Mattha Busby
@matthabusby.bsky.social
Drugs, power, culture and health @guardian @wired @rollingstone @vice @playboy @gq @menshealthmag @atmos
matthabusby.net Signal: matthabusby.93
Subscribe to my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs
matthabusby.net Signal: matthabusby.93
Subscribe to my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs
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Mattha Busby
@matthabusby.bsky.social
· Aug 19
'I Lost the Ability to Think': The Mind-Control Drug Being Used to Rob Unsuspecting Tourists
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners.
www.rollingstone.com
In which I attempted to procure a substance called scopolamine, which is often used to drug, manipulate and rob foreigners. I also met sex workers, victims and Medellín’s security chief.
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Only in central America and Siberia is there overwhelming historical evidence of long-term magic mushroom usage. So does that make us the mushroom people?
New on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/my-pilgrim...
New on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/my-pilgrim...
My Pilgrimage to the Spiritual Home of Magic Mushrooms
Four years ago, I visited the remote Mexican town where María Sabina helped introduce the Western world to psilocybin mushrooms. But how ancient really is the tradition?
matthabusby.substack.com
October 11, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Only in central America and Siberia is there overwhelming historical evidence of long-term magic mushroom usage. So does that make us the mushroom people?
New on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/my-pilgrim...
New on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/my-pilgrim...
Thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, underground chemists and drug-taking connoisseurs, a small new generation is discovering Quaaludes. Could they even make a modest contribution to ending the sex-cession?
New for @playboy.com
www.playboy.com/read/politic...
New for @playboy.com
www.playboy.com/read/politic...
Quaaludes Are Making a Comeback. Should They?
Thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, underground chemists, and drug-taking connoisseurs, a small new generation is discovering Quaaludes.
www.playboy.com
October 11, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Thanks to The Wolf of Wall Street, underground chemists and drug-taking connoisseurs, a small new generation is discovering Quaaludes. Could they even make a modest contribution to ending the sex-cession?
New for @playboy.com
www.playboy.com/read/politic...
New for @playboy.com
www.playboy.com/read/politic...
I was back on the @voxdotcom.bsky.social Today, Explained podcast to explain the difference between kratom and 7-OH, whether the recent concern over the two arises from a moral panic or genuine issues, and if banning either of them would be wise.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
Gas station opioids
Podcast Episode · Today, Explained · 2 October · 26min
podcasts.apple.com
October 3, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I was back on the @voxdotcom.bsky.social Today, Explained podcast to explain the difference between kratom and 7-OH, whether the recent concern over the two arises from a moral panic or genuine issues, and if banning either of them would be wise.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
A person very high on ketamine may still be able to walk, talk and respond to instructions — while having little idea what is happening.
For @us.theguardian.com, I looked at what the Cornell case tells us about the dissociative, sexual assault and consent laws.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
For @us.theguardian.com, I looked at what the Cornell case tells us about the dissociative, sexual assault and consent laws.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Cornell case raises questions about rise of ketamine in sexual assaults: ‘You might not realize you’re being touched’
After a Jane Doe claimed she was encouraged to take ketamine in an alleged gang rape, advocates are urging for tighter laws around the dissociative
www.theguardian.com
October 3, 2026 at 7:09 AM
A person very high on ketamine may still be able to walk, talk and respond to instructions — while having little idea what is happening.
For @us.theguardian.com, I looked at what the Cornell case tells us about the dissociative, sexual assault and consent laws.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
For @us.theguardian.com, I looked at what the Cornell case tells us about the dissociative, sexual assault and consent laws.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
The battle over how psychedelics work on the brain is only just getting started.
‘We're simply engaging in scientific debate, and any accusations of a smear campaign is paranoia.’
Latest for DoubleBlind
doubleblindmag.com/the-heated-d...
‘We're simply engaging in scientific debate, and any accusations of a smear campaign is paranoia.’
Latest for DoubleBlind
doubleblindmag.com/the-heated-d...
The Heated Debate Over How Psychedelics Work in the Brain
The entropic brain hypothesis has been the leading explanation for how psychedelics work in the brain, but new research suggests it's not that simple.
doubleblindmag.com
October 2, 2026 at 2:05 PM
The battle over how psychedelics work on the brain is only just getting started.
‘We're simply engaging in scientific debate, and any accusations of a smear campaign is paranoia.’
Latest for DoubleBlind
doubleblindmag.com/the-heated-d...
‘We're simply engaging in scientific debate, and any accusations of a smear campaign is paranoia.’
Latest for DoubleBlind
doubleblindmag.com/the-heated-d...
In 1976, the future leading light of psychedelic art, Alex Grey, worked at a Boston morgue. Years later, he described having sex with a corpse there as part of a piece he called Necrophilia. Then he recast what happened.
