Observations on 25 Years of Cannabis Law Reforms and Their Implications for the Psychedelic Renaissance in the United States
Robert A. Mikos
Annual Review of Law and Social Science April 28, 2022 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-120621-012645 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Repeal The renaissance Law Public administration |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key points | Argues that federal repeal of psychedelic bans is unlikely in the near term, but states provide a pathway for reform, though policy makers may need to sacrifice certain goals to avoid federal backlash. |
Abstract
Interest in psychedelics is booming, heralding a possible psychedelic renaissance in the United States. But policy makers interested in expanding access to psychedelic substances would be wise to heed lessons gleaned from the past 25 years of marijuana law reforms. That experience suggests that it may prove impossible to repeal or narrow the federal ban on psychedelics in the near term, but that states provide an alternative pathway to reform. Still, to blunt the risk of a federal crackdown, policy makers may need to sacrifice certain policy goals. Furthermore, until the public warms to a broader psychedelic renaissance, policy makers may pursue narrow reforms. Policy makers will also need to address thorny questions over how psychedelics will be supplied once legalized.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta-8, Delta-10, HHC, THC-O, THCP, and THCV: What Should We Call These Products? | 2023 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Model Psychoses Induced by LSD-25 in Normals | 1956 | Historical analysis | |
| Is there a specific ‘cannabis psychosis’? | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Peak-experience and the entheogenic use of cannabis in world religions | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Out of Harm's Way?: Illicit Drug Use, Medicalization and the Law | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Rural-urban divide in risk perception of LSD: Implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy. The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association 2025
- Considerations on the Construction, Timing, and Consequences of the Psychedelic Renaissance Contemporary Drug Problems June 9, 2025
Cites 4
- Constructing drug effects: A history of set and setting Drug Science, Policy and Law 2017
- Psychedelics: Where we are now, why we got here, what we must do Neuropharmacology February 21, 2018
- Two Models of Legalization of Psychedelic Substances: Reasons for Concern. JAMA August 1, 2021
- Effects of Schedule I drug laws on neuroscience research and treatment innovation. Nature reviews. Neuroscience June 12, 2013