On Saturday, April 18, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (“Order”) which he proclaimed would “dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” Joe Rogan was there for some reason; Trump joked about trying ibogaine, too. Trump also took the opportunity to complain that his other executive order on controlled substances—marijuana—seems
Over the past few years, I have received countless requests to help people reduce liability when operating a foreign retreat. Most of these retreats involve ketamine, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and/or cannabis. Typical locations include Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Mexico. The laws in these countries, discussed below, can allow operators to conduct retreats with limited exposure if
The Church of Gaia announced on Friday that it has been “granted the first-ever approval for a Petition for Religious Exemption from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) pursuant to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).” This exemption permits the Church to legally use Ayahuasca in its religious ceremonies, making it one of only a handful
I am thrilled to share that I will be moderating a Table Topic on the impact of psychedelics legalization on trademark law at the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) 2025 Annual Meeting in San Diego! The session will take place Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM (PST). With the increasing legalization of
Ninth Circuit sides with DEA on doctors petition to seek waiver under Right to Try laws
A new age for psychedelics We are on the verge of a psychedelic renaissance, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepting a new drug application for midmafetamine (MDMA) in February of this year. MDMA the active ingredient in the common party drug “ecstasy” or “molly”. If approved, the drug would be used to treat
Despite decades of stigma and legal barriers, recent years have brought a profound shift in attitudes towards psychedelics. Driven by scientific inquiry and a growing recognition of their potential therapeutic benefits, the benefits of psychedelics are being explored. In this blog post, we explore the impact of an unexpected catalyst driving progress in psychedelics research--
Perhaps inevitably, lawmakers introduced a very skinny bill last week to protect states that legalize psilocybin from federal intervention. Specifically, it requires that: [n]o Federal funds may be used to prevent any State or unit of local government from implementing such State’s or unit of local government’s own laws that authorize the use, distribution, sale,
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).
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