I've profiled him on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/a-psychede...
I've profiled him on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/a-psychede...
A Psychedelic Saint’s Original Sin
Half a century ago, visionary artist Alex Grey committed an extraordinary violation in a Boston morgue and called it art. Then he became one of psychedelia’s most revered figures.
matthabusby.substack.com
September 30, 2026 at 4:19 PM
In 1976, the future leading light of psychedelic art, Alex Grey, worked at a Boston morgue. Years later, he described having sex with a corpse there as part of a piece he called Necrophilia. Then he recast what happened.
I've profiled him on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/a-psychede...
I've profiled him on my Substack:
matthabusby.substack.com/p/a-psychede...
At the World Ayahuasca Forum, 100 Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss what happens when an intense psychedelic potion becomes a global phenomenon. I attended too — and I had questions.
Latest on my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/the-west-d...
Latest on my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/the-west-d...
The West Drank the Ayahuasca. Now What?
At the World Ayahuasca Forum, 100 Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss what happens when an intense psychedelic potion becomes a global phenomenon.
matthabusby.substack.com
September 25, 2026 at 7:12 AM
At the World Ayahuasca Forum, 100 Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss what happens when an intense psychedelic potion becomes a global phenomenon. I attended too — and I had questions.
Latest on my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/the-west-d...
Latest on my Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/the-west-d...
I'm speaking in London with The Psychedelic Society on 4 November. Over more than a decade, I’ve been as much a participant in the psychedelic renaissance as a reporter — and along the way I’ve met good shamans, and bad shamans. This is the story of it all. (It'll be fun.)
dandelion.events/e/w2fqw
dandelion.events/e/w2fqw
Bad Shamans and Transcendent Politics: How the Gods Turn Right
Wed 4th Nov 2026, 6:30pm – 9pm GMT (UTC +00:00)
dandelion.events
September 23, 2026 at 9:23 AM
I'm speaking in London with The Psychedelic Society on 4 November. Over more than a decade, I’ve been as much a participant in the psychedelic renaissance as a reporter — and along the way I’ve met good shamans, and bad shamans. This is the story of it all. (It'll be fun.)
dandelion.events/e/w2fqw
dandelion.events/e/w2fqw
He told them he was investing their millions, but the FBI hasn’t been able to recover any of the money, and none of the women who survived The Family have received a cent of the $14 million in restitution ordered by a court.
For the latest Vice magazine.
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
For the latest Vice magazine.
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
‘Welcome to the Family’: Inside the Sex Cult of Miami's Most Diabolical Pimp
William Foster lured desperate young women with promises of vast wealth. Instead, they were ensnared by his regime of mind control, sexual punishments, antipsychotic drugs, plastic surgery—and lots an...
www.vice.com
September 21, 2026 at 7:55 PM
He told them he was investing their millions, but the FBI hasn’t been able to recover any of the money, and none of the women who survived The Family have received a cent of the $14 million in restitution ordered by a court.
For the latest Vice magazine.
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
For the latest Vice magazine.
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
Welcome to my new Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
I’ve spent much of the past decade writing about drugs, taking some of them, talking to the people who make, sell, study, administer and consume them, and occasionally learning things the hard way.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/an-acciden...
I’ve spent much of the past decade writing about drugs, taking some of them, talking to the people who make, sell, study, administer and consume them, and occasionally learning things the hard way.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/an-acciden...
An Accidental Quaalude Correspondent
How a New Year’s Eve methaqualone misadventure became a viral story about the return of America’s favourite lost drug
matthabusby.substack.com
September 20, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Welcome to my new Substack: Mattha Busby on Drugs.
I’ve spent much of the past decade writing about drugs, taking some of them, talking to the people who make, sell, study, administer and consume them, and occasionally learning things the hard way.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/an-acciden...
I’ve spent much of the past decade writing about drugs, taking some of them, talking to the people who make, sell, study, administer and consume them, and occasionally learning things the hard way.
matthabusby.substack.com/p/an-acciden...
Reposted by Mattha Busby
Check out the latest episode with @matthabusby.bsky.social. The journalist chats about drug legalization, psychedelics, MAHA, and empathy with sources!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Psychedelics & The War on Drugs ft. Mattha Busby
Podcast Episode · The Study Hall Podcast · September 14 · 47m
podcasts.apple.com
September 14, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Check out the latest episode with @matthabusby.bsky.social. The journalist chats about drug legalization, psychedelics, MAHA, and empathy with sources!
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Quaaludes all but vanished after the US banned the euphoric sleeping pills in 1984. Then the 2013 movie Wolf of Wall Street plucked quaaludes from the annals of drug history and became a box office hit.
