Plain-English, clinically-cited guides to each major psychedelic therapy. What it does, what the evidence actually supports, where the law stands, and how access works in 2026.
Peer-reviewed-cited explainers, medically reviewed by Dr. Michael Teplitsky.
Dissociative anesthetic, FDA-approved (as Spravato) for treatment-resistant depression.
US status: Schedule III. Spravato (esketamine) FDA-approved for TRD; ketamine off-label via clinics and telehealth.
Classic tryptamine psychedelic; FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for depression.
US status: Schedule I federally. Legal regulated access in Oregon (Measure 109) and Colorado (Prop 122). Active FDA Phase 3 trials.
Empathogen for PTSD; FDA rejected Lykos's application August 2024, additional Phase 3 required.
US status: Schedule I. FDA rejected first NDA in August 2024; no approved use. Access primarily via clinical trials.
Country-by-country guide to MDMA legality: Australia's prescribing program, decriminalization in Portugal and the Czech Republic, and the US executive order.
US status: Schedule I federally. No state has legalized MDMA. April 2026 executive order directs FDA/DEA to fast-track psychedelic reviews but does not change MDMA's current legal status.
Amazonian N,N-DMT-containing brew; two US religious exemptions, most access abroad.
US status: Schedule I. Legal only via DEA-recognized religious exemption (UDV, Santo Daime, and two newer churches). Retreats otherwise operate abroad.
Short-acting tryptamine; GH Research Phase 2b (2025) showed -15.5 MADRS vs placebo in TRD.
US status: Schedule I. Access via international retreats and a small number of FDA-IND clinical trials (GH Research GH001, others).
The only psychedelic with strong opioid-addiction evidence — and serious cardiac risk. Covers the Texas $50M IMPACT trial and legal retreat options.
US status: Schedule I. No FDA-approved use. Legal access is limited to FDA-IND trials (Texas IMPACT, DemeRx) and international clinics.
Classic long-acting psychedelic; MindMed's MM120 is in Phase 3 for generalized anxiety disorder.
US status: Schedule I. No FDA-approved use. MindMed's MM120 is in Phase 3 (Voyage 1H 2026 readout, Panorama 2H 2026).
N,N-dimethyltryptamine — Schedule I federally; decriminalized in Colorado; the active compound in ayahuasca.
US status: Schedule I. Personal-use possession decriminalized in Colorado (Prop 122). Four religious organizations hold DEA exemptions for ayahuasca use (UDV, Santo Daime, Iowaska, Church of Gaia).
State-by-state and country-by-country guide to DMT legality: Colorado decrim, DEA religious exemptions, and 4-AcO-DMT analogue law.
US status: Schedule I federally. Personal-use possession decriminalized in Colorado (Prop 122). Four religious organizations hold DEA exemptions for ayahuasca use (UDV, Santo Daime, Iowaska, Church of Gaia).
What the April 18, 2026 executive order on psychedelics does — Priority Vouchers, $50M ARPA-H funding, Right to Try, and what it does not do.
US status: Executive order signed April 18, 2026. Directs FDA Priority Vouchers, Right to Try pathway for investigational psychedelics, $50M ARPA-H state-research match, and DEA rescheduling reviews after Phase 3. Does NOT reschedule any psychedelic. All remain Schedule I federally.
Complete list of US cities and counties that decriminalized psilocybin and entheogenic plants — Denver, Oakland, DC, Detroit, Seattle, and 20+ more.
US status: Schedule I federally. City-level deprioritization resolutions do not change state or federal law. They direct local police to treat possession as lowest enforcement priority.
Magic mushroom spores are legal in 46 US states because they contain no psilocybin — illegal in California, Florida, Georgia, and Idaho. Full state-by-state guide.
US status: Spores contain no psilocybin or psilocin and are not federally scheduled. Illegal under state law in California, Florida, Georgia, and Idaho. Germination becomes a federal felony in all 50 states.
4-AcO-DMT (psilacetin) is a psilocybin prodrug not explicitly scheduled — but the Federal Analogue Act treats it as Schedule I when intended for human use.
US status: Not explicitly scheduled federally. Treated as Schedule I under the Federal Analogue Act (21 U.S.C. § 813) when intended for human consumption. Explicitly scheduled in several states including Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.
State-by-state guide to psilocybin and magic mushroom law in the US — federal status, Oregon, Colorado, and beyond.
