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PODCAST

Drug Cultures

Unquantifiable Creations

At drug cultures, we pull the veil back on one of the most taboo topics, exploring the ways in which cultures throughout history have used psychoactive substances. Join your host Skye Hawthorne on a journey through the strange world of drugs past and present, and how they"ve been embraced, incorporated, or shunned by societies worldwide.

science social sciences

All Episodes

00:29:52

E18 - Kava and Christianity in the Pacific

Drug Cultures ·

2025/10/16

Kava has become one of the most popular "alcohol alternatives" in many Western countries in recent decades. But for thousands of years, it held an important spiritual and political role in Pacific Island societies, and was viewed as a major threat by Christian missionaries from Europe. In this episode, I unpack kava's history, focusing on Vanuatu and Fiji to explore the intersection of race, religion, culture, and mythology as it relates to this remarkable root.

en

01:16:48

E17 - Psychedelic Gray Markets ft. Mycopreneur

Drug Cultures ·

2025/09/11

I sit down with Dennis Walker from the Mycopreneur podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on psychedelic consumer packaged goods, biopiracy, and how to best keep people safe and informed as psychedelic drugs continue to proliferate through non-traditional channels.

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00:37:47

E16 - Peyote Mormons

Drug Cultures ·

2025/08/16

Mormons are notoriously straight-edged; for most, temperance not only includes alcohol, but stimulants like coffee as well. In this episode of Drug Cultures, I explore the ways in which that may not have been the case in the past. I take a look at the "psychedelic origins of Mormonism" hypothesis, and do a deep dive into the history of Fred M Smith: the grandson of Joseph the prophet who advocated for his church to accept the religious use of peyote. Link to the study I referenced in the

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00:23:40

E15 - MAPS Israel and the Weaponization of Collective...

Drug Cultures ·

2025/06/22

I debrief the recent Psychedelic Science 2025 conference, particularly the panels on Israeli and Palestinian perspectives on psychedelic therapy for conflict-related trauma. This episode dives into MAPS Israel's studies of the effect of MDMA and LSD on the survivors of the 10/7 attack, and the way in which collective trauma is used to justify the ongoing genocide in Gaza. As President Trump announces that the US has just bombed Iranian nuclear sites, it is more important than ever that we all

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00:25:22

E14 - California Sober

Drug Cultures ·

2025/05/08

In what I hope to be part 1 of a Drug Cultures mini-series on sobriety, I take a look at the recent phenomenon of choosing to be "Cali sober" - a version of sobriety that still allows for responsible consumption of cannabis, and sometimes other psychedelics. How does it work? Who does it work for? How has it been received by the recovery community? And does the science support it? Listen to the episode to find out!

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00:56:24

E13 - Take Me To Mushroom Church

Drug Cultures ·

2025/04/11

I sit down with Jonathan Maxwell Stanaford, founder of Oregon's first psychedelic mushroom church, to discuss his upbringing, the legal landscape of psychedelic churches, and making the psychedelic experience accessible to poor and working class people. https://www.youtube.com/@ravenofthesacredentheogen?si=WbZNYXpd6DGXEU-jhttps://ravenofthesacredentheogen.com/

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00:37:45

E12 - Opium Eradication in Communist China

Drug Cultures ·

2025/03/15

In the 19th century, the Opium Wars began a "century of humiliation" for China, which would repeatedly suffer economic and military catastrophes in the decades to follow. Opium addiction, while not the cause of this catastrophe, would make the despair far more visible. In this episode, we do a deep dive into the little known story of how the CCP eradicated opium in China for more than two decades, and explore how this drug war managed to succeed in its goal of eradication when most others

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00:33:09

E11 - Ether, Sobriety, and Independence in Ireland

Drug Cultures ·

2025/02/11

Through centuries of prejudice (and deep national pride), Ireland has long been known for its alcohol drinking culture. In the 19th century, however, much of Northern Ireland gave up its drinking habit and replaced it with a powerfully mind-altering elixir that is now largely forgotten: ether.How and why did this happen? And just what role did the Great Famine and the Irish struggle for independence and home rule play? In today's episode, we do a deep dive into this little-known piece of Irish

