PSA's Psychedelic State(s) of The Union: January 27th, 2026

By Zach Johnson
, Fordham University and NYC Community Chapter President
Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Last April, the Alaska Senate Task Force for the Regulation of Psychotropic Medicines quietly convened a hearing that could shape the future of psychedelics in the state. A veteran pharmaceutical lobbyist representing Compass Pathways urged lawmakers presiding over the hearing to pass a trigger law that would automatically legalize their patented formula for psilocybin if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were to approve it as a drug. Just months later, a separate, indigenous-led, grassroots effort to legalize certain plant-based psychedelics failed to collect enough signatures to reach the ballot.

Compass, a London-based biotechnology company, has been racing around the United States to enact these so-called ‘trigger laws’, which would only legalize COMP360, Compass’s proprietary formulation of synthetic psilocybin. In just a few months, these bills have shown up in Colorado, Virginia, Kansas, and Iowa, among other states. Given the likely approval of their Phase 3 drug by the end of 2026, the British biotech firm’s largely successful lobbying efforts have positioned it to capture a significant share of the legal market for psychedelics. With this pace of policymaking, the question is no longer whether the legalization of psychedelics will happen, but who will control the ecosystem when it does.

The field of psychedelic medicine is moving quickly as regulatory and legislative momentum for reform has exploded. Legal access is expanding at the state level, while natural and synthetic psychedelic drug candidates are in late-stage FDA trials near completion. Yet despite this critical juncture, public understanding of the policy developments surrounding psychedelics remains shallow, especially among young people, who stand to inherit the outcomes of this moment. This moment demands accessible psychedelic journalism to empower the public and hold the political class accountable for the future of psychedelic policy.

As frameworks that determine future access take shape, psychedelics are already reshaping how mental health is treated in the U.S. In Oregon alone, an estimated 14,000 people have taken legal psilocybin, roughly half of whom travelled from out of state to access these services. People deserve information while there is still time to shape the outcomes of this moment.

I entered the psychedelic policy landscape from the sidelines. I watched the failure of Massachusetts’ Question 4 ballot measure—which would have established a framework for legal psychedelic access—collapse under public apathy and a faulty campaign. This highlighted the need for public education and accessible reporting on psychedelic policies. Polling showed that when voters were given additional explanations on the ballot measure’s provisions, support rose significantly, flipping support for home cultivation from around 40% to 55%. But that support never came. By Election Day, support reflected the initial polling without additional explanations, suggesting that most voters never received, or were never persuaded, by enough information to endorse the measure. The result was a political defeat driven less by rejection than by a widespread illiteracy of the policy.  

As a student passionate about the necessity for drug policy reform, I found myself pulled into the post-failure fallout, supporting advocacy, research, and operations to create legal access to psychedelics for Massachusetts residents. I produced infographics to explain complex policy proposals and created communication materials to keep stakeholders updated on ongoing legislative developments. Through this work, I gained close exposure to the developments, decisions, and negotiations determining the future of psychedelic policy in Massachusetts.

Question 4 made it clear that psychedelics are not exempt from the realities of political decision-making. The work of well-intentioned grassroots activists is sometimes at odds with a small psychedelic political elite, as seen in Alaska, where the grassroots effort for a 2026 ballot initiative failed much to the delight of companies creating patented synthetic psychedelics. This conflict tends to play out behind-the-scenes, and its direction is often shaped by a select few influential people. My vantage point made visible how the movement was developing across states, and how little of it filtered into public view. 

It is likely that the decisions in the next five years will likely to set its long-term direction for psychedelic policy. In 2020, Oregon became the first state to legalize a form of supported adult use of psychedelics. Within 5 years, two states followed. These first state-level policy reforms are a mirror image of what happened at the beginning of the marijuana policy reform movement, where the first state-level policy changes proved to be an inflection point for a nationwide shift in policy and perception. In 1996, California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana, and within two years, three more states followed. However, at that time, only 31% of the public supported legalizing marijuana. Today, 72% support legal therapeutic access to psychedelics, and 42% support regulating them under the recreational marijuana model: legal, licensed retail, and home cultivation. Now things are moving even faster, whether we are ready to get involved or not. 

Excitement for psychedelics is at its highest point since the 60’s, but nearly half of Americans say they are only a little familiar or not familiar at all with psychedelics in general. We can safely infer then that a much smaller number would be familiar with the developing policy around psychedelics. Meanwhile, hallucinogenic use has surged nearly 37% in just three years and more than doubled among 19–30-year-olds. When there is a lack of nuanced reporting, interest grows without understanding, leaving voters unprepared to evaluate policy choices as new state-level campaigns are budding across the country.

Psychedelics could provide a meaningful intervention to the mental healthcare system that has not met patient needs. The American public ought to be informed about what is happening and why. Many people with unbridled enthusiasm for the movement equate legitimacy with progress, often treating expanding access, traditional practice, and non-commercial pathways as acceptable casualties in the pursuit of market capture and profits. Enthusiasm becomes dangerous when progress is defined by who moves first rather than who is served. By providing the public with insight into the decisions made out of public view, journalism can provide visibility, ensuring that the movement’s direction aligns with the people it intends to serve. 

Visibility increases the demand for accountability. With such extreme implications for the American public, we deserve insight and access into what’s going on with psychedelic policy. We need journalism that will illuminate the political process, while something can still be done to correct glaring errors and seemingly tactical omissions that will affect us all. Without it, the movement will march forward, blatantly disregarding the needs of the many as it does, and we can’t be surprised by what comes next if we don’t pay attention.

Psychedelic State(s) of America is proud to be a media partner for the upcoming Psychedelic Culture 2026 Conference, hosted by the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines.

This annual three-day gathering convenes researchers, clinicians, healers, Indigenous leaders, activists, and community advocates from across the globe to engage in critical conversations on the future of medicine and advocacy.

Key areas of focus include:
• Indigenous reciprocity & biocultural conservation
• Psychedelic justice, law & policy
• Women, LGBTQ+ & Global South perspectives
• Ceremony ethics & community-based practice
• Neuroscience and shamanism dialogues

If you’re interested in culturally grounded, ethical, and community-centered approaches to healing, this is a conference you won’t want to miss.

📍 Brava Theater, San Francisco
📅 April 17–19, 2026
🎟️ Learn more and get tickets at www.psychedelic-culture.net

We’re honored to support a gathering dedicated to integrity, inclusion, and responsible cultural stewardship within the psychedelic field.

Until next time,

The Psychedelic State(s) of America Team