Psilocybin for Smoking Cessation: Can Psychedelics Help People Quit for Good?

The most rigorous trial yet on psychedelics for smoking cessation and what it means for the future of addiction treatment.

About

Most smokers want to quit, almost none succeed. Conventional treatments have a poor track record, and no new smoking cessation medication has reached the US market in two decades.

A growing body of research suggests psychedelics may offer a different way forward. In the most rigorous trial of its kind to date, participants given a single high dose of psilocybin alongside cognitive behavioural therapy were significantly more likely to quit smoking , and stay quit, six months on, than those treated with a nicotine patch.

Join us for a special online talk with Professor Matthew Johnson of Johns Hopkins University, as he walks us through this landmark research into psilocybin-assisted therapy for smoking cessation, and what it might mean for the future of addiction treatment.

 What to Expect

• How a single psilocybin experience compares to a nicotine patch, and why the difference is so striking
• What participants actually describe during and after their sessions, and why a shift in perspective seems to matter more than the trip itself
• The leading theories for why this works, including new neuroscience on how psychedelics may reopen the brain's "windows" for learning new habits
• What still isn't known, including questions of replication, long-term durability, and who this treatment is and isn't likely to help
• Where the research goes next, including his ongoing, large-scale follow-up study funded by a landmark $4 million NIH grant

⚠️ Please note: This is an educational event. No medical or clinical advice can be given during this session.

Can’t attend the live event? No problem -  all ticket holders will get access to the recording 24-48h post event

Why attend?

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease worldwide. If psilocybin-assisted therapy lives up to its early promise, it could represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in addiction treatment in a generation.

Whether you're curious about the science of behaviour change, interested in psychedelics as medicine, or simply want to understand where this fast-moving field is heading next, this is a rare chance to engage directly with groundbreaking research as it unfolds.

Your Speaker

Since 2004 Professor. Matthew W. Johnson has played a role in the revival of psychedelic research, publishing on psychedelics in relation to mystical experience, personality change, risks/safety, ethics, and treatment of tobacco addiction, cancer distress, and depression. In 2021 he received as principal investigator the first grant in ~50 years from the US government to administer a classic psychedelic as a treatment. He is also known for expertise in behavioral economics, addiction, sexual risk behavior, and research with many drugs. Interviewed by: Lex Fridman Podcast, Huberman Lab Podcast, 60 Minutes, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Fox News, BBC, and Big Think.

Your Organiser

Ryan Khan is the Online Events Coordinator for The Psychedelic Society and a life-long psychedelic enthusiast. He is completing his MSc in Psychedelics: Mind, Medicine & Culture at The University of Exeter where he specialised in the extra-pharmacological factors affecting psychedelic assisted therapy. Ryan also sits at the intersection of psychedelic research, education and therapy. He works as a Research Associate at Pneuma Science, Consultant at Psilonautica and Communications & Partnerships Associate at Beautiful Space. 

Follow Ryan on LinkedIn.

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