As the race for FDA-approved psychedelics heats up, advocates argue decriminalization won’t undercut pharmaceutical profit margins

By Jack Gorsline

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A newly published community survey of individuals who use psychedelics suggests that local decriminalization efforts are overwhelmingly associated with perceived improvements in safety, therapeutic access, and psychosocial wellbeing, directly countering historical fears that such policies might destabilize communities.

The study, titled "Perceptions of Psychedelic Decriminalization: Findings from a Community Survey of People Who Use Psychedelics," was authored by Daniel J. Kruger, Julie Barron, and Larry Norris, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Sciences. It captures a snapshot of the "third psychedelic era," a period defined by the revival of institutional research, massive pharmaceutical investment, and a growing grassroots movement aimed at decriminalizing naturally occurring psychedelics at the municipal and state levels.

“This research is one step toward better understanding what decriminalization looks like for the people and communities directly experiencing it – and whether the policies we are advocating for are actually helping create the positive community outcomes,” said Co-Author Julie Barron in an exclusive statement provided to Psychedelic State(s) of America about the findings of the study

Surveying 163 individuals living in areas that have enacted decriminalization policies, including cities in California, Colorado, and Michigan, the researchers' survey concluded that the policy changes yielded largely positive outcomes for the community.

"In decriminalized zones, most (84.0%) of 163 survey participants reported feeling improvements in one of the following areas because of decriminalization: legal risks, social acceptance, substance availability, substance safety, diversity of available products, and overall substance quality," the authors wrote in the study.

In stark contrast to warnings from opponents of drug policy reform, the survey found that only 5.5 percent of participants reported worsened conditions in any of those categories. Furthermore, not a single participant reported that legal risks had worsened following decriminalization.

The benefits extended deeply into the realm of therapeutic and mental health outcomes. Nearly 75 percent of respondents reported decriminalization-related improvements regarding psychedelic therapy, citing better social acceptance, availability, and diversity of services.

“Most public health headlines focus on the risks of psychedelics, but these findings show how decriminalization can benefit a community as well,” said Larry Norris, a co-author of the study and Co-Founder of Decriminalize Nature. 

“Some clinical practitioners and legalization lobbyists write off decriminalization as the 'wild west,' or ‘not viable’ as if it's a competition,” Norris added. “That attitude attempts to disempower community based healing and forces a cost-prohibitive gatekeeper mentality.”

“Despite their best efforts to muddy the waters, decriminalization is not a competitor with psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.” 

Beyond access to the substances themselves, decriminalization appears to have a profound ripple effect on daily life. Following the implementation of decriminalization policies, 72.4 percent of participants reported improvements in overarching life conditions. Specifically, about half of the respondents reported improvements in stress, anxiety, worry, and connection to their community.

More than a third reported improvements in depressive symptoms, family relationships, and other interpersonal relationships. About a quarter cited better physical health and working conditions, while one in five reported improvements related to addiction and financial status. 

Only 2.5 percent of participants reported declines in any category of life conditions. Notably, more than 27 percent of participants reported that they had either stopped taking or reduced their use of traditional pharmaceutical medications due to psychedelic decriminalization.

The researchers identified social acceptance as one of the most pronounced and consistent areas of change, noting its critical role in overall health and wellbeing. 

"The rapid growth of psychedelic use in naturalistic settings underscores the existence of a parallel trajectory of experimentation and knowledge production operating independently of formal clinical research," the study authors observed, highlighting how grassroots and legacy communities have continued to steward psychedelic use outside of regulated medical frameworks.

The survey also documented notable shifts in how individuals source their psychedelics. While sourcing from friends remained the most common method at approximately 54 percent, participants reported significant increases in purchasing from in-person retail dispensaries, growing or harvesting substances themselves, buying online, and working with underground therapists or healthcare professionals.

The authors cautioned, however, that currently operating psychedelic storefronts are generally not authorized under existing decriminalization policies, which typically do not permit commercial sales. Consequently, these unregulated markets introduce additional risks. Roughly one-fifth of participants reported being scammed when attempting to purchase psychedelic substances, though the majority of these incidents — 53.5 percent — occurred prior to decriminalization.

