How to Make Sense of Drugs?

Unfortunately, we have to cancel this event due to personal circumstances. We will try to postpone the lecture, and keep you informed about the new date. If you have ordered tickets, we will inform you by email.

Hardly a week goes by without breaking news about drugs and crime. Only recently, the mayor of Amsterdam issued a warning that the Netherlands could veer toward becoming a narco-state. Despite ongoing discussions among experts about policy reforms and calls for decriminalization, not much is said about the historical and social context of drugs, or why so many individuals take them. How do historical and social factors influence contemporary drug use patterns? What are some potential implications of better understanding the psychology of substance use for policy-making and intervention strategies?

Stephan Schleim has been studying psychoactive substance use for more than 15 years. After initially focusing on "brain doping", he investigated drug use more generally. He shares his key insights into the history and psychology of substance use to provide a deeper understanding of this pressing issue - ideally paving the way for more effective solutions. The talk will be followed by a reflection on drug use and addiction from Arne van den Bos.

Stephan Schleim is associate professor for theoretical psychology at the RUG and has a background in philosophy and cognitive science. He has been an active science communicator for 20 years and published ten books. His new book on the topic has already been accessed more than 10,000 times and is available for free (open access). The research on substance use was funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Arne van den Bos is a member of the Addiction and Forensic Care Research Group, Hanze University of Groningen, a lecturer in applied psychology and has published several articles on students and substance use. Van den Bos is particularly interested in the mechanisms of addiction, and in working with organisations to develop interventions focused on harm reduction.