The new paper by a group that supports drug policy reform argues for the decriminalization of personal use of and possession of many psychedelics.
Doctors for Drug Policy Reform report (D4DPR), says the decriminalization of use and possession by adults, “provides an effective path for reducing mass imprisonment, improving public health, addressing inequalities, and laying the foundation for rational reforms to drug policies.”
It argues that criminalizing personal possession and use of psychedelics would be a waste of money. The report argues that a coherent decriminalization policy at the state level would align better with drug policies based on evidence, and provide a more effective and just response to substance abuse.
The paper was written and developed by Kristel Carrington, a New York-based psychiatrist, psychotherapist and psychopharmacologist. The document focuses primarily on a few “well researched psychedelics” such as LSD (including ayahuasca), psilocybin (5-MeO DMT), MDMA, DMT and mescaline. However, it adds “this doesn’t imply other psychedelics remain illegal.”
According to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), most psychedelics currently fall into the Schedule I drug category. The classification, according to the report, “fails [to] reflect scientific evidence showing that psychedelics have a low potential for harm or problematic use and show promising results in large-scale mental health trials.”
Carrington wrote that the Schedule I classification of psychedelics “falsely inflates” their risks and “perpetuates a legal system that imposes an excessive punishment for nonviolent drugs offenses.” He added that “research from 1990 to today has provided substantial evidence,” that psychedelics were less harmful than controlled substances, such as heroin or cocaine, and non-controlled substances, like tobacco and alcohol.
The federal drug policy is slow to adapt. “Despite increased scientific and medical support,” says the report, “these drugs remain Schedule I due to outdated drug policy that fails to reflect current research.”
The D4DPR paper argues that most people still support the end of psychedelics prohibition. It cites a study from UC Berkeley in 2023 that found that 61% registered U.S. Voters favor legalizing psychedelic plants, fungi and mushrooms, highlighting changing public attitudes about psychedelic policies.
This paper notes that the public is more aware of the disparity between drug policies, and the scientific evidence. The misalignment of the classifications for legal psychedelics and actual risks highlights broader failures within drug policy.
A better approach, D4DPR asserts, would be to remove criminal penalties around the use and possession of psychedelics—a change the group says would advance public health, promote social equity and allow better allocation of scarce public health and safety resources.
A harm-reduction-based policy ensures that drug policies are more equitable, just and evidence-driven. This approach also reduces the incarceration rate, minimizes stigma, promotes public health and fosters solutions. This policy framework excludes the cultivation, distribution, and sale of psychedelics. Instead, it prioritizes harm-reduction by eliminating outdated, ineffective punishments for personal use.
The new paper states that “decriminalization” is a practical way to address inconsistencies with current drug laws while still allowing federal jurisdiction over the legal status of drugs and their enforcement. This approach creates a rational and equitable drug policy that prioritizes public health and reduces incarceration while reducing financial burdens to the criminal justice system.
D4DPR suggests that, in addition to clearly defining quantity thresholds and age restrictions on personal possession, collaboration between medical and community-based groups is encouraged to create programs of training for young people, clinicians and law enforcement.
According to the report, reforms would include an “automatic erasure of all past convictions related to simple possession of psychoactive substances including those where people were wrongly accused of distribution.”
The group says that data and metrics should be collected to assess the impact of criminal justice on health, and indigenous perspectives should guide policymaking in order “to ensure inclusive and ethical reforms.”
This document on decriminalization follows another D4DPR paper that discussed treatment strategies for opioid addiction. Hunter Platzman’s paper argues, rather than using agonist treatments like methadone or buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder, that policymakers should adopt safer supply interventions.
This paper asserts that while agonist treatments have been proven to be effective and legal in the past, less than 35 percent use them. Some people cannot access these therapies, while others refuse to use them. Platzman, in his report, argues that prescription heroin “demonstrates superior effectiveness compared with traditional medications such as methadone”, and is much less deadly than highly toxic synthetic drugs, like fentanyl.
D4DPR, in an April last year position paper, suggested that cannabinoids derived from hemp should be treated more like marijuana.
This paper states that our understanding of certain compounds, such as delta-8-THC is very limited. The toxicology and many of the compounds haven’t been studied.
D4DPR, the statement continued, is that intoxicating cannabis should all be subject to regulatory frameworks to ensure public security.
The cannabinoids paper was an attempt to bridge what the group described as a policy gap between between hemp—legalized federally through the 2018 Farm Bill—and marijuana, which remains federally illegal.
The problem was caused by the artificial separation between hemp and marijuana, which are two identical plants. Adinoff’s group president said, “One has low THC levels and one does not.” It’s the only thing that got us into trouble.
D4DPR had been known for many years as Doctors for Cannabin Regulation, but was rebranded to D4DPR in 2023. The new name reflects a greater focus on a “wider range of drugs policy issues than cannabis” including psychedelics.
Atlanta’s Decriminalization Of Marijuana ‘Led To A Reduction In Violent Crime,’ New Research Shows
Carlosemmaskype, Apollo and other photographers provided the images.