Lex Fridman Podcast #145 – Lex Fridman & Matthew Johnson
Topics Discussed: Introduction to psychedelics, Psychedelics expand the mind, The priors we bring to the psychedelic experience, Elon Musk and first principles thinking, DMT, Joe Rogan and DMT, The nature of drug addiction, The economics of drug pricing, Should we legalize all drugs?, What is the most dangerous drug?, Does drug prohibition work?, Cocaine and sex, Risky sexual decisions, Psilocybin helping people quit smoking, Young Jamie, Participating in a study, Psychedelics and the human mind, The future of psychedelics, Neuralink, Consciousness, Panpsychism, Aliens and DMT, Mortality, Meaning of life.
Matthew Johnson
Matthew Johnson is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins. He is one of the world’s most published scientists on the human effects of psychedelics, and has conducted seminal research in the behavioral economics of drug use, addiction, and risk behavior. Dr. Johnson earned his Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Vermont in 2004. Working with psychedelics since 2004, Dr. Johnson published psychedelic safety guidelines in 2008, helping to resurrect psychedelic research. As Principle Investigator he developed and published the first research on psychedelic treatment of tobacco addiction in 2014. Dr. Johnson and colleagues published the largest study of psilocybin in treating cancer distress in 2016. His 2018 psilocybin abuse liability review recommended placement in Schedule-IV upon potential medical approval. He is Principle Investigator on funded studies investigating psilocybin in the treatment of opioid dependence and PTSD.
Books Mentioned in this Podcast with Lex Fridman & Matthew Johnson:
Book Title: The Varieties of Psychedelic Experience
Author: Robert Master, PhD & Jean Houston, PhD