Fast-tracked psychedelics risk repeating psychiatric drug disasters as synthetic compounds are promoted as safe and natural, violating informed consent
By CCHR International
The Mental Health Watchdog
May 5, 2026
An Executive Order signed April 18, 2026 directs federal agencies to fast-track Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of and expand patient access to psychedelic drugs, such as psilocybin and ibogaine, to treat “mental illnesses.” The order calls for accelerated research, priority regulatory reviews, and new access pathways under the federal Right to Try Act, a law originally designed to help patients with life-threatening illnesses obtain experimental treatments that have passed early safety testing but are not yet fully approved.[1]
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) warns that this initiative risks repeating the documented shortcomings of earlier psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants, now with serious documented adverse effects. CCHR further cautions that the claim psychedelics are “natural” or “plant-based” is deceptive marketing, as these substances are typically laboratory-synthesized compounds, similar to conventional antidepressants.
Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International, states: “Switching one mind-altering drug with another is like switching seats on the Titanic. Consumers—many desperate from the failure of other psychiatric drugs and electrical ‘therapies’—are being misled about psychedelics being ‘plant-based,’ just as they were in the 1990s with claims that a serotonin imbalance in the brain caused depression requiring an SSRI antidepressant.”
She further states: “Calling psychedelics a ‘plant-derived’ market is egregiously misleading and violates informed consent. They call it ‘plant-derived,’ but you’re swallowing factory-made chemicals. The plant’s name is borrowed, but the plant is skipped to produce it chemically. It is akin to calling lab-manufactured psychedelics herbal tea in a capsule.”
Psychedelic drugs in pharmaceutical development are synthetically produced chemicals manufactured under the FDA’s GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. They are not plant extracts or “natural remedies.” Active molecules (like psilocybin) may occur naturally in fungi/plants, but the drug products used in modern development are chemically synthesized in labs for precise dosing and regulatory compliance—similar to how most pharmaceuticals are made.[2] There is no direct extraction or “natural remedy” process that yields LSD; the molecule itself is lab-created.[3]
Some experts suggest that psychedelics not “replace” antidepressants but augment them—combining massive chemical assaults.[4]
The devastating, addictive and emotionally numbing adverse effects of antidepressants are well documented. Withdrawal from them can last months or years, and patients complain that antidepressant cocktails not only fail to work but also change their personalities in ways that alienate them from friends and families.[5] A 2017 study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry concluded that “antidepressants are largely ineffective and potentially harmful.”[6] A reported 40% of teens on antidepressants fail to respond to the first course of antidepressants they are prescribed,[7] and concerns have been raised regarding an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior while taking them.[8]
Since the Executive Order was issued, investor-marketing media estimate the “Botanical and Plant-Derived Drugs Market” is anticipated to reach $79.74 billion by 2031.[9] This is drastically different from the pre-Executive Order estimates, when a 2025 market research report valued the psychedelic drugs market size at $4.08 billion and projected growth to only $8.75 billion by 2031.[10]
The Public Remains Misinformed: Real-World Risks of Psychedelics
One psychedelic news website reported, “People read headlines, hear anecdotal proclamations, assume the safety cart before the data horse, and seek them out immediately. That’s essentially why there is a psychedelic underground that has boomed in recent decades….”[11]
Eria Rex, author of Seeing What Is There: My Search for Sanity in the Psychedelic Era, in an interview with DoubleBlind magazine, concedes: “There is this assumption that psychedelics are going to heal people, but that is not actually how it works. They open things up. And if the structure around that is not solid, if the people involved do not know what they are doing, then it can go very wrong.”[12]
A tragic example is UK actor and artist, Kate Hyatt, who attended a healing retreat where she drank a hallucinogenic plant-based “tea”, wachuma, a San Pedro cactus, and also ayahuasca. Her mental state deteriorated severely afterward, and she died by suicide. A coroner’s report linked her worsening symptoms to hallucinogens she had consumed.[13]
Another stark example of the dangers occurred when off-duty pilot Joseph David Emerson, 44, ingested psilocybin (magic mushrooms) 48 hours before boarding a flight, hoping to address his worsening mental health. While seated in the crew jump seat, he suddenly declared, “I’m not OK,” and reached for the engine cut-off handles. Had the crew not subdued him, the plane carrying 83 people could have crashed. Even after being restrained, he tried to open an emergency exit door during descent and calmly told a flight attendant, “You need to cuff me right now, or it’s going to be bad,” believing he was dreaming. Emerson, a loving father of two, was charged with 83 counts of attempted murder. His wife described his actions as completely out of character.[14]
In June 2023, another incident occurred in Washington State with psilocybin implicated. U.S. Army Specialist James Kelly, 26, shot and killed two and wounded three others at the Beyond Wonderland electronic dance music festival after ingesting psychedelic mushrooms, and started hallucinating. Kelly told police that psilocybin may have made him violent.[15]
These incidents highlight how psychedelic effects can persist or re-emerge days later, potentially endangering lives and underscoring the serious risks consumers are rarely warned about amid “plant-based” marketing.
