Are psychedelics legal in your state?

Psychedelics are being fast-tracked for research after a 2026 executive order

Many such compounds (including LSD, psilocybin, and more) are classified as Schedule I drugs—illegal to possess and federally regarded as having no medical use. Researchers say such restrictions have created significant hurdles for formal clinical trials. With this executive order, the FDA will enable work particularly focused on depression, PTSD, and alcohol use disorder.

Mental health applications of psychedelics

Scientists are investigating psilocybin, ketamine, LSD, and MDMA (also known as ecstasy) as potential treatments for mental health issues. These drugs enable an altered state of consciousness, which can have beneficial or harmful impacts depending on the nature of the experience. Research suggests these drugs can be effective in treating substance use disorders, mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.

Oregon voters in 2020 greenlit adult use of psilocybin—the active ingredient in magic mushrooms—in state-licensed centers, and a 2026 analysis indicates the program has good safety and satisfaction data.

Psychedelic drugs are having a scientific renaissance

After decades of repression, psychedelic research is making a resurgence. Hear from a host of experts in this 20-minute video on what that could mean for the future of mental health. The current science on psychedelics believes LSD can cause a particular brain network to quiet or deactivate.

How Western psychedelics research fell to the wayside

Psychedelics' modern era began when LSD was discovered in the 1930s. By the 1950s, clinical trials were underway. US user experimentation outside of medical settings (and high-profile violence, like the Manson murders) inspired negative attitudes toward psychedelics, leading to use restrictions that prohibited companies from patenting psychedelic compounds. This strangled psychedelics' profitability until the 1990s when the government loosened its grip and psychedelics research began seeing a resurgence.

Psychedelic therapy's ethical guidelines (or lack thereof)

With a checkered history of misconduct, how will psychedelic-assisted therapists be held accountable in the emerging legal field? This article explores the nascent field's need for ethical guidelines and clear protection of patient rights when therapeutic breakthroughs teeter "on the edge of consent."

Australian psychiatrists already prescribe psilocybin and MDMA for depression and PTSD

The country green lighted the treatments for July 1, 2023, onward, with MDMA—ectasy—as a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment, and psilocybin—magic mushrooms—as an option for people with treatment-resistant depression.

The commercial and therapeutic potential of psychedelics

A 2006 study into the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics sparked a renewed interest in the field of psychedelic research, a development that has cascaded into commercialized ventures and experiences. This article details how growing research into the psychological benefits of psychedelics is matched by the rise of anecdotal reports, book deals, businesses, and corporate claims seeking to capitalize on psychedelic potential.

LSD fueled a countercultural movement before evolving into a potential therapeutic

As the use of recreational psychedelics became common, authorities were quick to claim LSD had lasting adverse effects, criminalizing the drug and halting scientific study for decades. Over time, LSD's reputation shifted from a potential source of enlightenment to a dangerous drug that could dim a person's future, and back to a possible therapeutic compound.

Psychedelics interact with neurotransmitter systems to alter one's perception

LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA can suppress the brain's default mode network and enhance connectivity. Research shows that, when paired with therapy, psychedelics may help treat mental health conditions, including depression, addiction, and PTSD.

People with schizophrenia are excluded from psychedelic research

Individuals with this mental health condition are routinely eliminated from any psychedelic research due to concerns about triggering or worsening psychosis. Yet there is little high-quality research in this area, raising questions about if further research into this question is warranted as interest grows in using psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.

How psychedelics can potentially reinvent learning

Critical periods, discovered in the early 20th century, describe a period when someone is incredibly sensitive to their environment, and any information learned can stick with them for life. Some researchers argue these states can be "reopened" via psychedelics, which put the mind into a malleable state that can potentially be used to treat conditions ranging from lazy eyes to PTSD.

Psychedelic side effects, including worsening mental health for some patients, give pause

This article explores whether the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drug use is really as good as current research suggests. Scientists are exploring its applications for conditions ranging from the existential crisis that can accompany terminal diagnoses to chronic mental health conditions, including anxiety and PTSD.

The FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in 2024, calling for more research

The decision was considered to be a major setback for moving psychedelics into the mainstream for mental health treatment. Pharmaceutical company Lykos, who had applied for the approval, had already attracted significant support from patients, politicians on both sides of the aisle, and leaders in the mental health field.

What can psychedelics teach us about dying?

Psychedelics have made their way into the world of licensed mental healthcare, and the drugs have been proven to help people process and lessen anxiety and depression. What does this mean for people with terminal illnesses who are afraid of death?

Drugs 101: An interactive guide

What's the difference between opioids and psychedelics? This guide details specific drugs and their various associated effects. Drugs in this wheel fall into seven categories: stimulants, depressants, empathogens, psychedelics, dissociatives, cannabinoids, and opioids.

How four types of psychedelics affect the brain

Brain imaging shows that ayahuasca, MDMA, DMT, and psilocybin profoundly affect neural activity, giving rise to higher states of introspection and consciousness. This article details exactly how each of these drugs physically affects the brain and what that means for mental health treatment. Some of these drugs quiet the brain or trigger the release of neurochemicals associated with mood regulation and learning.

Psychedelic compounds: a visual library

However psychedelic experiences manifest, they all begin with the presence of psychoactive compounds. Learn about their various chemical compositions in this structural library of psychedelic compounds. Clicking on an entry will take readers to a new page where they can learn about the chemistry and pharmacology of each compound, as well as the drug's possible applications.

How to avoid a 'bad trip' advice includes relaxing your mind if you experience scary things and not fighting the feeling

In this video, Michael Pollan, author of "This Is Your Mind On Plants," underscores the gaps in existing understanding about the substances and recommends only taking guided experiences, for safety and help. He tackles how psychedelics work, explains microdosing and psychedelic risks, how the substances could be used to treat addiction, and the history of psychedelic stigma.

How psilocybin could transform mental health treatment

How magical are magic mushrooms, at least where depression is concerned? Some 24 volunteers participated in a study to evaluate the efficacy of using psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy to treat individuals suffering from depression. While some controversies remain about its use—psilocybin is known to cause psychosis sometimes—some scientists think the benefits outweigh the risks.

An overview of modern clinical research on LSD

Researchers have determined that LSD, taken in a medical setting, decreases anxiety related to "life-threatening disease," reduces brain reactivity to fearful faces, increases the meaning and emotional response derived from music, and more. No complications of LSD administration have been observed in medical settings, though acute adverse effects, including exhaustion, nausea, and difficulty concentrating.

The neurobiology of meaningfulness: the benefits of psychedelics

Psychedelics produce powerful emotions in its users, including a profound sense of meaningfulness. The philosopher William James called this sense "noetic" in the late 19th century, but for decades researchers avoided studying the effects of such drugs on the brain. However, the recent resurgence in psychedelic research has heightened interest in the relationship between this noetic sense resulting from the therapeutic use of drugs. Learn what researchers have found out here.

Studies of psychedelic use may help shed light on the nature of consciousness

The nature of consciousness—what it is, where it comes from, and how it manifests as moment-to-moment experience—remains under debate by scientists. Recent studies show psychedelics were found to boost low-frequency brain signals known as delta waves, a behavior also seen during dream states.

Psychedelics set off a flurry of brain activity that may permanently alter it

The brain seems to experience a sharp increase in communication between areas that generally don't interact. New research suggests a thin, sheet-like gray matter structure tucked deep within the brain, between the insular cortex and striatum, may be the key to this change. The area is centrally located and home to many of the receptors that psychedelics target, potentially rewiring the brain and rewriting thought patterns.

What do psychedelic plants look like?

Far from the drippy aesthetic often associated with psychedelics, the plants powering naturally occurring psychoactive experiences may not stand out as anything special. This database offers a visual guide to psychoactive plants and fungi. Clicking on the title of a particular plant, such as yerba mate, will bring up a secondary screen with various hyperlinked images, such as the plant itself, related botanical drawings, and molecular structures.

