Our Mission

Public Health Education

Media in recent years has focused on the potential benefits of psychedelics, and rarely on potential harms, adverse events, or safety practices.

Recent public discourse on psychedelics—including news stories, social media conversations, and policy messaging—often falls short, lacking either scientific rigor or nuanced communication. To fill this gap, the Alliance is working to build a campaign that fosters informed decision-making — including whether or not to use psychedelics — by presenting a complete story: the potential benefits alongside the potential risks and essential safety measures to mitigate those risks.

Regardless of psychedelics’ legal status, many people are and will continue seeking out these substances in unregulated settings. Some individuals may seek out psychedelics because they are struggling with their mental or emotional health — others are simply curious but not well-informed. Through public health education, we aim to cultivate a more balanced, realistic and nuanced understanding among the interested public to help people make well-informed personal choices that lead to safer and responsible use, aiming to optimize potential benefits and mitigate potential risks. We also aim to raise awareness of research and resources to help people who experience psychedelic-related adverse events. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce harms, with a focus on those potentially most at risk: young adults considering or already taking psychedelics, people struggling with mental or emotional health who are seeking healing and considering self-medicating, and people naïve to psychedelics who are unfamiliar with safety practices.

A Responsible Policy to Promote Safer Use

Governor Gavin Newsom has called on California to be a leader on responsible psychedelic policy. In 2023, he asked lawmakers to develop legislation that includes guardrails and safety measures.

Senate Bill 1012, bipartisan legislation introduced in February 2024 by Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Marie Waldron,  is a direct response to Governor Newsom's request. The bill aims to enable safer access for people who can be helped by psychedelics while educating the public about potential risks and promoting safer practices. SB 1012 would:

• Authorize an expert oversight committee appointed by the governor to direct the board and agencies described below.

• Establish a professional licensing board for psychedelic facilitators to develop rigorous training programs, ethical standards, scope of practice guidelines, and regulatory oversight;

• Develop regulations for the production, laboratory testing, and tracking of psychedelic substances administered under the supervision of psychedelic facilitators;

• Require individuals to complete a safety screening and health assessment to determine if proceeding with psychedelic facilitation services is appropriate;

• Mandate psychedelic facilitators to follow up with clients, report any adverse events, and provide ongoing integration support;

• Create a public-private fund administered by state to support public health education related to psychedelics;

• Enable the collection of de-identified public health data on psychedelics and their usage to guide researchers and policymakers to improve outcomes;

• Establish a system for individuals and health care providers to file complaints against psychedelic facilitators for unethical conduct and report serious adverse events;

• Direct regulators to promote equity and ensure services are accessible to low-income and disadvantaged individuals.

SB 1012 will not:

• Decriminalize psychedelics for personal use;

• Allow the retail sales of psychedelics.

Psychedelics are powerful substances, and we want to encourage people to be informed and use them responsibly in settings with proper support, preparation, and safeguards.

This legislation seeks to secure access to the benefits of psychedelics for Californians while mitigating risks by requiring trained psychedelic facilitators and care recipients to collaborate to maximize safety. SB 1012 also creates a first-in-the-nation public-private fund to support a public education program to help individuals make informed decisions about whether to use psychedelics, how to reduce risks, and how to access support if needed.