Same Same but Different: On Psychedelic Exceptionalism

The paper argues that the unusual features of psychedelic treatments—such as their subjective, mystical-like experiences—do not make them exceptional within medicine, and therefore they should not be granted exceptional ethical or regulatory status. The authors contend that many standard medical treatments also involve profound, subjective, or transformative experiences, and that singling out psychedelics as exceptional is inconsistent. Instead, they suggest that psychedelic treatments should be evaluated using the same ethical and regulatory frameworks applied to other medical interventions, without special exemptions.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The presence of unusual features in psychedelic treatments has led to the argument that these treatments are exceptional within medicine and should therefore also be treated as exceptional when ana...