American Journal of Bioethics
May 2, 2024
Edward Jacobs, B. Earp, Paul S. Appelbaum et al.
29 citations
A workshop on psychedelic ethics, the first Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) meeting, was held in August 2023 at the University of Oxford to address ethical issues surrounding psychedelics. The organizers (BDE, DBY, EJ) aimed to foster interdisciplinary discussion on topics such as informed consent, therapeutic use, and societal implications. The report outlines the workshop's structure, key themes, and proposed guidelines for ethical research and practice in the field.
Canadian Journal of Bioethics
January 1, 2022
Khaleel Rajwani
9 citations
Adolescents should be included in research into psychedelic therapies such as psilocybin and MDMA, which have shown promise for treating mental disorders in adults. The growing mental health burden among young people creates a pressing need for novel interventions, and psychedelics pose low risk relative to existing psychiatric medications. Concerns about developmental risks and the complexity of informed consent are addressed: the lack of understanding about risks underscores the need for research, and an enhanced consent process can allow capable adolescents to participate. Including adolescents could substantiate innovative treatments that improve their clinical outcomes, long-term mental health, and quality of life.
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
September 2, 2025
Khaleel Rajwani, Edward Jacobs, Lori Bruce et al.
6 citations
A scoping review of medical literature from 2000 to 2025 found no completed or published clinical trials testing psychedelic-assisted therapy in adolescents under 18, despite three trial registrations and one trial plan. The proposed studies would have investigated MDMA-assisted or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder, autism with social anxiety, or self-harm. Ethical approval and recruitment details were inconsistently reported. This absence of data represents a major evidence gap that could hinder informed care. The authors argue for cautious, ethically grounded research starting with older adolescents who have the highest foreseeable benefit-risk ratio due to special circumstances.
Canadian Journal of Bioethics
December 7, 2023
Khaleel Rajwani
6 citations
Mandatory video recording of psychedelic therapy sessions, intended to prevent therapist misconduct, raises serious ethical concerns from the patient perspective that deserve careful consideration. While recording offers benefits such as deterring abuse and providing evidence, it may compromise patient privacy, trust, and the therapeutic environment. The argument that recording is essential for clinician safety is also examined. The paper proposes that informed consent should address patient concerns and that both patients and clinicians should have the option to opt out. Further bioethical analysis and qualitative research on recording practices in psychedelic-assisted therapy are needed.
Philosophical Psychology
September 8, 2025
Mina Caraccio, Katherine Cheung, Sebastian Porsdam Mann et al.
3 citations
As interest in psychedelics like psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA revives and their legal status changes in many places, ethical guidelines are urgently needed for both medical and non-medical use. This paper argues that focusing only on medical applications neglects potentially valuable uses in other contexts and raises ethical issues including hype, exceptionalism, informed consent, therapeutic touch, data collection, and balancing access with safety. The authors call for renewed attention to the treatment-versus-enhancement distinction from bioethics and stress that guidelines should be flexible and context-sensitive. They recommend incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives and cross-sector collaboration in future research and policy for psychedelic bioethics.
Wellcome Open Research
July 8, 2025
Khaleel Rajwani, Melanie Almonte, F. Feroz et al.
2 citations
A protocol describes a planned scoping review to determine whether any controlled clinical research involving psychedelic drug administration to adolescents under 18 has been conducted since 2000. The review will follow established methodological guidelines, searching multiple databases and trial registers for interventional studies from 2000 to the present. Two independent raters will assess articles, with a third resolving disagreements. The protocol notes that while historical studies from 1959 to 1974 exist, they do not meet modern standards, and no recent controlled clinical research with adolescents is known.
The American Journal of Bioethics
January 2, 2025
Khaleel Rajwani
2 citations
Medical exceptionalism—treating psychedelics primarily as medical interventions—is only one of many possible frameworks for their use, understanding, and regulation. Cohen and Marks argue that this narrow medical lens can overlook alternative approaches rooted in community, ritual, or personal growth. The authors suggest that a broader perspective could lead to more equitable and culturally appropriate access pathways.
Canadian Journal of Bioethics
January 1, 2026
Khaleel Rajwani
1 citation
Excluding people with personal or family histories of psychosis from psychedelic therapy research raises serious ethical concerns. The historical entanglement and separation of psychedelic and psychosis research in Western psychiatry is reviewed. Clinical and sociocultural reasons for this standard exclusion are examined. While caution is warranted, such exclusion causes significant harms to safety, accessibility, autonomy, and equity. Drawing parallels to the exclusion of pregnant people from drug research, a protectionist and exclusionary approach redistributes harms rather than preventing them.