What actually makes psychedelic therapy work? Is it the drug, the therapeutic setting, or the human relationship between therapist and participant? At ICPR 2026, we spoke with psychiatrist and researcher Sandeep Nayak about clinical trials, common therapeutic factors, and how the field can better understand the mechanisms behind psychedelic-assisted treatment.

At ICPR 2024, we talked to anthropologist and author Nicolas Langlitz about the current hype around psychedelics, their place in medicine and culture, and why he sees them as holding the promise of moksha in the age of soma.

Women make up more than half of the population, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in psychedelic research. At ICPR 2026, we spoke with neuroscientist Grace Blest-Hopley about the gender gap in psychedelic science, the importance of studying menstrual cycles, pregnancy, menopause, and women’s mental health, and how the field can become more inclusive and scientifically rigorous.

On 7 May 2026, policymakers, researchers, clinicians, people with lived experience, and civil society organisations gathered in Brussels for the inaugural meeting of the European Forum of National Psychedelic Societies. The meeting marked an important milestone in building a coordinated European movement to expand safe, evidence-based access to psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Watch Drugreporter’s short documentary, filmed at the seventh Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR) 2026 in Haarlem, the Netherlands, exploring how psychedelic science is evolving through conversations on Indigenous knowledge, therapy, consciousness, culture and the future of the field.

During this year’s Pride Month, I was struck by how often anti-LGBTQ rhetoric echoed arguments that will sound familiar to anyone who has followed debates about drugs and drug policy. Although same-sex relationships and drug use are fundamentally different phenomena, the narratives used to stigmatize them frequently rely on remarkably similar rhetorical patterns.

A public clash between a senior police official and one of the Czech Republic’s leading addiction researchers has exposed a deeper struggle over the future of a drug policy model long regarded as one of Europe’s most successful.

After decades of seizures, arrests and increasingly sophisticated law enforcement operations, Europe’s drug market is larger, more diverse and more adaptable than ever. The European Drug Report 2026 reveals a paradox at the heart of contemporary drug policy: while the evidence increasingly supports public health and harm reduction, political attention continues to gravitate towards tougher enforcement and security measures.

How can international human rights standards influence real-world drug policy reforms? From the abolition of the death penalty for drug offences in Pakistan to policy changes in Latin America and beyond, Drugreporter’s new short film explores how experts, activists, and policymakers have used the International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy to advocate for more humane and evidence-based approaches around the world.

In April 2026, drug user organizations, human rights advocates, researchers, and policymakers from across the Nordic region gathered in Oslo for the conference Nordic Mobilization on Human Rights and Drug Policy. The event marked the launch of a new Nordic network committed to promoting drug policies based on human rights, democracy, public health, and social justice.