Access & Advocacy

Chronic pain is experienced by over 50 million people in the U.S. The Psychedelics & Pain Association (PPA) works to expand responsible access to psychedelic medicines for the treatment of pain, physical, and neurological conditions.

Recommendations for Inclusive Psychedelic Policy

Safe Use

  • Educate individuals about psychedelics, including benefit maximization and harm reduction techniques
  • Adjunctive therapies (e.g., physical therapy, neuromodulation, psychotherapy, etc.) should be available when appropriate and necessary

Safe Supply

  • Regulate the production, testing, and labeling of psychedelics
  • Availability of a range of doses to meet the various ways people use psychedelics
  • Legal drug purity testing kits and services

Safe Support

  • Widespread availability of harm reduction services and community support
  • Require training and accountability for facilitators and guides
  • Legalization/decriminalization to reduce the threat of legal repercussions

PPA Policy Statement

The Psychedelics & Pain Association supports responsible access to psychedelic medicines for the treatment of pain, physical, and neurological conditions. PPA understands that the psychedelic renaissance is a massive shift in medical and societal understanding of and policies related to psychedelics. Change will be incremental and will occur at different paces in different regions of the U.S. and the world. PPA is committed to being an active, engaged, and constructive stakeholder in the advancement of psychedelic medicine policies.

  1. PPA supports the legalization/decriminalization of psychedelics because important medicines should not be illegal.
  2. PPA supports equity and broad access to psychedelics, with a focus on safety for all who would benefit from these medicines.
  3. PPA supports the inclusion of pain, physical, and neurological conditions in any lists of qualifying conditions for psychedelic access.
  4. PPA supports the inclusion of education on the best practices in the treatment of pain, physical, and neurological conditions in facilitator training programs. These practices differ from those of mental health conditions.
  5. PPA supports policies that enable pain patients to self-administer psychedelics at home without the requirement of therapy or active facilitation/monitoring.
  6. PPA supports measures that reduce cost and allow people to grow and use their own psilocybin mushrooms and other natural psychedelics.
  7. PPA supports FDA approval of psychedelics as medicines with insurance coverage for these substances and adjunctive therapies – as one means of access.
  8. PPA supports the rescheduling of psychedelics to make research easier to conduct.
  9. PPA supports education initiatives that help society, the medical field, and patients understand the value, efficacy, and safe usage of psychedelics.
  10. PPA supports the inclusion of Indigenous voices in developing psychedelic policy and ensuring that usage by Indigenous groups is included in access policies. PPA understands that psychedelics have been used for thousands of years by Indigenous populations.
  11. PPA supports environmental protections and safeguards on natural psychedelic substances so that overharvesting and extinction do not occur.