Psychedelic Science & Policy

Colorado Public Radio's Kiara DeMare reports on state-licensed psychedelic healing centers in Colorado.

After Schedule I: Federal Psychedelic Rescheduling and the Impact on State Law

Monday, November 17, 2025, 1:00-2:00pm (PT) webinar
"As promising clinical trial data for substances like psilocybin and MDMA emerges, a critical question remains: how should these compounds move from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act to become accessible medical treatments?"

Webinar Registration - Zoom Dr. Bill Detmer, CEO of Unbound Medicine, hosts Dr. Paul Nestadt and Dr. Mary Elizabeth “Bit” Yaden from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for a discussion on the evolving field of psychedelic medicine. Their conversation will explore practical strategies for patient education and innovative approaches to expanding mental health care capacity. Attendees will gain actionable insights to navigate emerging treatments and support informed conversations with patients. A live Q&A will follow the discussion.

Webinar
Monday, October 20, 2025
10AM Eastern
Dr. Bill Detmer, CEO of Unbound Medicine, hosts Dr. Paul Nestadt and Dr. Mary Elizabeth “Bit” Yaden from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for a discussion on the evolving field of psychedelic medicine.

Neurobiological substrates of altered states of consciousness induced by high ventilation breathwork accompanied by music The popularity of breathwork as a therapeutic tool for psychological distress is rapidly expanding. Breathwork practices that increase ventilatory rate or depth, facilitated by music, can evoke subjec...

"In the present study, the magnitude of the [Oceanic Boundlessness] experience induced by [high ventilation breathwork with music] was comparable to that elicited by serotonergic psychedelic substances, including psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)" Aug 2025 PLoS One 20(8): e0329411

Service Members to Be Tested for Hallucinogenic Psilocin Found in ‘Magic Mushrooms’ The Pentagon will begin testing service members for psilocin, the hallucinogenic compound produced when psilocybin mushrooms, also known as magic

Starting in October 2025, the US Department of Defense will test Service members for psilocin (psilocybin mushroom) consumption due to "the risk of impairment and subsequent deterioration of security, military fitness, readiness, good order and discipline" (per linked DOD Memorandum)

Judges rules in favor of Utah faith group seeking to use psychedelic mushrooms The first-of-its-kind case is putting Utah’s new religious freedom law to the test

A Utah-based faith group is suing for the right to use psilocybin mushrooms as part of its religious practices, arguing that criminalization violates religious freedom protections. The case could set a significant precedent in balancing state drug laws with religious liberty.

State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — August 2025 Arizona allocates funding for ibogaine research, Reason Foundation to testify at Mississippi informational hearing about ibogaine, and more.

State psychedelic legalization and policy roundup, August 2025

Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon

Oregon study shows psilocybin therapy helped low-income people fight depression Psilocybin therapy can help low-income people suffering from depression, according to a new study from Oregon researchers.

"[P]articipants reported improvements in their sleep, physical ability, cognitive function, social ability, fatigue, anxiety, and the impact of pain on their everyday lives. Three months later, researchers found [...] the reductions around the impacts of pain became statistically insignificant."

Psilocybin triggers an activity-dependent rewiring of large-scale cortical networks Psilocybin holds promise as a treatment for mental illnesses. One dose of psilocybin induces structural remodeling of dendritic spines in the medial frontal cortex in mice. The dendritic spines would ...

"Our study hints at an exciting avenue for future research to combine neuromodulation with psychedelics to precisely target specific circuits for neural plasticity." bioRxiv 2025 August

This is good to hear. Thank you @beccakacanda.bsky.social!

UNM Scientists Test Experimental Psychedelic Drug to Alleviate the Emotional Toll of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis University of New Mexico researchers are joining a multi-site clinical trial of an experimental psychedelic drug intended to alleviate the mental suffering many patients experience when they receive a...

Dr. Lawrence Leeman of the University of New Mexico describes how the REKINDLE clinical trial will test the effectiveness of RE104 (a synthetic prodrug similar to psilocybin) in treating patients who have received a life-altering disease diagnosis.

Check out our latest paper in Nature Neuroscience (rdcu.be/ey7yk). This was a great collaboration with some very surprising results! Seems that a glutamate burst and proximate IEG expression might not be necessary for structural neuroplasticity induced by 5-HT2A partial agonists.

Psychedelics and Non-hallucinogenic Analogs Work Through the Same Receptor, Up to a Point Understanding exactly how psychedelics promote new connections in the brain is critical to developing targeted, non-hallucinogenic therapeutics that can treat neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric di...

Greg Watry of @ucdlands.bsky.social wrote a wonderful article about the #UCDavisIPN's @natureportfolio.nature.com most recent Neuroscience publication. Find out why our associate director, John A. Gray said, "Science is full of surprises."

Read the article here: www.ucdavis.edu/news/psyched...

"With growing attention towards psilocybin treatment, the associated risk of medical liability for physicians involved in prescribing psilocybin or facilitating psilocybin treatment becomes increasingly important to study." J Law Med Ethics 2025 July

Psychoactive substances: novel molecular insights and therapeutic potential for Alzheimer's disease - Translational Neurodegeneration Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder that causes severe cognitive decline and poses a significant burden on global health systems. Despite extensive research, effective treat...

"Psychedelics such as LSD and DMT, have shown intriguing results in regulating neuroplasticity and inflammation, but their use in [Alzheimer's disease] treatment is still largely experimental and requires rigorous clinical validation." Transl Neurodegener. 2025 July

Filament Health to supply psilocybin for two Phase II studies Filament Health has collaborated with UCL to provide its botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for two Phase II research studies.

