implementation science research 
practices to evaluate and understand the full impacts of this novel drug policy 
experiment. Results will be widely disseminated through manuscripts, reports, 
presentations, and infographics, which will be adapted and tailored for specific 
audiences. The protocol identifies several anticipated challenges and 
limitations. This evaluation's evidence-based findings will be poised to offer 
pivotal insights that can shape and refine the discourse on drug policy and will 
serve as a critical resource for understanding the multifaceted impacts of 
decriminalization.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-20336-9
PMCID: PMC11490149
PMID: 39425094 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests. Dr. 
Bernard Le Foll has obtained funding from Pfizer Inc. (GRAND Awards, including 
salary support) for investigator-initiated projects, from Indivior for a 
clinical trial sponsored by Indivior, in-kind donations of cannabis products 
from Aurora Cannabis Enterprises Inc. and study medication donations from Pfizer 
Inc. (varenicline for smoking cessation) and Bioprojet Pharma. He was also 
provided a coil for a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation study from Brainsway and 
has obtained industry funding from Canopy Growth Corporation (through research 
grants handled by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the University 
of Toronto), Bioprojet Pharma, Alcohol Countermeasure Systems, Alkermes and 
Universal Ibogaine. Lastly, Dr. Le Foll has received in kind donations of 
nabiximols from GW Pharmaceuticals for past studies funded by Canadian 
Institutes for Health Research and National Institutes of Health. He has 
participated in a session of a National Advisory Board Meeting (Emerging Trends 
BUP-XR) for Indivior Canada and is part of Steering Board for a clinical trial 
for Indivior. He has been consultant for Shinogi. He is supported by the Centre 
for Addiction and Mental Health, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, a 
clinician-scientist award from the department of Family and Community Medicine 
of the University of Toronto, and a Chair in Addiction Psychiatry from the 
department of Psychiatry of University of Toronto. All of which is outside the 
scope of this work. Dr. Dan Werb is a co-founder of DoseCheck Technologies Ltd, 
a commercial entity developing a mobile drug checking technology, which is 
outside the scope of this work. Dr. Julie Bruneau has received a research grant 
from Gilead sciences and is in an advisory role for Gilead sciences, Abbvie and 
Cepheid, which is outside of the scope of this work. Dr. Elaine Hyshka’s 
participation in this research was supported in part thanks to funding from the 
Canada Research Chairs Program.


2. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Sep 30. doi: 10.1002/cpt.3459. Online ahead of
print.

Harnessing Pharmacogenomics in Clinical Research on Psychedelic-Assisted 
Therapy.

Halman A(1)(2)(3), Conyers R(2)(4), Moore C(2)(4), Khatri D(2), Sarris 
J(1)(5)(6)(7), Perkins D(1)(3)(5).

Author information:
(1)Psychae Therapeutics, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
(2)Cancer Therapies, Stem Cell Medicine, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 
Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
(3)School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, 
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
(4)Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 
Australia.
(5)Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Victoria, 
Australia.
(6)NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Westmead, New 
South Wales, Australia.
(7)The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health & The Department of 
Psychiatry, Melbourne University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Psychedelics have recently re-emerged as potential treatments for various 
psychiatric conditions that impose major public health costs and for which 
current treatment options have limited efficacy. At the same time, personalized 
medicine is increasingly being implemented in psychiatry to provide 
individualized drug dosing recommendations based on genetics. This review brings 
together these topics to explore the utility of pharmacogenomics (a key 
component of personalized medicine) in psychedelic-assisted therapies. We 
summarized the literature and explored the potential implications of genetic 
variability on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of psychedelic drugs 
including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine 
(DMT), 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), ibogaine and 
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Although existing evidence is limited, 
particularly concerning pharmacodynamics, studies investigating pharmacokinetics 
indicate that genetic variants in drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as cytochrome 
P450, impact the intensity of acute psychedelic effects for LSD and ibogaine, 
and that a dose reduction for CYP2D6 poor metabolizers may be appropriate. 
Furthermore, based on the preclinical evidence, it can be hypothesized that 
CYP2D6 metabolizer status might contribute to altered acute psychedelic 
experiences with 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin when combined with monoamine oxidase 
inhibitors. In conclusion, considering early evidence that genetic factors can 
influence the effects of certain psychedelics, we suggest that pharmacogenomic 
testing should be further investigated in clinical research. This is necessary 
to evaluate its utility in improving the safety and therapeutic profile of 
psychedelic therapies and a potential future role in personalizing 
psychedelic-assisted therapies, should these treatments become available.

© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics published by Wiley 
Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and 
Therapeutics.

DOI: 10.1002/cpt.3459
PMID: 39345195


3. Eur Addict Res. 2024;30(5):302-320. doi: 10.1159/000540062. Epub 2024 Sep 25.

Psychedelics: From Cave Art to 21st-Century Medicine for Addiction.

Vamvakopoulou IA(1), Nutt DJ(2).

Author information:
(1)Division of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, 
Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK, 
joanna.vamvakopoulou20@imperial.ac.uk.
(2)Division of Brain Sciences, Centre for Psychiatry, Imperial College London, 
Commonwealth Building, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK.

