Estelle is about to complete her PhD in Pharmacy at the University of Auckland, investigating psychedelic microdosing in New Zealand. With a background in psychology and philosophy, she is dedicated to advancing psychedelic science, including mental health treatment, law reform, and drug harm reduction. Outside of her PhD, Estelle actively works in drug-checking services and as a research assistant for a psychedelic microdosing for depression clinical trial at Auckland University.

Microdosing Mysteries: What is really in your psychedelics?

What is really in your microdose? Psychedelic “microdosing” is trending, but what is actually in those black-market substances? We took the New Zealand drug checking legislation introduced in 2021 and applied it to research. We recruited people who microdose, who provided presumed LSD and psilocybin microdose samples. Laboratory analysis revealed that while LSD content was consistent with consumer expectations, psilocybin samples revealed surprising inconsistencies, sparking the need for harm reduction information development, particularly regarding mushroom identification, storage, and preparation. Join me in exploring how this research advances harm reduction, informs policy, and supports safer microdosing practices.