As legal barriers begin to crumble, Compass Pathways expects an accelerated FDA decision on its psilocybin therapy, and lawyers push the Supreme Court to rethink federal cannabis prohibition, the psychedelic community grapples with its own growing pains, advocates warn that facilitators must address power imbalances and potential abuses, and researchers are racing to develop non‑hallucinogenic LSD analogues that boost mood without tripping. In this conundrum, healing advances only if harm is acknowledged.
Regulatory
Compass Pathways anticipates faster FDA decision
The company says its psilocybin therapy for severe depression could receive FDA review by late 2026, thanks to a rolling submission that lets data be assessed as it arrives.
Lawyer fights for psilocybin access for the dying
Attorney Kathryn Tucker says DEA delays are blocking terminally ill patients from getting psilocybin that Hopkins and NYU studies suggest can bring fast relief.
Cannabis prohibition headed for the Supreme Court
Attorney Josh Schiller says he’s hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case challenging federal cannabis prohibition, contending that the Commerce Clause doesn’t cover intrastate, state‑legal cannabis, a decision could reshape federal oversight.
Lebanon legalizes cannabis to patch the economy
Lebanon is rolling out a regulated cannabis industry overseen by a national authority that will license farmers and supervise manufacturing, hoping to create billions in revenue and control illicit cultivation.
Psilocybin use surges but law stifles research
A review in JAMA Psychiatry notes that psilocybin use among Americans aged 19–50 has skyrocketed due to decriminalization and promising trials, yet federal Schedule I status makes controlled research and harm‑reduction measures nearly impossible.
Market
MindMed raises $259 M for R&D
The company closed a public offering of over 21 million shares at $12.25 each, bringing in approximately $259 million to fund clinical trials, new programs and potential acquisitions.
GH Research touts strong cash and trial results
The Irish company reported $293.9 million in cash and marketable securities at the end of Q3 2025 and highlighted a placebo‑adjusted MADRS reduction of 15.5 points for its GH001 trial in treatment‑resistant depression, with 73 % remission at six months and no serious adverse events.
Iboga on Instagram raises ethics questions
DoubleBlind reports on a rising trend of iboga vendors marketing the powerful entheogen on Instagram and TikTok, sparking debate about the commercialization of an Indigenous medicine and concerns over safety, legality, and cultural appropriation.
ExpoCannabis Brasil expands with business hub
Latin America’s biggest cannabis fair returns to São Paulo in November 2025. After drawing 40,000 visitors and 300 exhibitors last year, this edition adds a B2B Cannabis Business Hub and two stages, a policy forum, and a medical congress, featuring international experts and regional legislators.
Canada’s cannabis retail consolidates
StratCann notes that seven years after legalization, Canada’s retail landscape is shifting toward larger chains through acquisitions, but provincial caps and regional rules keep competition lively, while operators such as FIKA Cannabis are vertically integrating into distribution and data analytics.
Scientific
Adenosine surge underlies ketamine’s antidepressant effects
A Nature study shows that ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy boost adenosine signaling in the medial prefrontal cortex, new analogs like deschloroketamine (DCK) and 2C‑DCK amplify this effect, delivering strong antidepressant benefits at lower doses with fewer side effects.
EEG study differentiates ketamine and psilocybin
In a mismatch‑negativity paradigm, ketamine dramatically altered EEG spectral slope and reduced beta power, suggesting a disruption of cortical excitation–inhibition balance, while psilocybin primarily lowered alpha activity, highlighting distinct mechanisms.
LSD analogue JRT delivers a mood lift without tripping
Researchers swapped two atoms in LSD’s D‑ring to create JRT, a compound that boosts cortical neuron growth and dendritic spine density, producing robust antidepressant and pro‑cognitive effects in mice without hallucinations.
Social trends
Colorado Psychedelic Cup mixes science fair and farmers’ market
The Psychedelic Club of Denver’s 2025 Cup transformed a wedding venue into a hall of mushrooms, cactus cuttings, chromatograms, mycology talks, mutual aid projects and new mescaline‑rich cactus species.
Veterans find hope in ibogaine and 5‑MeO‑DMT
A Netflix documentary followed three retired Navy SEALs who traveled to Mexico for experimental therapy with ibogaine and 5‑MeO‑DMT.
Community warns of harm in psychedelic facilitation
An article at Psychedelic Passage highlights how unbalanced power dynamics in psychedelic facilitation can lead to abuse, from overriding client autonomy to gaslighting.
Global Psychedelic Week 2025
Today is day 6 of this 7-day event, uniting 2,000+ attendees and speakers from 100 countries for tracks on ancestral plant knowledge, industry, veteran perspectives, and legal debates, and a global conversation beyond Western wellness.