Kenneth William Tupper MA, PhD

Kenneth Tupper is a Director of Substance Use Prevention & Harm Reduction at the British Columbia Ministry of Health. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. His general scholarly interests include psychedelic studies the cross-cultural and historical uses of psychoactive substances a public, professional, and school-based drug education, and creating healthy public policy for currently illegal drugs. Kenneth’s doctoral research developed the concept of entheogenic education, a theoretical frame for understanding how psychedelic plants and substances–in particular the Amazonian brew ayahuasca–can function as cognitive tools for learning. Kenneth’s current research includes clinical studies on the potential therapeutic benefits of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and of psilocybin-assisted treatment of substance use disorders. He is also leading the implementation and evaluation of drug checking programs in British Columbia as part of the response to the provincial overdose crisis.