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Narcotics have been used by humans since the time of the ancient Egyptians. The Royal Institution (RI) hosts David Nutt, the neuropsychopharmacologist who gained notoriety when he stated that the risks of some recreational drugs had been overstated. He will discuss his experience advising contemporary government drugs policy, the wealth of new ‘legal highs’ and what he thinks drugs, and society’s view of them, will look like in the future. The evening also includes a talk by Sharon Ruston, who will explore how drugs were developed and used by Sir Humphry Davy at the RI, and what that says about early nineteenth-century society.