Are you at a higher risk of serotonin syndrome if you take antidepressants?

Is mixing the same class of drugs (ie. stimulants with stimulants) a safe choice?

Does smoking weed while tripping tend to increase the intensity of your trip or help you calm down?

Prepare to shatter myths, explore urban legends, and delve into the truth behind drug interactions at our first Psychedelic MythBusters Session - an event dedicated to separating fact from fiction in the world of psychoactive substances.

We will be dissecting the most common drug myths, so prepare to have your perceptions challenged, your knowledge expanded, and your questions answered as our experts share their experimental wisdom and provide evidence-based insights into what's real and what's merely speculation.

We kick off with a deep dive into drug combinations/trends, utilizing real-world data from drug-checking services in Europe. From classic combinations to emerging blends, our speakers will answer your questions about the latest trends, purity levels, practices, and emerging substances circulating in the market.

We will also talk about how understanding these mixes and examining our own beliefs can enhance harm-reduction practices and promote responsible use.

Together, let's navigate the complexities of drug interactions, debunk urban legends, and promote safer, informed usage within our communities!

HOST

ORSI FEHER (PSYCARE AUSTRIA)

Orsi  Fehér earned her MSc in Communication Science at the University of Vienna in 2018, where she founded the local Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) chapter and has been elected to serve on the board of the NGO Committee on Drugs at the United Nations. Orsi works as a Research Associate at her University where her projects are mainly concerned with intra-EU mobility. She is also a member of the Psychedelic Society of Vienna and is co-ordinating the Psychedelic Welfare (PsyCare) project in Austria.

GUEST MYTHBUSTERS

GUY JONES (THE LOOP)

Guy Jones, MChem, first volunteered with Psycare UK over 10 years ago, providing welfare at festivals. He was immediately intrigued by the challenge of helping people understand what was in their drugs; as it was a "problem" which technology could already solve but wasn’t permitted to due to the constraints of the black market. Since then, he has founded Reagent Tests UK, manufacturing home drug identification tests and become deeply involved with The Loop Drug Checking Service, a charity in the UK. Through his work, he strives to make drug checking more accessible and easier to offer, often through a technology-led approach. His inventions, "Mass Loss Analysis" and solid home reagent tests, address specific challenges faced by services and service users and are finding increasing use.

MAR CUNHA (KOSMICARE)

Mar has a masters degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, where they focused on molecular biology and neuroscience. They've worked in harm reduction and drug checking in Portugal since 2017. Currently they work with Kosmicare, at the drug checking service and in science communication related to drugs and harm reduction. Mar also works within the queer community, being part of the collectives mina and Post-Carbon Collective, collaborating with queer parties, festivals and harm reduction teams in Lisbon and Berlin. They work with Planeta Manas, a DIY rave venue in Lisbon, managing the awareness team. They lead Ravers Care Corner, a self-organized harm reduction and queercare intervention in drug positive and sex positive queer parties. They also organize workshops and produce zines and posters on these topics.

ANTON GOMES-ESCOLAR (ENERGY CONTROL)

Anton is a psychopharmacologist, researcher, writer and scientific advisor specialized in harm reduction, psychedelics, nootropics and other psychoactive drugs. Master in Psychopharmacology and Illicit Drugs, Master in Public Health & Master in International Relations. Works as project manager in information, harm reduction & drug checking NGOs & programs like Energy Control (ABD) and is scientific advisor for several institutions. Author of the book "Essential guide to the psychedelic renaissance" he is co-founder of Madrid's Psychedelic Society and the spanish SEMPsi, member of the European psychedelic science association MIND, the Commission on International Drug Policy of the UNAD network and was a trainee at the EU Drugs Agency at Lisbon.