God forbid! Rethinking substance use, religion, and spirituality

In view of its importance in helping us to understand addiction, research on psychoactive substance use in relation to religion and spirituality is now recognized as an important endeavor. However, the vast majority of studies focus on major religions in Western Europe and in the United States, especially Christianity and Judaism, and on alcohol and cannabis consumption. There is also an overemphasis in the literature on pathologized and negative conceptualisations of substance use, WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) participants, and addiction treatments that are inaccessible to the majority of the world’s population. In this editorial we offer constructive suggestions for broadening research in an inclusive agenda to advance our understanding of substance use globally and in diverse populations.