Conference Description

A major sea change seems likely on the legal treatment of psychedelic medicines – including psilocybin, a substance produced by many species of fungi, 3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic substance colloquially referred to as ecstasy, and mescaline, produced by several species of cactus, including peyote, a sacrament of Native American churches. As Phase II and III psychedelic trials near completion, the FDA may soon approve psychedelic medicines for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression. This represents a paradigm shift for the agency, which recently released draft guidance on conducting psychedelic clinical trials.

At the same time, other federal agencies are changing their attitudes toward psychedelics, and Congress is considering reducing barriers to psychedelic research.

With these changes come a myriad of legal and ethical issues. This conference, which will seed a book, seeks to explore the law and policy challenges and opportunities resulting from increased clinical research, private investment, and political interest in psychedelic medicines.

This year’s conference is organized by the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) at the Petrie-Flom Center in collaboration with Mason Marks, Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor at the Florida State University College of Law and Senior Fellow and Project Lead on the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation at the Petrie-Flom Center, Amy Lynn McGuire, Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine, and the Baylor College of Medicine Ethical Legal Implications of PSychedelics In Society (ELIPSIS) Program with support of the Saisei Foundation, Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg.

Agenda

9-9:15am, Welcome Remarks

• I. Glenn Cohen, Petrie-Flom Center Faculty Director, James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, and Deputy Dean, Harvard Law School
• Mason Marks, Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor, Florida State University College of Law and Senior Fellow and Project Lead on the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation, Petrie-Flom Center
• Amy Lynn McGuire, Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine
• Susannah Baruch, Executive Director, The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School

9:15-10:35am, Panel one: Psychedelics in medical and therapeutic practice

• Moderator: Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, Director, Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics, Director, Master of Science in Bioethics Degree Program, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

10:35-11:35am, Panel two: Human rights, constitutional rights, cognitive liberty

• Moderator: I. Glenn Cohen, Petrie-Flom Center Faculty Director, James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, and Deputy Dean, Harvard Law School

11:35-11:50am, Break

11:50am-12:50pm, Panel three: Cross-cultural, indigenous, and spiritual use

• Moderator: Amy Lynn McGuire, Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine

12:50-1:50pm, Lunch

1:50-2:50pm, Panel four: Research, innovation, and patents

• Moderator: Mason Marks, Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor, Florida State University College of Law and Senior Fellow and Project Lead on the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation, Petrie-Flom Center

2:50-3:05pm, Break

3:05-4:45pm, Panel five: Legalization and access

• Moderator: Susannah Baruch, Executive Director, The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School

4:45-5pm, Closing

• I. Glenn Cohen, Petrie-Flom Center Faculty Director, James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law, and Deputy Dean, Harvard Law School
• Mason Marks, Florida Bar Health Law Section Professor, Florida State University College of Law and Senior Fellow and Project Lead on the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation, Petrie-Flom Center
• Amy Lynn McGuire, Leon Jaworski Professor of Biomedical Ethics and Director, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine
• Susannah Baruch, Executive Director, The Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School

Sponsored by the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR) at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, with support from the Saisei Foundation, Tim Ferriss, Matt Mullenweg, and the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund at Harvard University