Crafting effective regulatory policies for psychedelics: What can be learned from the case of cannabis?
Wayne Hall, Keith Humphreys, John Marsden, Christina M. Andrews
Addiction June 6, 2024 DOI: 10.1111/add.16575 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Legalization Recreation Parallels Public relations Public administration |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | The movement to legalize psychedelics parallels cannabis legalization, particularly in using therapeutic claims to create a recreational market via healthcare. |
Abstract
Abstract The turn of the century brought a resurgence of interest in psychedelics as a treatment for addiction and other psychiatric conditions, accompanied by extensive positive media attention and private equity investment. Government regulatory bodies in Australia, Israel, Canada and the United States now permit use of psychedelics for medical purposes. In the United States, citizen action and corporate financing have led to petitions and ballot initiatives to legalize psilocybin and other psychedelics for medical and recreational use. Given this momentum, policymakers must grapple with important questions that define whether and how psychedelics are made available to the public, as well as how companies produce and promote them. The current push to broaden the production, sale, and use of psychedelics bears many parallels to the movement to legalize cannabis in the United States and other nations—most notably, the use of poorly‐evidenced therapeutic claims to create a de facto recreational market via the health care system. Experience with cannabis highlights the value of debating the question of legalization for nonmedical use as such rather than misrepresenting it as a medical issue. The lessons of cannabis policy also suggest a need to challenge hyping of psychedelic research findings; to promote rigorous clinical research on dosing and potency; to minimize the influence of for‐profit industry in shaping policies to their economic advantage; and to coordinate federal, state, and local governments to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of psychedelic drugs (regardless of whether they are legalized for medical and/or recreational use).
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the evidence | 2004 | Review | |
| Cannabis sativa: A comprehensive ethnopharmacological review of a medicinal plant with a long history. General (historical and pharmacological review) | 2018 | Review | |
| Psychiatric effects of cannabis | 2001 | Review | |
| Beyond THC: The New Generation of Cannabinoid Designer Drugs | 2011 | Review | |
| Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent, as an antipsychotic drug | 2006 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Psychedelic‐assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review Addiction January 30, 2025
- Exploring Psilocybe cubensis Strains: Cultivation Techniques, Psychoactive Compounds, Genetics and Research Gaps Journal of Fungi January 28, 2025
- Ethical issues with psychedelic-assisted treatments in psychiatry: A systematic scoping review Psychological Medicine 2025
- Psilocybin Dispensaries and Online Health Claims in Canada JAMA Network Open April 1, 2025
- Shrinking the know-do gap in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Nature Human Behaviour February 24, 2025
and 11 more in the library
Cites 13
- Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction Journal of Psychopharmacology September 11, 2014
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- Psychedelics: Where we are now, why we got here, what we must do Neuropharmacology February 21, 2018
- Psychedelic Drug Legislative Reform and Legalization in the US JAMA Psychiatry December 7, 2022
- Preparing for the Bursting of the Psychedelic Hype Bubble. JAMA Psychiatry October 1, 2022
and 8 more in the library