"Filament Health has collaborated with University College London (UCL) in the UK to provide its botanical psilocybin drug candidate, PEX010, for two Phase II research studies."

WVU Researcher Discovers Potential Mental Health Treatment Through Psychedelic Fungi - West Virginia Public Broadcasting A West Virginia researcher is working at the cutting edge of the study of psychedelics. Corinne Hazel is a West Virginia University microbiology student. This spring, she found a fungus that was barel...

Inside Appalachia producer Bill Lynch speaks with Corinne Hazel and Daniel Panaccione about their research on fungi in morning glory plants that make psychedelic ergot alkaloids.

The Legal Architecture of Psychedelic Therapy: Risks, Responsibilities, and Reimbursement Realities Key legal, ethical, and compliance considerations for managed care professionals navigating the evolving landscape of psychedelic-assisted therapy include regulatory risks, data privacy challenges, re...

Alana Hippensteele analyzes issues relevant to psychedelic health care professionals, such as informed consent, standard of care, licensing, data collection, HIPAA conflicts, cybersecurity, breach liability, insurance coverage and reimbursement, and more.

UK Government supports ACMD plan to enable research with schedule 1 medicines such as psilocybin and MDMA Despite the resurgence of research into the clinical efficacy and mechanism of action of psychedelic drugs such as such as psilocybin, LSD, DMT, and MDMA they are currently in Schedule 1 of the Misuse...

www.drugscience.org.uk/uk-governmen... - light at the end of the tunnel for #psychedelics research and treatment we hope

Massachusetts Psychiatric Society Endorses Bill To Decriminalize Psilocybin Possession “We are encouraged by the growing body of rigorous research exploring the use of psychedelics, including psilocybin in treating treatment-resistant types of mental illness.” By Jack Gorsline, HorizonM...

Dr. Jhilam Biswas speaks on behalf of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society to express the Society's support for decriminalizing the simple possession of psilocybin.

The Molly Maker: 5 Questions for PharmAla founder Nick Kadysh Kadysh discusses PharmAla’s MDMA and the logistics of the international MDMA supply chain.

(29) The Molly Maker: 5 Questions for PharmAla founder Nick Kadysh themicrodose.substack.com/p/the-molly-...

Extraordinary Books at Psychedelic Science 2025 Watch three exciting book presentations that Drugreporter recorded at PS25 in Denver. Timothy Leary’s son, Zach Leary, presented his new book Your Extraordinary Mind; Wendy Tucker, Ann Shulgin’s daugh...

Watch three exciting book presentations that Drugreporter recorded at PS25 in Denver, by Timothy Leary’s son, Zach Leary, Wendy Tucker, Ann Shulgin’s daughter and Diego Ugalde.

"Whether these therapies live up to their billion-dollar potential in mental health and beyond may depend less on the molecules themselves, and more on the industry’s ability to deliver them safely, ethically and at scale."

European Medical Journal, 2025 July

LSD's rapid antidepressant effects are modulated by 5-HT2B receptors Recent clinical trials show that serotonergic psychedelics, including the prototypical hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), possess a great …

"Together, these findings indicate that LSD, acutely administered, acts as a rapid-onset antidepressant in naïve rat, but not in naïve mice, through mechanisms involving activation of 5-HT2B receptors." Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 2025

Filament Health Announces Two Phase 2 Research Trials In Partnership With University College London Filament Health Announces Two Phase 2 Research Trials In Partnership With University College London

Two psilocybin studies led by @rosmcalpine.bsky.social, @mjaglinska.bsky.social, @kjedlovszky.bsky.social, @orisshenyan.bsky.social, and others.

www.filament.health/news/filamen...

A psychedelic drug disorganizes cortical traveling waves. Groovy work.
Complex slow waves in the human brain under 5-MeO-DMT
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
#neuroscience

Psychedelic therapy centers can open in Avon beginning in August Therapeutic centers that use psychedelic compounds to treat patients will be able to open in Avon beginning in August. On Tuesday, Avon finished establishing where and under what limitations natural m...

Avon, Colorado approves rules for psilocybin healing centers

"The town’s regulations on natural medicine healing centers will go into effect 30 days following the July 22 approval, at which point natural medicine businesses can begin to open in Avon."

report by @vaildaily.bsky.social

3 Ways Psychedelics Treat Depression YouTube video by The Psychedelic Scientist

Dr. Manesh Girn describes how psychedelic therapy can help with depression by overcoming isolation and restoring connection, healing trauma and emotional wounds, and enhancing flexible thinking.

Ibogaine Clinics Closer Than Ever in Colorado The Natural Medicine Advisory Board is weighing this, with the governor's support. The drug shows therapeutic promise, along with some risks.

Colorado’s Natural Medicine Advisory Board is now weighing this historic move, with the governor's support. Ibogaine has shown promise for SUD and other conditions, reports Alexander Lekhtman, though safety risks post some pratical and ethical questions:

Dispatch: The Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference — Plasticity, Psychotherapy, and Perception (Part 1) - Psychedelic Alpha Here, we share Dr. Alaina Jaster’s observations from the inaugural Neurobiology of Psychedelics Gordon Research Conference, where leading scientists gathered to explore various realms of psychedelic…

Check out my keynote & Day 1 dispatch of #GRCPsychedelics 🧠 via @psychedelicalpha.bsky.social

psychedelicalpha.com/news/dispatc...