How to regulate psychedelics: A practical guide

Recent explorations into the science of psychedelics and their therapeutic potential have fuelled a rapidly expanding discussion on their role in society. Yet, while attention has been focused on their medical use, non-medical use — particularly in recreational settings — has been marginalised in the public debate.

This guide from Transform Drug Policy Foundation aims to address this gap and help inform emerging developments at this critical moment in psychedelic policy evolution. It maps out how the classic psychedelics can be responsibly legally regulated in a postprohibition world, making concrete proposals for a four-tiered regulatory framework:

• Private use, including home cultivation, foraging and not-for-profit sharing
• Membership-based not-for-profit associations
• Flexible licensing models for production and retail sale
• Regulation of commercial guided or supervised use

Drawing on Transform’s more than two decades of experience in global drug policy analysis and advocacy, this guide sets out recommendations for establishing a just and effective system of legal regulation, addressing challenging questions in the debate including corporate capture mitigation, equity, Indigenous rights, psychedelic exceptionalism, and international treaty law.