Psychedelics Law Blog

ketamine telehealth

Ketamine Telehealth: Some More Updates

Ketamine telehealth has been a wild ride these last few years. Every few months I give an update, and every time I do, things seem to change dramatically. For example, in just a few short weeks in February 2023, the situation went from “bad” to “good” (at least sort of) as it became clear that

fda approval

Will Psychedelics Be Rescheduled After FDA Approval?

A handful of entities are in various stages of the FDA approval process for MDMA and psilocybin drugs (see here and here for some of our prior analysis of the issues). FDA approval could happen in the next few years. But there’s a catch: psilocybin and MDMA are both schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

psychedelics industry

Making Money in the Psychedelics Industry Will be Harder than Cannabis

Anyone familiar with the cannabis industry knows how difficult it is to make money. Things are going to be even worse for people in the state-legal psychedelics industry – much worse. There are a few key reasons for this. I should note that this post is focused on the state-legal psychedelics industry (i.e., service centers)

psychedelic 501(c)(3)

Religious Psychedelics Groups and 501(c)(3) Status: An Update

Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code provides tax exemptions for qualifying charitable organizations, like religious groups. Naturally, religious groups that use psychedelics want 501(c)(3) status. But the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – like many of its counterpart agencies – refuses to play ball. In 2021, a group called the Iowaska Church of Healing took the

magic mushrooms

Magic Mushrooms: The Newest Treatment for Athletes?

The use of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) for therapeutic purposes gains traction Last month, the NBA and its players association reached a tentative deal that the league would no longer test players for marijuana. Indeed, the NBA is lifting its ban on marijuana in the new collective bargaining agreement.  Meanwhile, the NFL and its players agreed

ketamine telehealth

Updates for Ketamine Telehealth

A few weeks ago, we held a webinar about ketamine regulation and the future of psychedelic medicine (for a recording, click here). At the time, there were big changes on the horizon for ketamine telehealth. In the last few weeks, there have been a few pretty significant developments that merit some attention. For some background,

washington psilocybin

Washington Psilocybin Bill Awaits Governor’s Approval

Washington’s House and Senate have both approved the “Washington Psilocybin Services Act” (SB 5263) and the bill awaits Governor Jay Inslee’s signature. Psilocybin is a schedule I drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act and is the psychoactive or “hallucinogenic” component of magic mushrooms. Washington appears set to follow in the footsteps of Oregon and

salvia divinorum

What’s the Deal with Salvia Divinorum?

There are lots of psychedelics and psychedelic adjacent substances that are not scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Recently I wrote about amanita muscaria mushrooms and their legal status. Today, I want to talk about a different one: salvia divinorum. Salvia divinorum Salvia divinorum is a psychedelic substance. It was often used for religious

Amanita Muscaria

What’s the Deal with Amanita Muscaria?

Amanita muscaria (also known as fly agaric) is a type of mushroom with hallucinogenic properties. It is also not listed on any schedule of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). So of course, people want to make and sell it. But what is it? And is it legal? Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) Amanita muscaria is a

DMT

New Brain Scan Study Reveals DMT’s Profound Impact

Among the emerging medical uses for MDMA and psilocybin is their relative dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Although a Schedule I drug in the United States, DMT increasingly is the subject of study for its potential efficacy in treating a wide array of mental-health conditions including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Much of this research is occurring outside of