St. Albert residents can get buzzed on the science of beer and psilocybin next week as a regional science centre hosts an adults-only event on mind-altering drugs.
About 1,000 people will be at the Telus World of Science Edmonton May 22 for the Science is Dope event. Part of the science centre’s adults-only Dark Matters series, the event will let guests learn more about the history, chemistry, and culture behind mind-bending substances.
The science centre has previously held Dark Matters events on cannabis, the science of which will once again figure heavily into this evening, said spokesperson Brett Nestman. Also on tap will be experts speaking on addictions, recycling, and the traditional use of drugs throughout history. Guests will get to simulate intoxication with beer goggles, identify cannabis strains by scent, and build their own lava lamps.
Science is trippy
Ashton Faulkner of Plantlife (a cannabis retailer in St. Albert) will be at the show to talk about terpenes in cannabis.
Terpenes are aromatic substances found in everything from yogurt to feathers, Faulkner said. Plants produce them to repel predators. When consumed or inhaled by humans, these chemicals bond with various receptors to produce medicinal effects.
“Some terpenes are stress relieving. Some are euphoric. Some are relaxing, sedative, you name it,” he said.
Terpenes help shape the effects of cannabis on people, Faulkner said. Strains heavy on limonene tend to smell fruity, for example, while those with lots of caryophyllene are useful for pain relief.
Psychologist Heidi Edgar of Reunion Psychedelic Therapy will be at the event to talk about how psychedelic drugs such as ketamine and psilocybin can be used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addictions.
“Traditional antidepressants are meant to reduce symptoms, but they don’t help people understand themselves on a deeper level,” Edgar said.
The mind-altering experiences caused by psychedelic drugs create a lot of neural activity and neuroplasticity in the brain, making patients more aware of and better able to change deep-set patterns of behaviour, Edgar said. This can result in rapid improvement with fewer treatments; instead of taking a pill every day, a patient might have one psychedelic treatment a month.
There’s still a lot of stigma attached to psychedelics, and few people have the training to use them effectively, said Kirby Kelly, executive director of Reunion Psychedelic. Treatments can be expensive and involve many hours of psychotherapy. Some of the substances involved are tightly regulated by Health Canada.
MacEwan University classics professor Matt Gibbs will be at the event to talk about ancient brewing techniques for alcohol.
Food and drink are a big part of identity, and we can use them as framework to study ancient civilizations, Gibbs said.
The first beers were probably created by accident when someone ground grain for ease of digestion and found out it fermented in water, Gibbs said. Since yeast wasn’t discovered until the Middle Ages, ancient brewers would have made beer by leaving it out overnight and hoping some beneficial fungi landed in it. The result was a sort of “sour milkshake” that topped out at about three per cent alcohol.
“It’s just disgusting,” he said, having brewed and tasted ancient beer himself, so it’s no surprise ancient Romans threw all sorts of substances into it to change the taste: honey, fruit, and even deadly nightshade.
While there won’t be any vaping, smoking, or other controlled substances sold or consumed at Dark Matters, Nestman said guests will get to sample alcoholic cocktails and “munchies” potato chip and liquid nitrogen ice cream at this event.
Science is Dope runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. May 22 and is open to those 18 or older. Tickets are $32.95. Visit telusworldofscienceedmonton.ca for details.