Marketing Harm as Help
The marketing hype about psychedelics echoes the 1990s promotion of SSRI antidepressants as “chemical imbalance correctors.” That theory gave antidepressants a medical halo. “Plant-derived” now gives psychedelics a natural one. It is not a medical breakthrough—it is a branding update.
Different slogan, same strategy: dress mind-altering psychotropic drugs in reassuring “helpful” language.
Psychedelics are also serotonergic (LSD, psilocybin, and dimethyltryptamine or DMT, are structurally similar to psilocybin, and peyote or mescaline).[16]
UK psychiatrist and researcher Dr. Joanna Moncrieff and others—whose 2022 study in Molecular Psychiatry thoroughly debunked the chemical imbalance theory—warn that extending the chemical-imbalance myth to psychedelics falsely frames these drugs as agents that counteract biological deficiencies that don’t exist. Such assertions, Moncrieff states, are often advanced by individuals with financial ties to companies marketing these substances.[17]
Big Profits Drive the Psychedelic Push
For now, psychedelic therapies are being developed as drug-assisted psychotherapy protocols, not standalone prescriptions. Administration would occur in controlled settings under direct supervision by trained professionals due to intense perceptual effects, potential psychological vulnerability, and risks like anxiety or transient increases in blood pressure/heart rate. This aligns with “elements to assure safe use” (ETASU) under a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) that the FDA is expected to require. Some treatments can require dozens of hours of therapy.[18]
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) estimated its MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy would cost $7,543 per patient, more than 90% of which is attributable to therapists’ compensation. Although this exceeds the cost of conventional treatments, MAPS claims that greater efficacy would save third-party payers money within three years.[19] In another analysis, treating just 1,000 patients with MDMA would cost approximately $1.1 million. For commercial insurers and state Medicaid programs, MDMA-assisted therapy would cost an estimated $11,000–$15,000 per treatment course.[20]
In Australia, psychiatrists have been allowed to treat PTSD with MDMA at an average cost of $20,000 for up to three dosing sessions and 40 hours of counseling.[21]
A 2025 Cleveland Clinic article noted that psychedelic-assisted therapy practitioners would likely seek guidance from primary care physicians on safety for older patients and those with exclusionary conditions. A 2023 survey found 81% of psychiatrists agreed psychedelics show promise, with over half planning to incorporate them upon FDA approval.[22]
Psychedelic therapists could earn between $60,000 and $120,000 annually.[23] Training courses are already available.[24] Average pay for a ketamine clinic psychiatrist in Los Angeles is approximately $353,165.[25]
Psychiatrist Mark S. Gold, M.D., reports that at least a thousand U.S. clinics offer ketamine-assisted therapy off-label. Ketamine clinics are highly profitable: a typical vial (multiple doses) costs about $40, while clinics may charge $1,000 or more per treatment. Federal prosecutors alleged two doctors sold actor Matthew Perry 20 vials for $55,000 cash (about $12 per vial wholesale) while billing $2,000 per vial. Ketamine clinics lack FDA approval for many promoted uses, standardized protocols, or insurance coverage. The FDA has warned about safety concerns with compounded formulations and home use. Risks include discontinuation symptoms, suicide, withdrawal, and ketamine use disorder.[26]
Market analysis firm Grand View Research pegged the ketamine industry revenues at $3.1 billion in 2022.[27] The LSD market is projected to grow from $145.9 million in 2024 to $265.7 million by 2034.[28]
Wall Street analysts view the Executive Order as a major win for psychedelics developers broadly.[29] Most popular media echo the years of narrative-crafting by psychedelic lobbyists.[30]
On April 24, the FDA announced that it had expedited three psychedelic drug applications for accelerated review involving psilocybin and methylone.[31] Methylone is a synthetic cathinone (psychoactive stimulant found in the leaves of the khat shrub [Catha edulis], native to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula) with substantial chemical, structural, and pharmacological similarities to MDMA (Ecstasy).[32]
The Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative (PSFC), a group of some 200 psychedelic enthusiast millionaires and billionaires, has worked to influence regulators and social media narratives.[33]
A 2025 study noted: “Pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in the introduction of psychedelics to the medical market (largely due to financial gain). As demonstrated during the opioid crisis, pharmaceutical companies are financially driven… [They] continually prove that they will put financial gains over the interest of public health…”[34]
From 1991 to 2018, total prescriptions of SSRI and SNRI drugs rose by 3,001%. Medicaid spending on these drugs increased from $64.5 million in 2004 to $2 billion, then declined to $755 million in 2018, after generics entered the market—an over 62% loss for the pharmaceutical industry.[35]
The revival of interest in psychedelics, therefore, is likely greatly aided by the loss of antidepressant income and venturecapital investors. Startups in this sector saw a spike in investor interest around the beginning of 2020, which was dubbed the “psychedelic renaissance.”[36] More than 80 companies are already devoted to developing or administering psychedelic compounds, according to the business information platform Crunchbase.[37]
Weak Science and Flawed Clinical Trials
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary has cautioned that it is critical that psychedelic development be grounded in “sound science and rigorous clinical evidence.”[38]
However, clinical trials with psychedelics face major methodological challenges, particularly blinding. A placebo for a drug with such powerful effects is difficult to create, yet placebos are essential to distinguish true efficacy from the placebo effect.[39] “Unblinding” occurs when participants correctly guess their treatment. A 2024 review found blinding is often ineffective; in one high-dose psilocybin trial, 94% of participants correctly guessed their allocation.[40]
Rising Illicit Use and Synthetic Realities
Even before the Executive Order, illicit use was rising. Psilocybin (magic mushrooms) is the most widely used psychedelic in the U.S., with an estimated 8 million American adults using it in 2023. LSD use has also risen significantly, particularly among individuals aged 18-25, with usage increasing from 0.9% in 2002 to 4% in 2019.[41]
MDMA is a commercial-scale synthetic first synthesized by Merck pharmaceuticals in 1912. Clandestine chemists preparing MDMA for the black market additionally developed a number of synthetic routes.[42]
Ibogaine, apsychoactive compound derived from African plants like the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (Voacanga africana). Researchers at UC Davis’ Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics (IPN) have synthesized ibogaine and its analogues (similar products) from pyridine, a highly toxic industrial chemical.[43]
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is one of the most potent psychedelic substances known, and is a semi-synthetic compound derived from lysergic acid, a naturally occurring molecule found in the ergot fungus. LSD is a semi-synthetic compound produced through complex chemical processes using hazardous reagents (substances added to cause a chemical reaction or to test if a reaction).[44]
Cannabis Reclassification: No Reliable Mental Health Benefit
Another Executive Order reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I—reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse—to the less strictly regulated Schedule III, providing tax breaks and easing research barriers—though it does not federally legalize it.[45]
Yet, the largest-ever systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry found no reliable evidence supporting the use of medicinal cannabis for treating anxiety, depression, or PTSD, despite rapidly increasing prescribing and use. It warned that cannabis use may worsen mental health outcomes, including increased psychotic symptoms and cannabis use disorder.[46]
All of this amounts to yet another psychotropic drug experiment on American lives, with pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists poised to profit from billions of dollars—while consumers are misled about the true synthetic nature and risks of these “prescription” drugs.
