In a Defining Election Year, MAPS Releases Policy Guidebook to Shape the Future of Psychedelic Reform
New resource offers legislators, advocates, and communities a roadmap for creating safe, equitable, and evidence-based psychedelic policies
WASHINGTON, Feb. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the United States in a pivotal election year, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) released its Policy Guidebook, a robust resource for psychedelic policy. Grounded in nearly four decades of advocacy and informed by hard-won lessons from recent years, the Guidebook presents a practical and visionary framework for shaping psychedelic policy across local, state, and federal levels.
The Guidebook arrives amid unprecedented momentum for psychedelic reform. With more than a dozen states expected to consider legislation or ballot measures in 2026 while federal agencies explore rescheduling for substances like MDMA and psilocybin, the psychedelic ecosystem is evolving rapidly. In this complex environment, the Guidebook serves as both a compass and a roadmap, offering values-based guidance rooted in public benefit, social equity, cultural respect, and scientific integrity.
| At a time of deep political division, the MAPS Policy Guidebook offers a nonpartisan framework grounded in science, public health, and community wisdom. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine how society relates to psychedelics and the people who use them, prioritizing healing over punishment, access over exclusion, and cultural integrity over commodification. The Guidebook pairs practical tools for policymakers with a bold, long-term vision for justice, safety, and public benefit. Ismail L. Ali, J.D., Co-Executive Director, MAPS |
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Rather than endorsing a one-size-fits-all model, the Guidebook explores the multiple, coexisting approaches states and communities are pursuing, including decriminalization, regulated adult use, medical access, and underground harm reduction. It offers clear direction on how these frameworks can coexist and complement one another, drawing from state case studies, legal analysis, and policy implementation strategies.
Key chapters address decriminalization, consumer safety, equitable access, and the integration of psychedelic care both within and beyond formal healthcare systems while preparing jurisdictions for the regulatory implications of federal rescheduling. The resource is accompanied by a Policy Checklist, Glossary, and Fact Sheets designed to support real-world policymaking and complements MAPS’ educational tools, including the Psychedelic Fundamentals Course, the Psychedelic Crisis Assessment and Intervention Training, and the Virtual Trip.
Importantly, the Guidebook acknowledges that most psychedelic use happens outside of clinical or regulated contexts. It calls for policy solutions that reflect lived realities, embracing harm reduction, peer support, and community-based safety across all settings.
| As the field continues to evolve and grow, this Guidebook will provide an important, centralized resource to support policymakers and advocates alike in moving in the same general direction. While different communities are focusing on different types of psychedelic access, ensuring that the policies being put into place across the country are united by an underlying set of principles and values helps to ensure positive and sustained progress within the psychedelic field. We believe the MAPS Guidebook and related resources we have in the pipeline will be a useful tool in realizing and strengthening that unity. Sia Henry, J.D., Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy, MAPS |
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Rooted in MAPS’ enduring commitment to social justice, the Guidebook also situates psychedelic policy within the broader context of the War on Drugs. It provides actionable recommendations to reduce racial and economic disparities in enforcement, supports community reinvestment, and calls for inclusive models of healing that center those historically excluded from care. Drawing from lessons in cannabis reform, it urges proactive steps to ensure the benefits of psychedelic economies are shared equitably.
MAPS invites policymakers, advocates, and the public to explore the guidebook and join in building a psychedelic policy future defined by healing, not punishment.
ABOUT MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS previously sponsored the most advanced psychedelic-assisted therapy research in the world and continues to support psychedelic and marijuana research with a focus on the people and places most impacted by trauma. MAPS incubated Lykos Therapeutics, a drug-development public benefit company, and The Zendo Project, a leader in psychedelic harm reduction. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $150 million to advance psychedelic research, change drug policy, and shape culture.
Media Contact: media@maps.org
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