Ketamine and the Consequences of Positive Psychedelic Exceptionalism

Psychedelics raise ethical concerns similar to those in other areas of medicine and psychology, not unique ones. The authors argue that treating psychedelics as ethically exceptional distorts risk assessment and policy. They identify several shared ethical considerations—such as informed consent, vulnerability, and adverse effects—that apply to psychedelic therapy just as they do to other treatments. The paper concludes that psychedelics should be integrated into existing medical and ethical frameworks rather than governed by special rules.

Study at a glance

Abstract

In “Distinctive but not Exceptional: The Risks of Psychedelic Ethical Exceptionalism,” Cheung et al. (2025) elaborate the ways that psychedelics share individual ethical considerations with those o...