Other CCHR Resources:
CIA Mind-Control History is a Predictor of Today’s Mass Psychiatric Drug Expansion
Newly Released CIA Mind Control Files Raise Alarm on Today’s Psychedelic Drug Boom
CCHR Calls for Ceasing Psychedelic Drug Trials on Military and Veterans
CCHR Calls for Investigation Amid Ketamine Safety Concerns
Ketamine Widely Dispensed Despite FDA Warning It’s Not Approved for Psychiatric Use
1950s MK-Ultra Mind Control Experiments Prompt Warning About Psychedelic Research Today
Replacing Prozac with LSD is Like Switching Seats on the Titanic
CCHR Warns Against Psychedelic Trips Potentially Planned for 55m Americans, including Teens
Renewed Psychedelic Drug Research is a Bad “Trip” for Mental Health
[1] Ella Ruder, “Trump order to fast-track psychedelics for mental illness: 4 notes,” Becker’s Behavioral Health, 20 Apr. 2026, https://www.beckersbehavioralhealth.com/behavioral-health-government-policies/trump-speeds-psychedelic-drug-approvals/; Rory Elliot Armstrong, “Trump signs order to fast-track research on psychedelic drugs,” Yahoo! News Singapore, 19 Apr. 2026, https://sg.news.yahoo.com/trump-signs-order-fast-track-071533814.html; U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “FDA Fact Sheet – Right To Try,” https://www.fda.gov/files/for%20patients/published/FDA%20Right%20to%20Try%20Fact%20Sheet%20for%20Patients%201-10-20.pdf
[2] Synthetic vs Natural Forms of Psilocybin, Psychedelic Passage, 27 Mar. 2026; “How Natural Psilocybin Differs from Synthetic Psilocybin (and Why it Matters)” Rose Hill Life Sciences, 23 Dec. 2025, https://www.rosehill.life/how-natural-psilocybin-differs-from-synthetic-psilocybin-and-why-it-matters/
[3] Dr. Sheridan Walter, “How LSD Is Made: The Process Behind LSD Production,” Recovered, 23 May 2025, https://recovered.org/hallucinogens/lsd/how-lsd-is-made
[4] Balazs Szigeti, PhD, “Psychedelics Expand Options, Not Efficacy, in Depression Care, with Balazs Szigeti, PhD,” HPC Live, 20 Mar. 2026,https://www.hcplive.com/view/psychedelics-expand-options-not-efficacy-depression-care-bal-zs-szigeti-phd
[5] Carlotta Belaise, Alessia Gatti, Virginie-Anne Chouinard, Guy Chouinard, “Patient Online Report of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor-Induced Persistent Postwithdrawal Anxiety and Mood Disorders,” Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 6 Sept. 2012, https://karger.com/pps/article/81/6/386/282690/Patient-Online-Report-of-Selective-Serotonin; Jonathan Price, Victoria Cole and Guy M. Goodwin, “Emotional Side Effects of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: qualitative study,” The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2 Jan. 2018, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/emotional-sideeffects-of-selective-serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors-qualitative-study/88C72E9EA0961CDE777C2FDCDBCE1CA9
[6] https://www.cchrint.org/2019/08/05/getting-it-right-about-antidepressants/; Michael P. Hengartner, “Methodological Flaws, Conflicts of Interest, and Scientific Fallacies: Implications for the Evaluation of Antidepressants’ Efficacy and Harm,” Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7 Dec. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5725408/
[7] https://www.cchrint.org/2025/10/17/profits-over-protection-how-conflicted-psychiatrists-drove-a-youth-antidepressant-crisis/; https://childmind.org/article/antidepressants-and-teen-suicides/
[8] https://www.cchrint.org/2019/08/05/getting-it-right-about-antidepressants/; Martin Plöderl, PhD & Michael P. Hengartner, Ph.D., “Suicides Are Increasing – And So Are Antidepressant Prescriptions,” MAD, 23 Aug. 2018, https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/08/suicides-are-increasing-and-so-are-antidepressant-prescriptions/
[9] “Botanical and Plant Derived Drugs Market Size and Share Analysis – Growth Trends and Forecast (2026-2031),” Mordor Intelligence, https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/botanical-and-plant-derived-drugs-market
[10] “Psychedelic Drugs Market Size & Share Analysis – Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 – 2031),” Mordor Intelligence, https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/psychedelic-drugs-market
