Regulating psychedelics: It’s time to consider psychedelics as potential treatments

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• September 22, 2023

Insights summary

Scientists are discovering that some psychedelic drugs can help treat mental conditions in specific dosages, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The question now is how to regulate and mostly limit their use to medicine.

Regulating psychedelics context

The results of a 2021 study conducted by researchers funded by the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) found that after MDMA-assisted therapy, nearly 70 percent of treated participants no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), popularly called ecstasy, is a stimulant that causes hallucinations and even stroke and heart attack when high dosages are consumed.

MAPS is hopeful that an ongoing second study will confirm the first study’s results. The nonprofit is also seeking approval for the therapy from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as early as 2023. The FDA gave MDMA a “breakthrough” designation in 2017, which provides extra support and guidance during the clinical trial process. 

Since the 1990s, MAPS researchers have been trying to turn MDMA into a prescription medicine. The substance doesn't usually result in intense hallucinations caused by LSD or psilocybin mushrooms. However, it does raise the level of certain brain chemicals, like serotonin and dopamine. This function creates a feeling of happiness and increased empathy. For trauma survivors who experience intrusive flashbacks, this could allow them to revisit disturbing memories with less fear and judgment.

MDMA and other psychedelic substances are moving closer to regulatory approval, which may help reduce the stigma around them. Supervision from therapists could play a role in this shift, helping people overcome fears of indiscriminate use. However, there still needs to be a standardized regulatory framework to govern these high-risk drugs.

Disruptive impact

The idea that psychedelic drugs and talk therapy might work together raises complex questions about how to optimize and regulate the drug experience. According to Atheir Abbas, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at Oregon Health & Science University, it's unclear how MDMA and other psychedelics are facilitating psychotherapy and how they affect the patient neurobiologically in this context. A guided, more psychotherapy-oriented approach is probably warranted for psychedelics since it can have adverse effects otherwise.

One of the most significant challenges is the legal status of these compounds worldwide. The United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances from 1971 considers psilocybin, DMT, LSD, and MDMA as Schedule 1, meaning they lack therapeutic effects, have a high potential for abuse/dependence, and often cause serious adverse effects. However, researchers argue that if a drug shows potential therapeutic benefits, the bureaucracy surrounding its classification should not prevent further investigation.

Some countries, such as the US, Canada, South Africa, and Thailand, already consider the use of some psychedelics, like marijuana, legal in limited doses. In 2022, Alberta became Canada's first province to regulate psychedelic drugs as mental disorder treatments. The main objective of this decision is to protect the public by ensuring that patients receive appropriate care and preventing the mismanagement of certain products. By offering an alternative treatment, therapists can provide more options for their patients. The rest of Canada's provinces will likely follow suit, and other countries will finally acknowledge the efficacy of psychedelics in mental health. 

Implications of regulating psychedelics

Wider implications of regulating psychedelics may include: 

• Biotech and biopharma firms fast-tracking their psychedelics research to develop treatments for various mental conditions, resulting in better mental health management.


• Patients can receive optional psychedelics in limited dosages as prescribed by their physicians.


• More countries allowing psychedelics to be used in treatments and establish policies on how these drugs can be used.


• An emerging black market of psychedelic-based medicines that some people will opt to purchase for leisure.


• Increasing concerns about illegal use and addiction as more people can access legal psychedelics.

Questions to consider

• What is your country’s stance toward using psychedelics in treatments?


• What can governments do to ensure that legal psychedelics are used responsibly?