Safer drugs? – FuturiZe thought leader round table

Despite multiple regulatory, preventive and prohibitive efforts, drug use continues to be widespread and mainstream – both legal and illegal substances, raising questions of how we can address instead the risks that currently plague drug use – how can we make drug use safer?

As well as raising the issue of whether and how it is possible and appropriate to attempt to establish safer use limits for currently illicit drugs; this session will open up the question of potential beneficial effects of psychoactive drugs (creativity, sensory gating, sociability, performance) and whether it is possible to harness these whilst avoiding or minimising the pitfalls and risks, by modifying the quantity and frequency of use (moderation management, microdosing), route of administration (vaping and other nicotine delivery devices), the molecular substances themselves (cannabinol), environmental factors and associated behaviours (e.g. chemsex), to come up with safer products, patterns or practices. We will visit a range of substances and products, whilst principally focussing on alcohol, tobacco and cannabis products and practices.