[11] Joe Wleker, “The Unreal Betrothal of Trump and the Psychedelic Industry,” Psychedelic Candor, 27 Apr. 2026, https://www.psychedeliccandor.org/p/the-unreal-betrothal-of-trump-and
[12] A.C. Redick, “Seeing What We’re Not Supposed To: A Conversation with Author Erica Rex,” DoubleBlind, 22 Apr. 2026, https://doubleblindmag.com/the-dark-side-of-psychedelic-healing-according-to-erica-rex-1/
[13] David Cox, “Is the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens risky and overhyped?” The Guardian, 19 Aug. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/aug/19/therapeutic-potential-hallucinogens-risky-overhyped-lsd-mdma-psilocybin-work; James Tozer, “Artist, 32, took her own life after drinking hallucinogenic ‘tea’ in trendy shamanic healing ritual at £620-a-head retreat, inquest hears,” Daily Mail, 6 Jan. 2023, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11607545/Artist-took-life-drinking-hallucinogenic-tea-shamanic-healing-ritual-inquest-hears.html
[14] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/11/10/cchr-cautions-legislators-as-fda-weighs-approval-of-psychedelics-amid-rising-violence/; Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to shut off engines on Alaska Airlines flight,” ABC News, 23 Oct. 2023, https://abcnews.go.com/US/alaska-airlines-flight-diverted-after-credible-security-threat/story?id=104223059; “Off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot warned ‘I am not okay’ before alleged attempt to disable plane engines,” CNBC, 24 Oct. 2023, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/24/alaska-airlines-pilot-hit-with-federal-charge-in-alleged-attempts-to-shut-down-plane-engines-grab-emergency-exit-handle.html; “Off-duty pilot who tried to cut engines tried mushrooms as mental health worsened, complaint says,” Politico, 24 Oct. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/24/pilot-mushrooms-ap-00123388; Claire Rush, “Wife of ex-Alaska Airlines pilot says she’s in shock after averted Horizon Air disaster,” Associated Press, 26 Oct. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/horizon-air-pilot-wife-federal-court-1bd8454f4c50f3c4fdf8829884acdb72
[15] https://www.cchrint.org/2023/11/10/cchr-cautions-legislators-as-fda-weighs-approval-of-psychedelics-amid-rising-violence/; “Man Accused in Fatal Shooting Spree at Beyond Wonderland Festival Pleads Not Guilty,” Billboard, 7 June 2023, https://www.billboard.com/business/legal/beyond-wonderland-festival-shooting-suspect-pleads-not-guilty-1235367752/
[16] Robin L Carhart‐Harris, “Serotonin, psychedelics and psychiatry,” World Psychiatry, 7 Sept. 2018, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6127802/; “DMT,” Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 6 June 2025, https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/dmt/; Gowri Aragam, “Medical Contraindications of ‘Classic’ Psychedelic Use,” University of California San Francisco, 22 Mar. 2022, https://psychedelics.ucsf.edu/blog/medical-contraindications-to-classic-psychedelic-use
[17] Professor Joanna Moncrieff, “Medicating misery by doling out antidepressants is based on a myth: NHS psychiatrist PROFESSOR JOANNA MONCRIEFF reveals the shameful truth about Big Pharma,” The Daily Mail, 13 Jan 2025, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14279653/Medicating-misery-antidepressants-myth-NHS-psychiatrist-PROFESSOR-JOANNA-MONCRIEFF.html
[18] Matt Lamkin, MD, JD “Prescription Psychedelics: The Road from FDA Approval to Clinical Practice,” The Amer. Journ. of Medicine, Jan. 2022, https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(21)00521-0/fulltext; Gerald F. O’Malley, Rika O’Malley, Diane M. Birnbaumer, “Hallucinogens,” Merck Manuals, Dec. 2022, https://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/special-subjects/illicit-drugs-and-intoxicants/hallucinogens; “Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies | REMS,” Food and Drug Administration, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/risk-evaluation-and-mitigation-strategies-rems
[19] Matt Lamkin, MD, JD “Prescription Psychedelics: The Road from FDA Approval to Clinical Practice,” The Amer. Journ. of Medicine, Jan. 2022, https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(21)00521-0/fulltext
