This research summary explores the use and impact of the psychoactive substance known as ‘monkey dust’ in Stoke-on-Trent, combining academic research with powerful lived experience insight. A key feature of the study is the role of Expert Citizens, whose members worked as peer researchers—conducting interviews, shaping findings, and ensuring the voices of people with direct experience were central throughout (see introduction, page 1).
By bringing together perspectives from people who use substances, communities, and professionals, the report challenges stigma, highlights the complexity of drug use, and calls for more compassionate, evidence-based responses. It demonstrates how lived experience can deepen understanding, improve research quality, and inform more effective, person-centred solutions.
Ultimately, this publication shows the critical role of organisations like Expert Citizens in bridging the gap between systems and lived realities, helping to drive more informed, humane approaches to complex soci
