Here I am with Pat O'Hare, founder of Harm Reduction International, in Bogotá at #HR25, about to go on stage to honor Ernie Drucker, a pioneering force for Harm Reduction both in the US and globally.
I'm in Bogotá today at the biennial conference of Harm Reduction International. HRI was honoring the pioneering champion of harm reduction, Ernie Drucker. HRI founder Pat O'Hare joined me on stage to speak about Ernie.
I'm in London, attending the Cannabis Europa conference, currently listening to Ukrainian MP Olha Stefanyshyna speak about the development and progress of medical cannabis in her country. She included comments about the need to ensure transparency and avoid problems of corruption.
Inspiring....
I'd heard about the brilliant Erik Davis many times over the years and at last got to meet him at #ICPR2024 last week in Haarlem, The Netherlands. I told him that various folks had suggested him as a guest for my podcast, #PSYCHOACTIVE, but that his book, Techgnosis: Myth, Magic and Mysticism in the Age of Information, looked daunting. But now he has a new book out (depicted in the photo) that looks a lot more accessible. So if I actually start doing the podcast again, he's now on the list of prospective guests.
We'll see!
Probably no one is better described as the founder of the international harm reduction movement than Pat O'Hare. He started and for many years headed Harm Reduction International (originally called the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA)) and also founded the International Journal on Drug Policy (IJDP). In addition to being a talented saxophonist, photographer and competitive cyclist. And bequeathing his two very special daughters, Lucy and Maddie, to the movement. And being married to the beautiful and brilliant Anne Verster.
Now that's a life!!
Here we are at a pizzeria outside Geneva last night, eating ice cream and catching up on our lives past, present and future.
Incredible to think that Rick and I have been friends and allies for 36 years. Here we are, a bit bleary eyed Sunday morning following the late night #ICPR2024 party at Ruigoord, waiting for our Uber to the airport. It was a wonderful conference, beautifully organized and curated, and joyous notwithstanding the disappointing news earlier in the week from the FDA's advisory committee. Rick remains, as ever, upbeat and indefatigable.
Quite encouraging to hear Rick Doblin predict 50-50 or better that the #FDA will reject its advisory committee's recommendation against approving MDMA for PTSD. #ICPR2024
The Dutch can be so sensible! Here's Professor Wim van den Brink presenting at ICPR in Haarlem about the recent MDMA advisory committee report on what to do about MDMA. Such a contrast with what the FDA's advisory committee just did earlier this week in recommending against approving MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD.
I first met Wim over 25 years ago when I invited him to present at a NY Academy of Medicine conference on The Netherlands' plan to follow the Swiss in beginning the prescription of pharmaceutical heroin for people addicted to street heroin who had not been able to quit with methadone or other available treatments.
We need more drug researchers like Wim. #ICPR2024
A delightful dinner last night catching up with my friends Péter Sárosi and István Gábor Takács of the Budapest-based Rights Reporter Foundation. They're the hyper talented videographers of the harm reduction and drug policy reform movement for the past twenty years, among their many other attributes. We're here in Haarlem, The Netherlands at the incredibly well organized and curated European psychedelics conference. One fascinating presentation after another. /
