The psychedelic Renaissance: The Internet, contemporary drug use and prevention and treatment of drug abuse

Psychedelic drugs have received much attention in recent years. The enthusiasm shown in medical circles for these drugs as a potential future method of treatment is reflected both in the increasing number of internet fora concerned with psychedelics and in the stream of stories, in the media and within popular science, about the positive effects of the drugs on self-development and mental well-being. Overall, this development has been termed ‘the psychedelic renaissance’, which points towards new understandings and new ways of using psychedelic drugs in current society.

The project is based on a social learning perspective which focuses on the social, cultural, and discursive processes that shape young people’s use of drugs, particularly on the internet. This focus helps to gain insight into how these processes influence the use of psychedelic drugs among young people in Denmark, as well as how the processes might take part in developing practices within prevention, counseling and treatment. The aim of the project is:

1) To explore how young people’s understanding and use of psychedelics are influenced by the digital and discursive tendencies which are to be seen in the present use of psychedelics

2) To develop and test practical measures to digitally prevent and treat the (problematic) use of psychedelics among young people.

The project is carried out through a close collaboration between Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University and ‘the Youth Centre’ at The Municipality of Aarhus, which works with prevention and treatment of drug use among youth.