BACKGROUND: Psychedelic substance use in ritualistic and ceremonial settings 
dates back as early as 8,500 BCE. Only in recent years, from the mid-20th 
century, we have seen the re-emergence of psychedelics in a therapeutic setting 
and more specifically for the treatment of addiction. This article aims to 
review research over the past 40 years using classic (psilocybin, lysergic acid 
diethylamide [LSD], dimethyltryptamine [DMT], mescaline) and atypical (ketamine, 
ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) psychedelics for the 
treatment of addiction.
SUMMARY: We will start with an overview of the pharmacology and physiological 
and psychological properties of psychedelic substances from pre-clinical and 
clinical research. We will then provide an overview of evidence gathered by 
studies conducted in controlled research environments and naturalistic and 
ceremonial settings, while we identify the proposed therapeutic mechanisms of 
each psychedelic substance.
KEY MESSAGES: Classic and atypical psychedelics show promise as therapeutic 
alternatives for the treatment of addiction, through the improvement of 
psychological and physiological symptoms of dependence. A more comprehensive 
understanding of the ancient and present-day knowledge of the therapeutic 
potential of psychedelics can facilitate hope for psychedelic therapeutics in 
the treatment of addiction, especially for individuals who have failed other 
conventional treatment methods.

© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.

DOI: 10.1159/000540062
PMCID: PMC11527458
PMID: 39321788 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: Ioanna Vamvakopoulou has acted as a paid intern 
and consultant for Neural Therapeutics with shares. David Nutt’s research group 
at Imperial College has received research support from the following companies 
with an interest in the psychedelic space – COMPASS Pathways, Usona, Beckley 
Psytec, MAPS, and Filament. He also acts as a part-time chief research officer 
for Awakn Life Sciences a biotech company that is developing novel ketamine and 
MDMA therapies for addictions and advises Alvarius, Algernon Pharmaceutics, and 
Neural Therapeutics on their psychedelic research programmes.


4. Nordisk Alkohol Nark. 2024 Aug;41(4):464-468. doi: 10.1177/14550725241253362. 
Epub 2024 May 22.

North America's fentanyl death crisis: Selected lessons for Europe's future?

Fischer B(1), Jutras-Aswad D(2), Le Foll B(3), Robinson T(4).

Author information:
(1)Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & 
Addiction, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; 
Research & Graduate Studies, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, BC, 
Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; 
Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; 
School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
(2)Research Centre, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, 
Canada; Department of Psychiatry & Addictology, Université de Montréal, 
Montreal, Canada.
(3)Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, 
Ontario, Canada; Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of 
Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, 
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Translational Addiction 
Research Laboratory, Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, Center 
for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Waypoint Centre for 
Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada.
(4)Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence & Impact, Faculty of Health 
Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

DOI: 10.1177/14550725241253362
PMCID: PMC11412475
PMID: 39309204

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declared the following potential 
conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or 
publication of this article: Dr. Fischer and Dr. Jutras-Aswad have held research 
grants and contracts in the areas of substance use, health, policy from public 
funding and government organisations (i.e., public-only sources) in the last 5 
years; Dr. Fischer was temporarily employed by Health Canada (2021–2022). Dr. 
Jutras-Aswad has received study materials from Cardiol Therapeutics and Exka for 
clinical trials. Dr. LeFoll has obtained research support (i.e., research 
funding/in-kind supports or expert consultancy) from Pfizer, Inc. (GRAND Awards 
& medications), Indivior (clinical trial funding & consultancy), Aurora Cannabis 
Enterprises Inc., Bioprojet Pharma, Brainsway (Transcranial magnetic stimulation 
[TMS] study), Canopy Growth Corporation (research grants), Alcohol 
Countermeasure Systems (ACS), Alkermes, Universal Ibogaine, and Shinogi. Mrs. 
Robinson has no competing interests.


5. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2024 Sep 19;167:105899. doi: 
10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105899. Online ahead of print.

Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and 
fear/anxiety expression in rodents.

Werle I(1), Bertoglio LJ(2).

Author information:
(1)Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa 
Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil.
(2)Department of Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa 
Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: 
leandro.bertoglio@ufsc.br.

Threatening events and stressful experiences can lead to maladaptive memories 
and related behaviors. Existing treatments often fail to address these issues 
linked to anxiety/stress-related disorders effectively. This review identifies 
dose ranges associated with specific actions across various psychedelics. We 
examined psilocybin/psilocin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine 
(5-MeO-DMT), serotonin 2 A/2 C agonists (e.g., DOI) and 
3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on aversive memory extinction and 
reconsolidation, learned fear, anxiety, and locomotion in rodents. Nearly 400 
studies published since 1957 were reviewed. Psychedelics often show biphasic 
effects on locomotion at doses that enhance extinction learning/retention, 
impair memory reconsolidation, or reduce learned fear and anxiety. Emerging 
evidence suggests a dissociation between their prospective benefits and 
locomotor effects. Under-explored aspects include sex differences, 
susceptibility to interference as memories age and generalize, repeated 
treatments, and immediate vs. delayed changes. Validating findings in 
traumatic-like memory and maladaptive fear/anxiety models is essential. 
Understanding how psychedelics modulate threat responses and post-retrieval 
memory processes in rodents may inform drug development and human studies, 
improving therapeutic approaches for related psychiatric conditions.

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105899
PMID: 39305969

Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors 
declare no competing interests.