Harvard to study pyschedelics and the law as decriminalization gains steam

Harvard University has plans to study "equity in psychedelics research, commerce and therapeutics," thanks to a new search grant.

The research by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics comes as some states and cities have decriminalized pschedelic drugs. "Right now, there are a handful of psychedelics research centers at universities around the country. However, they are focused on clinical research," Mason Marks, who is leading POPLAR, said in a Wednesday statement. "There is no systematic research being done on psychedelics law, and POPLAR will fill this gap." The researchers will focus on five areas: ethics in psychedelics research and therapeutics; challenges with psychedelics and intellectual property law; federal support for psychedelics research; access to and equity in emerging psychedelics industries; and the role of psychedelics in healing trauma.