This community project was instigated by Matt Bowden
Matt Bowden
Famous for invention of ‘party pills’ which stopped fatal drug overdoses in New Zealand for nearly a decade and credited with converting 50-60,000 New Zealanders away from methamphetamine use, Matt Bowden has over 20 years of experience at the forefront of new science technology in drug discovery, advocacy and furthering the regulatory development and practice for ethical harm reduction policy.
Matt also established AngelCare Charitable Trust training emergency first aiders for nightclubs and dance parties trained in drug overdose interventions, set up a 24/7 drug helpline providing psychological services and developed dietary supplements for methamphetamine addiction recovery, as well as alcohol, opiate and cannabinoid addiction.
Matt has held several patents in new drug technologies and advocated for, and then developed with government, a regulatory system for psychoactive drugs which recognised basic human rights and created a regulated market with quality control and safety testing, this model would phase out more harmful drug markets, including cigarettes and alcohol by allowing development of safer alternatives. The model collected accolades at United Nations as the ‘only solution on the table for the emerging drugs threat.’
After diplomatic push back from foreign governments and other established industry group, New Zealand ‘s government abandoned support for Matt’s model, resulting in a 7 year hiatus from industry to grow spiritually in Chiang Mai, Thailand and reflect on his life path. Matt returned to New Zealand in 2020 with a heart for installing a layer of health science infrastructure into the community.
“I am still passionate about using available health technology to reduce harm to people that use alcohol and other drugs, and to fulfil my vision of developing a system that gives people natural health products to curb addiction, but watching the 2020 health crisis play out, it is clear that there are other priorities right now, and we need our own local leadership for those marginalised groups choosing natural health modalities. I have 20 years experience managing multidisciplinary science teams, turning science into products and bringing them to the community. I could see from the start of the outbreak what impact spike proteins would have, and which natural solutions would support our bodies to stand strong, especially for those who are long haul sufferers who benefit from specialised help. I established Everlasting Foundation and Xtralife Health Science to keep natural health science in the hands of the people.”
Matt heads a scientific advisory group built up over many years with disciplines ranging from Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Biology at the cutting edge of drug design technology, with a firm commitment to:
- Advance natural health solutions to the new range of health challenges brought by the challenges of the 2020s
- Establish a not-for-profit community vitamin bank to make these natural health solutions available to all
- Establish a project for development of natural longevity and DNA protective technologies
- Continue development of cannabinoids for cancer and potential COVID applications
- Begin development of new psychoceutical substances for use in the upcoming global wave of PTSD
Matt’s resolve to build a ‘community owned asset’ in the form of a ‘vitamin bank’ is aligned with his ‘NextLevel.NZ’ vision of social cohesion, encouraging academics and entrepreneurs to work together with the community under not-for-profit umbrellas to establish a network of not for profit community infrastructure focused on serving the whole community and not shareholders.
Matt established Xtralife Health Science Limited as a registered limited liability company to trade through, and is investigating pathways to move toward a not for profit model.