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00:31:21

E10 - Catnip Evergreen

Drug Cultures ·

2025/01/17

When cats roll around in catnip, are they getting high? What about when humans smoke it? And why did people keep getting arrested for using it in New York in the early 1900s? The purr-fect episode for the cat lover in your life, I trace the long and meandering history of this remarkable herb, as well as its forgotten history as a medical plant (and, potentially, as a human intoxicant)

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00:34:30

E9 - Syria: Captagon For Good?

Drug Cultures ·

2024/12/18

There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen. In this episode of Drug Cultures, join me as I dive into the sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, and the role played by the amphetamine-type stimulant captagon in the country’s ongoing war.

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00:32:46

E8 - Donald Trump: Our First Psychedelic President?

Drug Cultures ·

2024/11/24

Republicans, for decades, have been the loudest cheerleaders for the war on drugs. Trump's 2024 coalition, however, is remarkably pro-psychedelic. In this episode, I explore how this came to be. Why is Trump suddenly capturing the attention of people who use hallucinogens? And is Trump's increasing appeal to psychonauts a symptom of a broader change in the Republican base?

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00:34:20

E7 - Israeli Anti-Foraging Laws

Drug Cultures ·

2024/11/02

Palestinians have long foraged for the wild plants za'atar and akkoub, staples of their cuisine. Israel has deemed this practice illegal, and cited environmental concerns. Beneath the science, however, lies a political agenda. In this episode, I explore how these anti-foraging laws came to be, and why they function in the exact same way as many drug laws around the world.

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00:36:38

E6 - Tasting Your Own Medicine (For Science)

Drug Cultures ·

2024/10/10

Curious humans have been trying psychoactive substances and documenting their experiences since the dawn of history. In this episode, I do a deep dive into scientific self-experimentation. Once considered the ethical thing to do for any scientist or physician working with psychoactive drugs, the practice has faded into relative obscurity. But why did things change? And what, if anything, has been lost?

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00:42:29

E5 - Peyote Through the Centuries

Drug Cultures ·

2024/08/24

Much like the cactus itself, the peyote religion has adapted to survive in the harshest of environments. In this episode, I trace peyote's relationship with humanity from ancient caves to modern courtrooms, and discuss how indigenous communities have fought to maintain access to a sacred plant.

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00:26:21

E4 - Viking Warriors and Ancient Deliriants

Drug Cultures ·

2024/06/24

Even in a culture known for its ferocity in battle, the reputation of a class of warrior known as Berzerkers remains in a league of its own. But how did the Berzerkers achieve the trance state that ostensibly gave them their almost superhuman battle strength? In this episode, I explore whether or not they used psychoactive substances to achieve this state, and present a few of the possible contenders.

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00:22:36

E3 - Ayahuasca and Warfare in the Amazon

Drug Cultures ·

2024/05/23

In the first installment of a (hopefully) multipart series on the use of drugs in ancient warfare, I explore the way in which the modern uses of ayahuasca have been shaped Western values and colonization, and explore whether or not ayahuasca might have once been used as a catalyst for combat.

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00:30:32

E2 - Kratom and Insurgency in Thailand

Drug Cultures ·

2024/05/03

In the US, kratom is used by millions of people for energy, focus, pain relief, and opium withdrawal. But in Thailand, where the tree is native, its use has been prohibited for most of the last century. In this episode of Drug Cultures, I explore the origins of kratom prohibition, its recent decriminalization, and its purported connection to a violent separatist insurgency.

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00:28:26

E1 - Khat in Yemen

Drug Cultures ·

2024/04/17

Is Yemen's most widely used drug responsible for its severe water scarcity? What about its poverty crisis? In the first ever episode of Drug Cultures, I dive into the history of this little-known stimulant shrub, as well as the recent political history of Yemen and the way in which khat is scapegoated for its problems.

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