Mattha Busby

Mattha Busby
Pronunciation/ˈmeɪθə/ MAY-thə[1]
Born1993 or 1994 (age 32–33)[2]
Bletchley, Great Britain[3]
EducationRoyal Holloway (BA); Goldsmiths College, University of London (MA)[3][1]
OccupationFreelance journalist
Years active2014–present[4]
Known forJournalism and books on psychoactive drugs, drug policy, culture, and society
Notable workShould All Drugs Be Legalized?: A Primer for the 21st Century (2022); Psychedelics: A Pocket Primer (2025)
Websitematthabusby.net

Mattha Busby is a British freelance journalist who covers psychoactive drugs, drug policy, culture, and society, with a particular focus on psychedelic drugs.[5][1][4]

He has written for news outlets including The Guardian, TIME, The Times of London, The Observer, The Intercept, The Daily Beast, Vice, Wired, New Scientist, Rolling Stone, LA Times, Esquire, GQ, Men's Health, DoubleBlind, and Lucid News, among others.[5][1][4] Busby is also the author of two short books, which include Should All Drugs Be Legalized?: A Primer for the 21st Century (2022) and Psychedelics: A Pocket Primer (2025).[5][1][4][6] He has a master's degree in journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London.[2][1][3]

Busby won the London Press Club "Hugh Cudlipp" Award in 2018 and was a Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism fellow in 2024.[5][1] He has been interviewed a number of times, for instance by Psychedelics Today[1] and Dennis McKenna on Brainforest Café,[4] among others.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

In 2023, Busby broke an exclusive story for The Guardian that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), the United Kingdom government's official drug advisers, had privately recommended decriminalization of drugs in a 27-page report in 2016, but that the Home Office had ignored the recommendations and fought for years to keep the report confidential.[9][12]

Busby personally uses psychedelics and considers himself to be an advocate for them, but also takes a balanced and critical perspective on psychedelics and on their potential benefits and harms.[4][1][13]

Selected publications

  • Should All Drugs Be Legalized?: A Primer for the 21st Century. National Geographic Books. 12 July 2022. ISBN 978-0-500-29568-7.
  • Psychedelics: A Pocket Primer. Hoxton Mini Press. 17 June 2025. ISBN 978-1-914314-86-5.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Joe Moore (3 July 2025). "Mattha Busby: Power, Pleasure, and the Psychedelic Movement's Reckoning" (Podcast). Psychedelics Today. No. 612. Mattha Busby (interviewee). Psychedelics Today.
  2. ^ a b "Goldsmiths students win two national awards for journalism – Eastlondonlines". Eastlondonlines. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Busby, Mattha". GND Explorer. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dennis McKenna (1 June 2026). "Inside the Front Lines of Psychedelic Journalism" (Podcast). Mattha Busby (interviewee). Brainforest Café.
  5. ^ a b c d "2024 Fellows – The Ferriss – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship". Berkeley Journalism Fellowships. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2026. Mattha Busby is a freelance journalist. He worked as a news reporter at the Guardian in London from 2017 to 2021 after winning an award for a series on the gambling industry before moving to Mexico. There, he interviewed Maria Sabina's family on her legacy, visited the town that banned Coca-Cola and documented 4/20 in Oaxaca City just after authorities approved public cannabis consumption. He has also written for TIME, The Times of London, the Observer, the Intercept, VICE, DoubleBlind and Men's Health. In 2022, Thames & Hudson published a slim volume authored by Mattha titled, 'Should All Drugs Be Legalized?'. His podcast Uncharted Territory unpacks the pro-psychedelics culture shift. For the fellowship, Mattha is working on a story about war trauma and psychedelics. Socials: X @matthabusby, Instagram @matthamundo
  6. ^ a b "Mattha Busby interview". Centre Think Tank. 8 April 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  7. ^ Alexandra Plesner (29 May 2025). "Mattha Busby – Telling the Whole Psychedelic Story" (Podcast). Psychedelics Design Podcast. Mattha Busby (interviewee).
  8. ^ Dennis Walker (23 January 2026). "Mattha Busby: Drug War Politics and Psychedelic Journalism" (Podcast). Mycopreneur. Mattha Busby (interviewee).
  9. ^ a b "Should We Legalise All Drugs and the Psychedelic Renaissance with Mattha Busby" (Podcast). Drugs Unwrapped: The Podcast. Mattha Busby (interviewee). Barod. 23 April 2024. In 2023, Mattha broke the news that the ACMD, the main advisors to the UK government on drug policy, recommended decriminalising possession in 2016, only for the Home Office to try and keep the 27-page report confidential.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ Simpa Carter (14 April 2025). "Mattha Busby | Ep 165 | Drug Cultures | 'Legalising Drugs' | Journalism" (Podcast). The Simpa Life Podcast. No. 165. Mattha Busby (interviewee).
  11. ^ Sean Hocking (4 January 2026). "Karma Koala Podcast 283: Mattha Busby – Drugs & Psychedelics Journalist Based In Vancouver – Journalism, Psychedelics & Critical Thought" (Podcast). Karma Koala Podcast. No. 283. Mattha Busby (interviewee). Cannabis Law Report.
  12. ^ Busby, Mattha (19 September 2023). "UK drug advisers recommended decriminalising possession in 2016, leak reveals". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  13. ^ Busby, Mattha. Reporting on the Dark Side of Psychedelic Healing. Breaking Convention 2025, April 17–19, 2025, University of Exeter, Exeter, England. University of Exeter, Exeter, England. Retrieved 13 July 2026.

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