The most rewarding thing about High Society – A History of Drug Culture, on show at The Wellcome Collection, London, is the psychedelic lucidity with which it has been put together. It is rare for such a diverse combination of artistic, interactive and documentary evidence to make so much sense. Using the “universal human impulse” to alter consciousness as a starting point, the exhibition succeeds in giving a multifaceted exploration of the world of drugs, from coffee to crack, and prohibition to rave culture.

There are paintings of opium ships, photos of crack dens, printed acid tabs, prohibition posters, medical apparatus, medicine bottles and drug-inspired art.