Psychedelics

The FDA's New Psychedelic Rules Are Groovy, but the Agency Is Still a Bad Trip

The new rules will fast track clinical testing, but a far cry from legalization or decriminalization.

Steven Greenhut | 5.15.2026 7:30 AM

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(Illustration: U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Midjourney)

The federal Food and Drug Administration nannies have been tormenting Americans for decades, which is no surprise given the pitfalls of putting bureaucrats in charge of such an important function as determining the safety of our food supply, and evaluating drugs and medical devices. Frankly, it's amazing that we all haven't starved to death or been denied basic medications, given the FDA's Byzantine approval process.

One need only look at, say, the FDA's nine-page regulation regarding the proper classification of "frozen lasagna" to understand its arbitrariness: "The lasagna noodles shall comply with the FDA Standard of Identity for Macaroni Products (21 CFR § 139.110) or Enriched Macaroni Products (21 CFR § 139.115) or Noodle Products (21 CFR § 139.150) or Enriched Noodle Products (21 CFR § 139.155)."

On a more serious note, the FDA process can be deadly. As George Mason University economist Alex Tabarrok has explained, the agency "has an incentive to delay the introduction of new drugs" because if it approves a bad drug the "victims are identifiable." If it fails to approve a good drug—or delays its approval for decades—"people die but the........

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