Ibogaine, a psychedelic substance, can be used to treat mental illness

Although the substance is banned in the US, it's legal in Mexico. Americans who have traveled there for treatment, including the NFL's Braden Smith, say the drug helps deal with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Widespread use of LSD sparked a counter-cultural artistic movement in the 1960s

The trippy visuals often associated with LSD flourished in the 1960s as the drug became more widespread. Psychedelic design, defined by its undulating text and graphics, ultimately grew beyond just visuals, spawning psychedelia, a term that includes art, music, and cultural experiences based on psychedelic experiences.

Could this pseudo-psychedelic VR experience decrease symptoms of depression?

Researchers report that virtual reality and psychedelics may be leave users with similar insights and therapeutic benefits. Try out this free psychedelic virtual reality experience to see if this holds true for you. According to the program’s creators, a study into the efficacy of this 45-minute experience indicates it may help alleviate symptoms of mild to moderate depression.

How can octopuses and MDMA help scientists understand the human brain?

Research shows that psychedelics may induce something called "critical periods" in the adult brain, which can make our brains more open to learning and changing, like they once were back in early childhood. Psychedelics similarly change how social creatures like octopuses behave, which demonstrates that these animals could help us better understand our own neurobiology.

Can microdosing improve mental health?

Animal studies involving microdoses of psilocybin, the psychoactive component in magic mushrooms and ketamine, found it helped to alleviate anxiety and inflammation, an immune response that can cause damage when chronically active. Human studies are ongoing. In at least one double-blind study, where researchers and patients don't know who got a placebo versus the real thing, about half of the participants incorrectly guessed they had been given placebos.

How to make LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide, often shortened to LSD, comes from ergot, a parasitic fungus that can be found in grains. Chemists rearrange the fungus' chemical structure or the structure of an ergot derivative through complex chemical reactions, transforming it into the hallucinogenic bicycle-shaped LSD crystal. Due to the partially synthetic drug's criminalization, many of the details of modern LSD crafting honed by "underground chemists" are kept secret.

LSD-like drugs may inspire new antidepressants

LSD and psilocybin have shown promise as antidepressants. Using a virtual library of similar chemical compounds, researchers determined via animal studies that two molecules inspired by LSD have antidepressant effects without any associated hallucinogenic experience. These molecules were found to be 40 times more potent than the common antidepressant fluoxetine, also known as Prozac, with antidepressant effects lasting up to 21 days.

Using psychedelics to manage a cancer diagnosis

Dr. Roland Griffiths helped lead the revival of psychedelic research, often prescribing the use of psilocybin to address severe depression or anxiety in patients. This podcast explores how Griffiths leaned on his own career after being diagnosed with cancer and facing the prospect of death.

An account of unethical behavior by psychedelic guides

Ethical guidelines and protections have a gossamer grasp in the underground psychedelics movement. This 34-minute podcast episode delves into patterns of deception and abuse by movement leaders through one source's deeply personal tale. This episode, which involves descriptions of sexual violence, is one of many in New York Magazine's Power Trip series, a nine-part investigation into the darker side of the psychedelic renaissance.

Watch veterans experience psilocybin at a Mexican clinic and discuss the aftermath

This "60 Minutes" episode from 2025 follows nine veterans attending a week-long psychedelic retreat to treat their PTSD. Most of the vets say the experience at the Mexican clinic was life-changing. But results were mixed: One veteran reported he was scared and that the experience worsened his mental health overall.

Sports betting is legal in 47 states and the District of Columbia

This downloadable map provides an easy-to-see overview of each state's position on legalized gambling, including a breakdown of online versus retail betting. Click on a state, and a new page will provide information on what type of wagers are allowed, key regulations, tax rate data, and where that tax money will be allocated.

