Mattha Busby

Professional Background

I’m a journalist who has reported from more than a dozen countries and published investigations, long-form features, cultural commentary and dispatches for The Guardian, VICE, Rolling Stone, Wired, TIME, The LA Times, GQ, Esquire, Men’s Health, and others. My work often explores the intersection of altered states, power, and culture, while I have also reported widely on health policy and the wellness industry.

I’ve reported from more than a dozen countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Morocco, Bosnia, Italy, the US, and elsewhere.
In 2024, I was a Ferris-UC Berkeley fellow in psychedelic journalism. I contributed a chapter that year titled Why Do We Take ‘Drugs’? for a Sainsbury Centre exhibition anthology.
In 2023, I worked with VICE to transform my article on the psychedelic toad venom industry in Tulum, Mexico, into a short documentary.
In 2018, I won the London Press Club’s Hugh Cudlipp award for outstanding student contribution for a series of articles on the gambling industry published in The Guardian.

Books