In qualitative responses, participants emphasized that decriminalization provided immense relief from legal anxiety. Many described feeling safer, more protected, and less worried about arrest or employment consequences. This reduction in fear often translated into lower stress and a greater willingness to explore psychedelics for healing.

However, not all feedback was entirely positive. A smaller subset of respondents expressed critical or ambivalent perspectives, raising concerns about the potential over-legislation and corporatization of psychedelics. These individuals voiced fears that pharmaceutical or corporate interests could dominate the emerging field, potentially marginalizing sacred, community-based practices, and legacy healers. To address these equity concerns, many participants urged policymakers to center the voices of Indigenous communities, people of color, and those most harmed by the historical “War on Drugs.”

When asked for policy suggestions, respondents overwhelmingly supported expanding decriminalization and legalization, with many advocating for adult-use availability, home cultivation, and retail access. They also emphasized the need for better quality control, third-party drug checking, clear labeling, and expanded access to guided psychedelic-assisted therapy.

The researchers acknowledged several limitations in their study. The data relied on self-reported perceptions and utilized a convenience sample that heavily represented individuals already connected to psychedelic communities. The demographic makeup was predominantly White (78.5 percent) and highly educated, with the vast majority of participants being frequent, experienced users of substances like psilocybin, cannabis, MDMA, and LSD. Because of the cross-sectional design of the survey, the researchers noted that their methodology precludes definitive attributions of causality, and they called for longitudinal studies to assess how perceptions and outcomes change over time as policy models mature.

“It was very difficult to find usable information about post-decriminalization areas,” said Barron – who is the founder of the Michigan Psychedelic Society. “Some information is available through Poison Control… but we were looking for something else.”

“We had a hard time tracking emergency-room data and 911 calls for service” Barron continued,  “because these incidents are not labeled specifically as psychedelic-related. They are generally categorized more broadly as drug-related or involving dangerous drugs.”

“Until we have better systems in place for specifically labeling and tracking plant medicines and psychedelics,” Barron concluded, “we need to ask psychedelic users themselves about their experiences and have them report on what they were experiencing.”

Despite these limitations, the authors concluded that their findings present a compelling case for rethinking drug laws. "Overall, the data suggests that decriminalization was perceived as being associated with reduced legal risk, improved safety and therapeutic access, and enhanced psychosocial wellbeing, with minimal reports of worsening conditions or widespread initiation of use, suggesting it functioned more as a harm-reduction and community-health strategy than as a permissive drug policy," the researchers wrote., 

Ultimately, the study suggests that ending the threat of criminal penalties for personal possession and use is a critical step toward a healthier society.

"Decriminalizing psychedelics represents a rational, evidence-informed recalibration of drug policy that prioritizes health, equity, and safety," the study concluded.

For leaders of legacy psychedelic institutions, like Ismail Ali, Co-Executive Director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), combatting cultural stigma surrounding psychedelics has long been a cornerstone priority as part of a multigenerational and multifaceted drug policy reform effort. 

In a statement provided exclusively to Psychedelic State(s) of America, Ali commented that, "the findings of this study reinforce how legal exposure shapes the entire environment around psychedelic use, separate from anything about the substances themselves… [and] shows how removing criminal penalties is essential to reduce social stigma, invite community education, and mitigate personal risk.” 

“However” Ali further noted, “this study also reveals the limitations of decriminalization as a policy solution — and make the case for it to be one of multiple approaches that complement one another.”

“A comprehensive public health approach includes elements that go further than decriminalization can take us; safer supply, a well-resourced safety net, professional training, and accessible treatment infrastructure all require affirmative legal protection and investment.”

“All in all,” he concluded, “the findings of this study are consistent with what our movement has argued for years: reducing the criminal-legal exposure of psychedelic use changes people's lives before a single policy ever touches quality control, insurance, or institutions."

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