Thanks for posting - they did a pretty decent job there.

I guess we can be pleased that awareness of the psychedelic reawakening is taking off in some sections of the mainstream media at the moment. But, repeal the unjust plant prohibitions already, UK, and get up to speed with the 21st century! That a documentary like this can be produced is some testament of the progress being made and a first screening on BBC2 at 9 p.m. wasn't too bad.


My version of a film review/critique:

The narration at first toes the line of the drug propaganda which I guess shouldn't be too surprising if they want to keep the average Joe viewers engaged. They - in particular Professor Nutt - make up for this later on. The testimonies of the patients involved in the trial were particularly moving.

I do take issue with some minor inaccuracies, for example at 1:27 "one of the oldest drugs known to man - magic mushrooms," and at 1:41 "Synthesised from a Mexican mushroom over sixty years ago, psilocybin is a class A hallucinogenic drug," although that's probably just me being pedantic. Product placement at 4:00 onwards - a can of a well-known brand of soft drink, maybe could have been avoided as it once was on all BBC productions. 18:00 the dumbing-down of 5HT-2a receptors to simply "2a receptors" is sloppy and nonsensical; it's like they are trying to obscure some important facts when view alongside the the first two inaccuracies highlighted above.

Less relevant , but at 23:59 hearing Margaret Thatcher speak was as every bit as horrible as I ever recall it having been and I was literally nauseated! It was somewhat surreal that she appeared to be addressing a pile of bin bags, as though the confiscated drugs in them could actually hear her (the vile beast).

I do find it curious how the audio in all the audio segments with Dr. Rosalind Watts is deliberately degraded, seemingly using something like a 'decimator' effect. Dr. Watts is already moving into the field of "Wellness Retreats" so I wonder if she has some kind of copyright on the sound of her voice

I offer my great respect and admiration to Prof. Nutt and the rest of the team for the great work they have done.

What do you think is wrong with this statement?

That may actually just have been an outbreak of cognitive flatulence on my part, brought about by my allergy to TV narration. I'll have to think about it for a bit, but it might be something to do with the absolute nature of the statement.

Edit: OK, I've had a think about it while putting the bins out and it's because of the blinkered view of what "drugs" refers to and how that discounts practically the entirety of herbal medicine and the fact that, etymologically speaking, the term "drug" refers to any dried plant (and, I will accept, by extension - fungal) material offered for medicinal usage. This is a very important nuance when reframing our understanding in order to move on from the "drug war" mentality!

I enjoyed the documentary, thanks.

Thatcher's violent misplaced and misguided resolve sent a cold shiver down my spine. We still suffer from that extreme ideology today, and life sentences can be given out in England over a natural mushroom considered sacred by many people and cultures. A very dark part of our history I wish and hope we outgrow soon.

On the other hand, I was happy to see the real people that had been helped by psilocybin and their stories.

I saw it more as giving some kind of historical context to the drug rather than toeing a line. I can't tell whether the continual referring to class A drugs was made for dramatic effect or underlining the absurdity of the current laws in the UK. Surely the average joe does not equate mushrooms with crack and heroin? But maybe i am being too naive...

The actual meat and potatoes of the doc being the therapy was great. I believe that i have benefited from these types of drugs over the years but it has always been in a solo context with me finding my own way, so it was interesting to get a glimpse into how a practitioner would go about it. It was truly moving.



I am no fan of Thatcher but i prefer her to the current crop that are trying to run the soon to be defunct UK. Obviously i don't to fire off on a political tangent so if you want to pour vitriol on this comment, you can berate me via PM....



The uK has a chequered past in relation to mushrooms. Up until about 2005 it was legal to have mushrooms in an "unprepared" form. I am not sure that the policy of upgrading them to class A has been enforced by real world law enforcement like police and judges. I can't find any records of prison terms for mushroom possession. I could be wrong though. Also that Thatcher speech is from the 1980s where one could go out and legally pick mushrooms. I think that this particular clip is more to do with the first real major UK (just say no) heroin epidemic. Again i would say that it was included for dramatic padding or to underline current drug policy absurdity.