Physiological changes to the brain on LSD can be captured via MRI

Psychedelics like LSD often take users on novel experiences that can result in lasting shifts in perspective and behavior. See how LSD affects brain activity in this video that details how scientists visually captured the psychedelic's effect for the first time.

US states have reported over $25B in tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales and medical marijuana.

The 'definitive' history of magic mushrooms

Where did magic mushrooms come from, and how did they get their magical reputation? This article explains the history of the psychedelic fungi from pre-history to now. The earliest concrete evidence of psychedelic mushroom use is 12,000-year-old murals in Northern Australia that portray mushroom iconography. Considering how many species seek out and consume psychoactive substances, such as Siberian reindeer, it's possible human use of these psychedelic mushrooms may predate these murals.

Ibogaine is being investigated for treating mental health issues and substance abuse

This compound, which is illegal to use in the US, has had promising results for patients who have tried it in other countries for substance abuse and mental health concerns. This psychoactive substance is not without risks, however; this TED talk points out it's also caused fatal cardiac arrhythmias and shouldn't be taken without medical supervision.

An LSD scientist's role in a US mind control project

Within a decade of LSD's discovery, the US government had launched a secret initiative involving hypnosis and hallucinogens. LSD researcher Louis Jolyon West conducted experiments for the CIA's MKUltra project, which focused on the potential of mind control. He later took part in a criminal trial that hinged on testimony whose sourcing was seemingly inspired by MKUltra experiments. This article explores light shed by West's personal archive.

Psychedelic DMT—part of ayahuasca—shows antidepressant promise in small clinical trial

Proponents say this short-acting psychedelic, formally known as dimethyltryptamine, could be particularly promising for medicinal use because longer-acting psychedelics can sideline someone for hours after a treatment with hallucinations. DMT is the primary psychoactive ingredient in ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew used across various South American cultures for spiritual, social, and medicinal purposes.

LSD (better known as acid) was created in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann

Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD or acid, was first developed synthetically in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann. It's since become a linchpin for an entire aesthetic, fueled a counterculture movement, and is being studied for potential therapeutic uses.

LSD's molecular structure closely resembles the neurotransmitter serotonin

Lysergic acid diethylamide (C20H25N3O) is a colorless, odorless, and flavorless chemical compound that can induce altered perception, mood, and cognition. One of its roles in the brain is as a serotonin agonist, meaning it enters serotonin receptors and triggers a fraction of the response the neurotransmitter would typically warrant.

The illegal happy hour map

Despite its origins as a US phenomenon, happy hours aren't welcome everywhere in the country. This resource includes a map that visualizes every American state's happy hour legislation, from the states with complete bans (like Massachusetts) to states that don't have any happy hour legislation at all.

The US FDA defines peptides as being 40 amino acids or less.

The negative effects of cannabis use

After decades of criminalization, cannabis is a legalized drug in an increasing number of countries around the world. This allows for accurate, robust research on the drug's effects on humans . While weed isn't as harmful as alcohol, regular usage has its negative effects. As strains of the drug become stronger, so does its consequences. Watch this video for a lucid look at the effects of cannabis on its users.

There is no clear national standard of laws for autonomous vehicle

Some US states allow self-driving vehicles to operate without a human driver present, while others require a licensed driver to be behind the wheel. As of January 2023, a total of 21 states have legalized autonomous vehicles in public, with six focused solely on semi-trucks.

Colorado legislates neural and biological data generated by the nervous system

The law expands personal privacy protections to include data from brain activity, marking the first legal step of its kind in the US. It targets companies involved in consumer neurotechnologies, which were previously not required to restrict user data access.

Only a fraction of LSD reaches the brain, but it concentrates in key regions

When taken, LSD is absorbed quickly (often within an hour of ingestion) and exerts its effects primarily by binding to serotonin receptors. While only a small amount enters the brain, it's active in regions controlling the visual and auditory senses, potentially driving its psychedelic effects. The drug doesn't linger in the body, and is typically undetectable within a day.