121. What is Naturalistic Research? with Dr Matthew X. Lowe

The Drug Science Podcast

A conversation between Prof David Nutt and research scientist Dr Matthew X. Lowe.

Dr Matthew X. Lowe PhD is Director of Research for Realm of Caring and Executive Director for Unlimited Sciences, a not-for-profit, observational research organisation with a focus on cannabis and psychedelic use by underrepresented population groups and a toll-free info line providing evidence-based support for anyone using psychedelics.

In this episode, they discuss the vital role of observational and longitudinal research when it comes to the medicalisation of cannabis and psychedelics — and the importance for safetyof bringing real-world data into our collective knowledge base.

They start with the genesis of Realm of Caring and Unlimited Sciences. Both organisations were conceived following first-hand experience of the banned compounds they research being profoundly medically transformative — inspiring co-founder Heather Jackson to grow related research and make it freely available to all who stand to benefit from such education. The origin stories of the organisations are followed by Dr Lowe’s personal route to his current research role and the roots of his passion for pursuing psychedelic research questions.

Their focus then shifts to the present day with a comparison of roadblocks and red tape around researching cannabis and psychedelics in the UK and the US, noting the pioneering role that parents so often play in advocating for research into medicinal cannabis. Next comes a deeper exploration of specific properties of psychedelics that relate to their potential therapeutic applications, including their anti-addictive nature and positive habit-forming potential resulting from the neuroplastic window they potentiate — Unlimited Sciences has conducted the world’s largest naturalistic study on psilocybin use with further papers coming out on these implications.

For the remainder of the episode, Prof David Nutt and Dr Matthew Lowe go into specifics on several key projects from Realm of Caring and Unlimited Sciences, including:

- The Realm of Caring Observational Research Registry, being done in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Cannabis Science Laboratory. This ongoing research is an IRB-approved online survey study looking at the effects on a variety of health conditions, in people who do and do not use cannabis. It is open to everyone in the world with internet access.
- The Cannabis and Health Research Initiative (CHRI), another collaboration between Johns Hopkins and Realm of Caring, examining the patient-level impact of therapeutic cannabis use, through data collection and dissemination — aiming to aid clinical decision making and policymaking.

And finally, two ceremonial research projects looking at ayahuasca, foregrounding the role of community and context in ceremonial psychedelic experiences — both exemplifying Unlimited Sciences’ diversification of the evidence base on psychedelics by collecting real world data on underrepresented population groups:

- With subjects who were Arabic-speaking women, a study exploring the psychological benefits of ayahuasca for refugees — with DrugScience collaborator Dr Robin Carhart-Harris.

- And, currently in data analysis, with first results set to release in 2025, an IRB-approved study about ayahuasca use in the LGBTQIA+ community in collaboration with Costa Rica plant medicine retreat Jungle Gayborhood, with an emphasis on the importance of set and setting being truly safe spaces in the sense of meeting the specific needs of participants involved.

Find out more about Dr Matthew X. Lowe and Unlimited Sciences below!

Dr Matthew X. Lowe

Realm of Caring

Unlimited Sciences

The Psychedelic Info Line

Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte Figi and Realm of Caring

Realm of Caring’s research library

Long-term CBD study (Realm of Caring)

Observational Research Registry (Realm of Caring)

World’s largest naturalistic study on psilocybin use (Unlimited Sciences)

Psychological benefits of ayahuasca for refugees (Unlimited Sciences)

Jungle Gayborhood

The LGBTQIA+ study

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