How Drugs Work (Short)

Recently I've been enjoying a show called "How Drugs work" on the BBC i-Player. It's particularly useful as I've just started a psychopharmacology module on my degree, but I'd suggest it's useful for anyone who's curious about drugs, because it gives a very balanced view on why people use them, therapeutic and medicinal uses and the downsides. The first one was about Cannabis, following some absolute stoners, a reasonably well adjusted young woman with a job who smoked in the evening to cope with stress, and an older woman with MS who used a medically prescribed form of cannabis to cope with the severe symptoms. It's pretty amazing what a wide range of users there are, and I definitely feel a lot more informed. The show takes several dives into a more neuroscientific view, but CGI makes it easy to follow what's going on, even for someone without a scientific background. The program on MDMA or Ecstasy was slightly less balanced, and showed a lot more of the dangers, but even here they found positive use in people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. There's a few more to be shown yet, the next one is tonight BB3 9pm.