[20] Elliot Marseille, DrPH, MPP, “Crunching the Numbers on Psychedelic Therapies: Cost, Coverage and Access,” MAPS, 26 Sept. 2025, https://maps.org/news/bulletin/cost-access-psychedelic-therapy/
[21] Andrew Jacobs, “MDMA Therapy in Australia Shows Results, but the Cost Is Limiting Access,” The New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026, https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/health/mdma-therapy-ptsd-psychedelic-australia.html
[22] Brian Barnett, MD, “Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: An Overview for Nonpsychiatrists,” Clevelandclinic.org, 6 June 2025, https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/psychedelic-assisted-therapy-an-overview-for-nonpsychiatrists
[23] “Psychedelic Therapist Salary: 8 Essential Qualifications for Higher Pay,” Changa Institute, 18 July 2025, https://www.changainstitute.com/blog/psychedelic-therapist-salary
[24] https://www.changainstitute.com/course-library
[25] https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Ketamine-Clinics-Los-Angeles/salaries/Psychiatrist/California
[26] Mark Gold, M.D., “Thousands of Clinics Treat Patients With Ketamine. Are They Safe?,” Psychology Today, 1 Aug. 2026, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/addiction-outlook/202507/thousands-of-clinics-treat-patients-with-ketamine-are-they-safe
[27] Dawn Megli, “The ketamine economy: New mental health clinics are a ‘Wild West’ with few rules,” NPR, 30 Jan. 2024, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/01/30/1227630630/ketamine-infusion-clinic-mental-health-depression-anxiety-fda-off-label
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[29] Jacob Bell, “Trump executive order lifts psychedelics biotechs,” Biopharma Dive, 21 Apr. 2026, https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/trump-psychedelics-executive-order-mental-health-neuroscience-psychiatry-biotech/818021/
[30] Joe Wleker, The Unreal Betrothal of Trump and the Psychedelic Industry. Psychedelic Candor, 27 Apr. 2026, The Unreal Betrothal of Trump and the Psychedelic Industry
[31] Rob Reddick, “Trump’s psychedelic executive order: president expands access to psychoactive drugs,” The BMJ, 27 Apr. 2026, https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s794
[32] “What Is Methylone? Effects, Risks and How It Works,” Science Insights, 8 Mar. 2026, https://scienceinsights.org/what-is-methylone-effects-risks-and-how-it-works/
[33] Joe Welker, “Meet the Soul Engineers,” Psychedelic Candor, 4 Nov. 2025, https://www.psychedeliccandor.org/p/meet-the-soul-engineers
[34] Norman Miller, “Psychedelics: Safety and Efficacy,” Int J Environ Res Public Health, 21Jan. 2025, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11855591/
[35] Marwan Alrasheed, et al., “Drug Expenditure, Price, and Utilization in the U.S. Medicaid: A Trend Analysis for SSRI and SNRI Antidepressants from 1991 to 2018,” J Ment Health Policy Econ., 1 Mar. 2021, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33739932
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[39] Alison Knopf, “Industry considers concerns about blinding in trials with psychedelics,” Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update, 11 Apr. 2025, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpu.30962?af=R
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[43] Naren Krishna Jagen, “Synthetic chemistry ‘gaines’ a new path to ibogaine,” The California Aggie, 23 Apr. 2026, https://theaggie.org/2025/3/7/synthetic-chemistry-gaines-a-new-path-to-ibogaine
[44] Dr. Sheridan Walter, “How LSD Is Made: The Process Behind LSD Production,” Recovered, 23 May 2025, https://recovered.org/hallucinogens/lsd/how-lsd-is-made
[45] Alanna Durkin Richer, “Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as less-dangerous drug,” PBS News, 23 Apr. 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-reclassifies-state-licensed-medical-marijuana-as-less-dangerous-drug
[46] “Largest-Ever Study Finds Medicinal Cannabis Ineffective for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD,” Sci Tech Daily, 17 Apr. 2026, https://scitechdaily.com/largest-ever-study-finds-medicinal-cannabis-ineffective-for-anxiety-depression-ptsd/
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