Early research into psychedelics that took place from the 1930s to the 1960s was beginning to reveal insights into the potential of psychedelics like LSD and mescaline as medicines for psychiatry.
But this scientific enquiry was abruptly halted when they were categorised as Schedule 1 drugs following the moral panic that enveloped them, stalling the development of knowledge on the compounds and hampering potential innovation.
The decision to categorise psychedelics in Schedule 1 was based on a World Health Organization (WHO) assessment that concluded psychedelics had no medical utility.
Adding to this, their controversial nature was not something many scientists wanted to be associated with, leading to very little research into the compounds for decades.
Despite this, some scientists have not been afraid to explore their potential.
The early days of psychedelic science have been hugely influential, with work from scientists such as Albert Hofmann, Humphry Osmond, Stanislav Grof, and Alexander Shulgin looking at compounds including LSD and mescaline for schizophrenia or MDMA for psychotherapy, for example, has laid the groundwork for much scientific inquiry today.
Following their work, companies such as the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS [now Lykos]) have been researching the potential of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for conditions such as PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.
These years of work have not been without controversy, and the treatment was rejected by the FDA. However, the organisation is now repeating Phase 3 clinical trials with the hopes of gaining FDA approval – a marked step forward for psychoactive substances in psychiatry.
Equally, influential individuals such as the founder of the non-profit Beckley Foundation, Amanda Feilding, have been contributing to this science.
Feilding, who died in May 2025, was a countess, researcher, and drug reform campaigner, and conducted ample psychedelic research since the 1960s.
Founding the charitable foundation in 1998, Feilding has been pivotal in revealing the potential medical utilities of psychedelics – researching psilocybin for smoking cessation and the treatment of depression, and producing the first visualisation of the effects of LSD on the brain in collaboration with Imperial College London in 2016.
Part of this research programme was Professor David Nutt of Imperial. In 2007, Nutt challenged the status quo on the danger of psychedelics when he and fellow researchers concluded in a paper published in The Lancet that alcohol and tobacco were more harmful than psychoactive substances such as MDMA and LSD.
Nutt was dismissed from his position on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) in 2009 for his views on drugs and went on to found Drug Science, a non-profit organisation that has been fundamental in policy reform regarding medical cannabis.
The non-profit works to provide education on drugs and campaigns for reform around medical cannabis and psychedelics.
Now, the number of scientists investigating these substances today is on the rise, and this accumulation of scientific knowledge has led to universities across the world beginning to offer courses in psychedelics, establishing psychedelic departments and carrying out psychedelic research.
This accumulation of scientific knowledge has also contributed to increased therapeutic access to psychedelics in Canada, Australia, and the US.
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