Remportez des entrées pour l'expo « Drogues » au Musée de l’Homme

Through an original and dynamic scenography, the journey invites critical reflection on drug consumption and dangers. Across an area of 650 m², you can discover a multitude of displays, collection items, archives, testimonies, and artistic creations from the past and present…

Deconstructing the word "drugs"

Beginning with presenting a wide variety of products, whether legal or illegal, natural or synthetic, the exhibition deconstructs the term "drugs" to favor that of psychoactive substances. From narcotics to products consumed daily, such as tobacco, tea, or coffee, these substances all share a common trait: they act on the central nervous system and the psyche. Their classification as legal or illegal varies according to products, eras, societies, beliefs… You may be surprised to learn that our species is not the only one to consume them or that the first traces of consumption date back to prehistoric times!

Social, health… and environmental challenges

Based on the observation that most human societies consume psychoactive substances, the exhibition questions their role. You will be guided through different contexts of use and discover varied consumption patterns at group or individual scales: therapeutic experimentation, need for social conformity, self-transcendence and optimization of intellectual, sports, or military performance, hedonism, access to mystical realms, or artistic inspiration…

From producer to consumer, the exhibition traces the pathways of psychoactive substances to highlight the effects of growing production on environments and societies, address the challenges related to their circulation worldwide, and showcase the various marketing strategies employed by sellers of both legal and illegal products.

Finally, public policies implemented to address social and health challenges related to the consumption of psychoactive products can be more or less repressive, more or less tolerant, depending on the values and priorities of different states. With what effectiveness? The exhibition explores the concept of "risks" associated with substance use and looks back at the history of harm reduction policy in Europe starting in the 1980s.

Rooted in a humanistic perspective, it concludes with an installation that highlights the voices of psychoactive substance users. Thus, you will discover diverse profiles, far from the stereotyped image of these users.

Scientific curation

François Beck, sociologist, researcher at Inserm's Centre de Recherche en Épidémiologie et Santé des Populations (CESP), former director of the Observatoire français des Drogues et Toxicomanies (OFDT);

Vincent Verroust, ethnobiologist, researcher in psychedelic studies at Cermes3 – Centre de recherche médecine, science, santé et société, Inserm;

Alain Epelboin, medical anthropologist, honorary associate at the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, former member of the Scientific Council of the Observatoire français des Drogues et Toxicomanies and the scientific advisory board of the Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les toxicomanies (MILDT).

Exhibition curation

Marie Merlin, scenographer and exhibition project manager

Charlène Camarella, scenographer and exhibition project manager.