New for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
New for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
The quaalude comeback: a once ‘extinct’ drug from the 70s makes a resurgence
Underground chemists are now producing the notorious party drug after a Scorsese film sparked renewed interest
www.theguardian.com
September 6, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Quaaludes all but vanished after the US banned the euphoric sleeping pills in 1984. Then the 2013 movie Wolf of Wall Street plucked quaaludes from the annals of drug history and became a box office hit.
New for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
New for @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Sonoma county has agreed with the @aclu-norcal.bsky.social to effectively end a controversial warrantless drone surveillance operation launched to monitor unpermitted cannabis grows which morphed into a wider code violation search.
Latest for @reason.com
reason.com/2026/09/03/a...
Latest for @reason.com
reason.com/2026/09/03/a...
California county used drones to spy on homes. A settlement will now require warrants.
Sonoma County launched the program to find illegal cannabis grows, but it secretly morphed into a wider search for minor building code violations.
reason.com
September 3, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Sonoma county has agreed with the @aclu-norcal.bsky.social to effectively end a controversial warrantless drone surveillance operation launched to monitor unpermitted cannabis grows which morphed into a wider code violation search.
Latest for @reason.com
reason.com/2026/09/03/a...
Latest for @reason.com
reason.com/2026/09/03/a...
Chemsex drug GHB is spilling into London’s wider nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to OD.
‘The optimum dose, which will give you the best threesome of your life, is not far away from that which’ll give you your last.’
For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gh...
‘The optimum dose, which will give you the best threesome of your life, is not far away from that which’ll give you your last.’
For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gh...
Why GHB is spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife
Long linked to gay clubs, GHB is now spilling into London’s mainstream nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to overdose
www.standard.co.uk
August 23, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Chemsex drug GHB is spilling into London’s wider nightlife — but it’s perilously easy to OD.
‘The optimum dose, which will give you the best threesome of your life, is not far away from that which’ll give you your last.’
For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gh...
‘The optimum dose, which will give you the best threesome of your life, is not far away from that which’ll give you your last.’
For @thelondonstandard.bsky.social
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/gh...
A third of British men aged 20 to 34 now live with their parents, including me. The cost of living usually drives us back to the nest, but I wanted to get to know my mother better. This is how it has gone, and what spurred the decision.
For @theipaper.com
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
For @theipaper.com
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
My son moved back in with me at 32 - it's been healing for us both
I mulled it over for about 24 hours after I had a psychedelic epiphany and realised my mum needed me at home
inews.co.uk
August 20, 2026 at 2:53 PM
A third of British men aged 20 to 34 now live with their parents, including me. The cost of living usually drives us back to the nest, but I wanted to get to know my mother better. This is how it has gone, and what spurred the decision.
For @theipaper.com
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
For @theipaper.com
inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
Spiralling prices, venue closures and heavy-handed security is pushing Londoners away from licensed clubs. At cheap, illegal parties, many say they recover something missing from conventional clubbing: freedom.
For The London Standard
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lo...
For The London Standard
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lo...
Inside London's illegal rave renaissance
Secret networks are keeping the capital’s free parties alive
www.standard.co.uk
August 20, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Spiralling prices, venue closures and heavy-handed security is pushing Londoners away from licensed clubs. At cheap, illegal parties, many say they recover something missing from conventional clubbing: freedom.
For The London Standard
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lo...
For The London Standard
www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/lo...
In which I attempted to procure a substance called scopolamine, which is often used to drug, manipulate and rob foreigners. I also met sex workers, victims and Medellín’s security chief.
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
'I Lost the Ability to Think': The Mind-Control Drug Being Used to Rob Unsuspecting Tourists
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners.
www.rollingstone.com
August 19, 2026 at 4:39 PM
In which I attempted to procure a substance called scopolamine, which is often used to drug, manipulate and rob foreigners. I also met sex workers, victims and Medellín’s security chief.
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Dispatch for @rollingstone.com
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Reposted by Mattha Busby
Extracted from the seeds of the trumpet-shaped brugmansia flower — which blooms across South America’s Andean regions — scopolamine is tasteless and odorless, and doses as small as 10 milligrams can induce a zombie-like state of compliance.
More: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
More: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
July 28, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Extracted from the seeds of the trumpet-shaped brugmansia flower — which blooms across South America’s Andean regions — scopolamine is tasteless and odorless, and doses as small as 10 milligrams can induce a zombie-like state of compliance.
More: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
More: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
Reposted by Mattha Busby
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners.
