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So what do you do?
I study the effects of recreational drugs on humans. Our goal is to contribute to the limited empirical database on their effects.
How did you end up working in this field?
I went to prison as a teenager for selling MDMA [ecstasy]. After my sentence, I decided that I would redeem myself by studying the drug I sold.
What are you working on right now?
A study in which people were given up to three MDMA doses in 24 hours. We know that in the real world people tend to take multiple doses on this timescale. I鈥檓 happy to report that we observed no cardiotoxicity or other worrying findings.
As a child, what did you want to be when听you 听grew up?
I wanted to be a professional boxer.
Were you good at science at school?
If we are talking about high school then definitely not. I dropped out after three semesters. However, I did well on the science portion of the GED [the US high-school-level test for over 16s].
Did you have to overcome any particular challenges to get where you are today?
My felony has made it very hard to find jobs and housing while pursuing higher education.
How has your field of study changed in the time you have been working in it?
In my view, a 2012 study led by Carl Hart changed the game. It showed that studies finding cognitive problems associated with methamphetamine use are beset by statistical errors and bias. It seems like scientists are more careful in how they talk about drugs now.
Is there a discovery or achievement you wish you鈥檇 made yourself?
The 鈥渁ttractive alternative鈥� studies, also led by Hart. They brought crack cocaine users into a lab and offered them $5 cash or a hit of pure, pharmaceutical-grade crack worth more than $5. Five dollars was enough to stop them taking the drug half of the time. When the reward was raised to $20, the participants barely took the offered drug. They almost always chose the money.
What scientific development do you hope to see in your lifetime?
A shift away from the brain disease model of听addiction. There is virtually no scientific evidence to support this view.
If you could send a message back to yourself as a kid, what would you say?
Go to school and do well. Otherwise you鈥檒l have to听learn what you missed in your own time.
What鈥檚 the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
I like Malcolm X鈥檚 quote about not being in a hurry to condemn people because they don鈥檛 do or think as you do, because there was a time when you didn鈥檛 know what you know today.
Do you have an unexpected hobby, and if so, please will you tell us about it?
Making random people smile.
What鈥檚 the best thing you鈥檝e read or seen in the past 12 months?
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. A great book about a man鈥檚 journey of self-discovery.
How useful will your skills be after the apocalypse?
We have never had a society that doesn鈥檛 use drugs and probably never will. After the apocalypse people will still use drugs. By informing people about the potential benefits and harms, my work can be used to keep people safe.
OK one last thing: tell us something that will blow our minds鈥�
The vast majority of people who use drugs, even heroin, do not meet the criteria for a substance use disorder (addiction).
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Christopher Medina-Kirchner is a PhD student at Columbia University, New York, and co-founder of the student support programme FIRST (Formerly Incarcerated Reintegration Science Training) He tweets
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