US status: Schedule I federally. Legal licensed programs in Oregon (Measure 109) and Colorado (Prop 122). Decriminalized personal possession in Colorado. City deprioritization in 30+ jurisdictions. All other states: illegal.
Which psychedelics are legal in the US in 2026 — ketamine, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and the FDA pipeline.
US status: Ketamine: Schedule III, FDA-approved (Spravato), available nationwide. Psilocybin: Schedule I, legal in OR and CO. Ayahuasca/DMT: Schedule I, religious exemptions only. MDMA, LSD, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT: Schedule I, trials only.
Mescaline-containing cactus; federally protected for Native American Church use under AIRFA; slow-growing and in conservation crisis.
US status: Schedule I. Federal exemption under 42 U.S.C. §1996a and 21 CFR 1307.31 for Indians using peyote in bona fide traditional ceremonies. Colorado Prop 122 and Oregon Measure 109 explicitly exclude peyote.
No — kambo is a frog-peptide purge, not a psychedelic. Covers safety risks, the depression question, legal status, and what practitioners won’t tell you.
US status: Not a federally scheduled substance. Practitioners operate outside medical regulation; the FDA has not approved any kambo use. Practices vary by state.
Preparation and post-session work — the 2025 meta-analysis flags preparation hours as the strongest non-drug predictor of outcome.
US status: Not a scheduled substance; widely available through licensed therapists trained via Fluence, CIIS, Naropa, and other accredited programs.
Salvia divinorum is not federally scheduled in the US — but banned in roughly 29 states. It works through kappa opioid receptors, not serotonin, making it pharmacologically distinct from every other psychedelic.
US status: Not federally scheduled (DEA 'drug of concern' designation only). Criminally banned in approximately 29 states. Legal for adults in roughly 15 states. Age-restricted in California, Maine, and Maryland.
A–Z of the words used in psychedelic ceremony, integration, trauma work, and policy — defined in plain English.
US status: Reference page only — not a substance.
Why intention shapes outcome more than dose — plus a 14-prompt worksheet you can print and fill in before your session.
US status: Educational preparation guide — not a substance.
Which medications interact with psychedelics, how long the washout windows are, and the red-flag combinations that send people to the ER.
US status: Safety reference — not a substance and not medical advice.
A 14-day prep timeline covering medication washouts, intention work, body prep, and what to expect on arrival.
US status: Preparation guide — not a substance.
Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — what each looks like, how triggers map to wounds, and why psychedelics surface them.
US status: Trauma education — not a substance.
The complete printable packing list for an ayahuasca, psilocybin, or 5-MeO-DMT retreat — plus what to leave at home.
US status: Packing reference — not a substance.
Pre-ceremony nutrition, hydration, supplements, sleep, and the foods to cut before a session.
US status: Nutrition and prep guide — not medical advice.
30+ books for psychedelic preparation, integration, trauma, and shadow work — annotated for what each one is for.
US status: Reading list — not a substance.
A printable 30-day journal with one prompt per day for the month after a psychedelic experience.
US status: Journal template — not a substance.
Each therapy guide is built from peer-reviewed primary sources — mostly PubMed-indexed trials, FDA advisory committee packets, and state/federal policy documents — not secondary summaries. We link the underlying papers inline so you can verify any claim.
Recent time-sensitive briefings that touch on these therapies, their evidence base, or their legal status.
Study shows electrical stimulation mimics ketamine effects in neurons, suggesting potential non-drug therapies for depression.
Aug 01, 2026
A systematic review finds neuroimaging can predict ketamine treatment response, aiding personalized psychedelic therapies.
Jul 15, 2026
A French study is testing psilocybin from Red Light Holland, blending research and industry to explore brain effects.
Jun 08, 2026
A pilot trial of standardized psychedelic therapy shows promise for treating clinical depression, potentially influencing future treatment protocols.
Jun 08, 2026
A new hypothesis suggests psilocybin may influence ADHD by altering neuroplasticity, but further research is needed.
Jun 05, 2026
A cross-national study shows increasing nonmedical use of psychedelics, stressing the need for more clinical trials and clearer therapeutic guidelines.
Jun 05, 2026
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Law, clinical science, and policy signal on psychedelic research — on our publish cadence. Start at the The Psychedelic Journal homepage.
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