Read: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
Read: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
‘I Lost the Ability to Think’: The Mind-Control Drug Being Used to Rob Unsuspecting Tourists — Rolling Stone
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners
apple.news
July 28, 2026 at 2:06 PM
In Medellín, Colombia, authorities are cracking down on “burundangeras,” women who use a substance called scopolamine to incapacitate foreigners.
Read: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
Read: apple.news/Alj7BdKqqRPO...
'I don't want to yuck anyone's yum as long as things are safe and consensual, but...'
For @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/these-...
For @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/these-...
These ‘Masturbation Consultants’ Were Hired to Pleasure Themselves With AI
Joi AI hired 10 people to masturbate using AI companions as part of a monthlong “wellness” study. The company claims the practice could help “solve male loneliness.”
www.wired.com
August 14, 2026 at 9:24 PM
'I don't want to yuck anyone's yum as long as things are safe and consensual, but...'
For @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/these-...
For @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/these-...
Cannabis seems to reduce persistent and distressing nightmares in people with PTSD, since THC may suppress the stage of sleep when dreams are most likely to occur. That means patients may need to use it nightly to prevent their return.
For @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
For @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD | New Scientist
A drug made up of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, reduced the severity and incidence of nightmares in people with PTSD
www.newscientist.com
August 14, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Cannabis seems to reduce persistent and distressing nightmares in people with PTSD, since THC may suppress the stage of sleep when dreams are most likely to occur. That means patients may need to use it nightly to prevent their return.
For @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
For @newscientist.com
www.newscientist.com/article/2584...
It was once unthinkable to post videos demonstrating how to synthesize drugs. But Willy Myco is showing people how to make everything from LSD to DMT vapes.
'It’s all scientific. It’s all education, in the hopes to promote harm reduction.'
New for @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/the-ou...
'It’s all scientific. It’s all education, in the hopes to promote harm reduction.'
New for @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/the-ou...
The Outlaw Chemist Teaching People How to Make Drugs From Scratch
Willy Myco has made over 120 videos showing people his exact process for making everything from LSD to DMT vapes. Not everyone’s a fan of his methods.
www.wired.com
August 10, 2026 at 2:53 PM
It was once unthinkable to post videos demonstrating how to synthesize drugs. But Willy Myco is showing people how to make everything from LSD to DMT vapes.
'It’s all scientific. It’s all education, in the hopes to promote harm reduction.'
New for @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/the-ou...
'It’s all scientific. It’s all education, in the hopes to promote harm reduction.'
New for @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/the-ou...
What if Britain’s shuttered pubs and shops became alcohol-free cannabis cafés? ‘It's going to create jobs and put the country back to work,’ the ‘cannabis martyr’ Gary Youds tells me in Liverpool. ‘It's oven-ready for the whole of the UK.’
For @reason.com
reason.com/2026/08/08/a...
For @reason.com
reason.com/2026/08/08/a...
After 2 decades of raids and prison stints, Liverpool’s ‘cannabis martyr’ is still ‘fighting for freedom’
Gary Youds says his cannabis café is “what the future looks like the day after the drug war.”
reason.com
August 8, 2026 at 2:20 PM
What if Britain’s shuttered pubs and shops became alcohol-free cannabis cafés? ‘It's going to create jobs and put the country back to work,’ the ‘cannabis martyr’ Gary Youds tells me in Liverpool. ‘It's oven-ready for the whole of the UK.’
For @reason.com
reason.com/2026/08/08/a...
For @reason.com
reason.com/2026/08/08/a...
A psytrance festival in Hungary ends in tragedy as a man jumps to his death in front of 10,000 people. A similar incident took place two nights prior but the man survived.
‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’
Dispatch for Vice
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’
Dispatch for Vice
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
Why Do People Keep Dying at This Week-Long Psytrance Festival?
www.vice.com
August 4, 2026 at 10:47 PM
A psytrance festival in Hungary ends in tragedy as a man jumps to his death in front of 10,000 people. A similar incident took place two nights prior but the man survived.
‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’
Dispatch for Vice
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
‘Why did I do it? I don’t know. It felt right in the moment.’
Dispatch for Vice
www.vice.com/en/article/w...
Reposted by Mattha Busby
Journalist @matthabusby.bsky.social embedded with combat sports fighters for a first-of-its-kind study. Supported by the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.
Full story in Men's Health ⬇️
📸: Edinson Arroyo
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/
Full story in Men's Health ⬇️
📸: Edinson Arroyo
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/
August 4, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Journalist @matthabusby.bsky.social embedded with combat sports fighters for a first-of-its-kind study. Supported by the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship.
Full story in Men's Health ⬇️
📸: Edinson Arroyo
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/
Full story in Men's Health ⬇️
📸: Edinson Arroyo
https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/