Journal of Science Policy & Governance
Volume 28, Issue 01 | July 6, 2026

Policy Analysis
Policy Considerations for Psychedelics in Research and Medicine – What’s Next on the Schedule?

Matthew A. Boehm (1), Oriana Mayorga (2)
  1. AAAS Fellowship Programs Inc., Washington, DC, USA
  2. Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
​Corresponding author: [email protected]​
Keywords: psychedelics; clinical research; drug policy; rescheduling; schedule I
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG280103​

Executive Summary

There is growing interest in psychedelic compounds such as psilocybin, 3,4-metheylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) given emerging research on potential uses as treatments for a variety of health conditions. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted multiple “Breakthrough Therapy” designations to various psychedelic drugs used as treatments for mental health conditions, including MDMA-assisted therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT for treatment-resistant depression, and LSD for generalized anxiety disorder. However, most psychedelics remain classified as Schedule I under the US Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and are not yet FDA approved for medical use. The Schedule I classification is intended for substances with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, and it carries the strictest federal regulations related to supply, access, distribution, and storage. Nonetheless, there is a growing body of evidence on the neurobiological mechanisms and therapeutic potential of Schedule I psychedelics and over 150 active clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of using psychedelics as treatments for various health conditions. There is also growing support from federal research agencies interested in potential medical applications of psychedelics, along with bipartisan activities in Congress and a wide variety of state- and local-level policy reforms. In addition, a recent Executive Order called for federal reforms to accelerate research and access to psychedelic drugs used in treatments for serious mental illness, including timely rescheduling by initiating reviews of relevant products upon successful completion of Phase 3 clinical trials. Rescheduling at the federal level could reduce costs and administrative barriers for legitimate uses of psychedelic drugs in research and medicine while maintaining necessary regulations to ensure safety and accountability of supply and access. This article outlines potential paths for rescheduling various Schedule I psychedelics given the emerging clinical applications. 
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Background header image courtesy of istockphoto.
Matthew Boehm earned a PhD in neuroscience from Brown University in a partnership program with the National Institutes of Health and performed research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in Baltimore, MD. After graduating, Matt volunteered in the NIDA Office of Science Policy & Communications and completed the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. He is currently an executive branch AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in Washington, DC. All views expressed are personal opinions of the authors and do not represent official views of affiliations.

Oriana Mayorga earned an MDiv. in social ethics from Union Theological Seminary in 2022. After graduating, Oriana completed two residency programs in the Spiritual Care department at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, New York. In her second year of residency, Oriana served as the chief 'lead' chaplain. She is currently an addiction chaplain fellow in an outpatient healthcare setting and a lecturer at Yale University. All views expressed are personal opinions of the authors and do not represent official views of affiliations.

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