Relief from trauma.
For veterans with PTSD and sexual assault survivors.
86% experienced meaningful improvement in a major PTSD trial of psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Patients are
running out of time.
We need new treatments
Our demand:
Take psychedelic molecules—not just the FDA-approved drug—out of Schedule I.
Join the effortNearly 1.8 million
Americans died from suicide, alcohol and drugs over the past decade.
Psychedelic treatment offers hope to patients who have run out of options
So why are patients still waiting?
In 1970, Nixon signed the law that placed psychedelics in Schedule I, classifying them as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. For over half a century, this policy has blocked paths to scientific research and patient access.
Schedule I · most restrictive
Psilocybin. MDMA. Ibogaine.
No currently accepted medical use
High potential for abuse
Patients cannot be prescribed Schedule I substances under federal law. Extreme barriers to research add enormous costs and delays to scientific progress.
Schedules II–VCocaine
Cocaine
Methamphetamine
Fentanyl · Xanax
These substances may be prescribed by doctors and researched with fewer barriers and lower costs.
PAG is fighting the Schedule I roadblock
Psychedelic Advocacy Group is bringing together leaders in science, law, and advocacy to demand change. We’re building a coalition to take the psychedelic molecule out of Schedule I with the FDA approved drug to accelerate research and patient access.
Chief Legal Strategist
Shane Pennington
A controlled-substances attorney with a record of breaking federal research barriers. Shane helped expose an unlawful policy that had obstructed cannabis research for more than 50 years. A partner at Blank Rome, he has represented scientists and industry coalitions before the DEA, FDA and HHS.
Pioneering Psychedelic Researcher
Dr. Matt Johnson
A pioneer of modern psychedelic science, Matt led groundbreaking studies at Johns Hopkins on psychedelics for mental health and addiction. He helped establish the field’s 2008 safety guidelines and pioneered psilocybin research for tobacco addiction.
Why now?
The FDA is on the verge of approving psychedelic branded drugs to treat mental health conditions.
The DEA could move the FDA approved drug into a different category while the molecule—the psychedelic ingredient in the drug itself—remains in Schedule I. That would create a pathway for one company’s drug while leaving researchers and the broader field behind.
PAG is mobilizing a coalition to challenge this unscientific and immoral policy.
Matthew W. Johnson and Rav AroraWhy FDA approval alone won’t solve the research roadblockRead the articleFDA approved drug-only change
FDA approved drug moves forward, psychedelic molecule remains Schedule I.Research and access is limited.
The change we’re demanding
The psychedelic molecule & the FDA approved drug move out of Schedule I.Research and access can advance.
The FDA Approves a Drug
If we take no action
The psychedelic molecule
remains in Schedule I
The FDA-approved drug moves forward.
The broader Schedule I roadblock remains.
- Less patient access
- Less research
- Less innovation
What PAG supports
The psychedelic molecule
moves out of Schedule I
Federal classification moves the molecule & FDA approved drug into a lower schedule.
- More patient access
- More research
- More innovation
A few key questions
What would rescheduling change?
Moving psychedelic medicines out of Schedule I would remove its extra research barriers, helping scientists build evidence and develop new treatment options.
Does rescheduling mean legalization?
No. Rescheduling changes a substance’s federal classification. It does not create unrestricted legal access or replace FDA approval and other medical requirements.
Who is PAG bringing together?
Leaders in science, law and advocacy, alongside patient voices, working to advance psychedelic research and patient access.
Science-Based ReschedulingHelp the whole
Help the whole
field move forward.
Researchers, clinicians, patients, veterans and allies can help make the case for policy that follows the science.