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Experts Debate Federal Legalization of Psychedelic Therapy at Harvard Law School Event

Petrie-Flom Center, The Harvard Crimson Experts on psychedelic use and drug regulation discussed whether psychedelic therapy should be legalized federally. During the event, moderated by former editor-in-chief of Slate Magazine David Plotz, the panelists weighed the benefits of using psychedelics for treating trauma and mood disorders and considered the need for oversight by the U.S….

“Communal Work, Ceremonial Becomings, and Rights to Knowledge,” An Interview Essay with Elías García Méndez

Andrea Sánchez Castañeda in conversation with Elías García Méndez, CSWR, Theosis Elías García Méndez was the morning keynote for the 2025 conference, “Psychedelic Intersections: Betwixt & Between Plant Medicine, Chaplaincy, & Aesthetics.” García Méndez is a Mazatec educator and founder of the Casa Adobe Galería, an art gallery and cultural space in Huautla de Jiménez…

The Future of Psychedelic Regulation Is Local

Victoria Litman, Petrie-Flom Center, Cato Institute Interest in psychedelic substances as recreational, therapeutic, and sacred tools has surged in recent years. The early 21st century has seen expanding scientific research and growing cultural embrace that have brought forth the prospect of federal approval for psychedelic-assisted therapy. But that prospect appeared to dim in August 2024…

“Unveiling the mystical: How scholars are advancing psychedelics study”

Jeffrey Blackwell, Harvard Gazette As part of the broader “Transcendence and Transformation” initiative, the CSWR’s third annual Psychedelic Intersections conference, “Psychedelic Intersections: Betwixt and Between Chaplaincy, Plant Medicine, and Aesthetics,” commenced on Feb. 15 with a one-day summit at Harvard Divinity School. Highlighting three research tracks — psychedelic chaplaincy, the traditions surrounding Indigenous plant medicines,…

“Just Call it Weed: On Arabic Edibles” 

Adam Bremer-McCollum, CSWR, Research Reflection Drifters might call it “the Sufis’ well-known.” Women singers call it “branches of bliss.” Others call it “bush of rapture” and “bush of understanding.” The use of cannabis or “hemp” for rope making was long known, and rope makers, in fact, had their own moniker for weed, “the load-lightener,” as…

A Decolonial Lens on Psychedelic Ethics Symposium

CSWR, Event Recording To conclude the ‘Psychedelics and Ethics’ series, visiting scholar Christine Hauskeller facilitated a symposium that explored material covered during the psychedelic ethics and decoloniality workshop. This symposium focused on the harm caused by colonizing practices in the psychedelic space, particularly their impact on plants and animals, Indigenous groups, and underground practitioners….

Lisa Bieberman and the Moral Challenge of LSD: Revising Harvard’s History of Psychedelics

Research Reflections // Center for the Study of World Religions CSWR Psychedelics and Spirituality Program Lead Paul Gillis-Smith illuminates the work and life of Lisa Bieberman, a figure from the history of psychedelics at Harvard in the ’60s. Bieberman’s memoir offers an alternate history of psychedelics in Cambridge at the time and a moral challenge…

“Science Standards Fail Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy”

Christine Hauskeller, CSWR, Research Reflection CSWR Visiting Scholar Christine Hauskeller argues that the methodological requirements for large-scale clinical trials attempt to standardize and control every aspect of a new treatment in order to derive generalizable data. More research is needed to calibrate psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies treatments and identify the best treatment for different patients….