OPT-IN series brief · How to Change Your Mind · 2026
Four psychedelics, four years on: where things stand for Ohioans
Watch the series: Netflix (four episodes)
How to Change Your Mind (Netflix, 2022, directed by Alison Ellwood and Lucy Walker) brings Michael Pollan's 2018 book to the screen in four episodes: LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and mescaline. Pollan walks through each medicine's history, from early research through the backlash and the drug war, and the scientists, patients and Indigenous leaders shaping where it goes next. It's one of the best starting points for anyone new to this work, and it opened a lot of conversations.
A lot has changed since it aired. We hold the curiosity it sparks alongside where each medicine actually stands today, and that all four remain Schedule I in Ohio. This brief follows the series episode by episode and links to OPT-IN's deeper briefs where we have them. We meet clients where they are, with accurate information and without judgment, and we help them integrate.
The short version
- LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and mescaline are Schedule I federally and in Ohio. Peyote has a federal exemption for Native American religious use.
- Since 2022: an LSD tablet had two positive Phase 3 anxiety trials, psilocybin is under FDA review, and MDMA was rejected in 2024 and refiled in 2026. Mescaline is still early research.
- Legal access today exists for psilocybin in Oregon and Colorado and for MDMA in Australia; LSD is available only in trials, and peyote only in Native ceremony.
- We can offer preparation, harm reduction and integration; we cannot supply, dose or refer to an illegal source.
Episode by episode
What each episode covers, what has changed since, and where to go deeper.
Episode 1
LSD
From Albert Hofmann's discovery of its effects in 1943 through the 1950s therapy research, the counterculture and the crackdown, to its return in the lab.
Now: Definium Therapeutics (formerly MindMed) reported two positive Phase 3 trials of DT120, an LSD tablet, for generalized anxiety in August and September 2026. In the first, 43% of people improved by half or more at 12 weeks, against 16% on placebo. The company plans to file with the FDA in the first half of 2027.
In Ohio: Schedule I; possession is a felony.
OPT-IN brief: not yet
Episode 2
Psilocybin
The mushroom's history and the clinical trials that brought psychedelic therapy back into medicine.
Now: Compass Pathways' COMP360 had two positive Phase 3 trials for treatment-resistant depression and is under rolling FDA review, with a decision possible in 2027. Oregon and Colorado run licensed programs, and New Mexico's medical program is launching.
In Ohio: Schedule I; possession is a felony.
Go deeper: Journeys brief on psilocybin
Episode 3
MDMA
MDMA's use in therapy before its 1985 ban, and the PTSD trials that were underway when the series was made.
Now: the FDA rejected MDMA-assisted therapy in August 2024 over data and trial-conduct concerns. The sponsor, now Resilient Pharmaceuticals, refiled in 2026 without a new trial. The VA began its own MDMA trial in May 2026, and Australia allows prescribing by authorized psychiatrists.
In Ohio: Schedule I; possession is a felony.
Go deeper: Trip of Compassion brief on MDMA
Episode 4
Mescaline
Peyote's ceremonial place in the Native American Church, the pressure on wild peyote, and the San Pedro cactus.
Now: federal law protects Native Americans' ceremonial use of peyote. The National Council of Native American Churches and the Navajo Nation oppose non-Native decriminalization of peyote and are leading conservation work, and many Indigenous groups point non-Native seekers toward synthetic mescaline or San Pedro instead. Synthetic mescaline remains research-only.
In Ohio: Schedule I outside the religious exemption.
OPT-IN brief: not yet
More OPT-IN briefs
Each one pairs a film with a deeper look at one medicine, including the paths Ohioans take and harm-reduction essentials.
Any medicine
Harm-reduction essentials
- Screening: a personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, heart conditions, and current crisis all change the risk.
- Medications: lithium is linked to seizures with classic psychedelics, MAOIs are dangerous with MDMA, and SSRIs often blunt the effects. Review medications with a prescriber rather than stopping them alone.
- What's in it: blotter sold as LSD sometimes contains NBOMes, which are more dangerous; a bitter or numbing taste is a warning sign, though only lab testing confirms what it is.
- Set and setting: a sober sitter, a safe space, no driving, and time cleared afterward.
- Integration: what someone brings home from an experience needs somewhere to land; that is where our work comes in.
Fireside Project (free peer support, during or after): 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433)
Medical emergency: 911 · Crisis: 988
For Ohio clinicians
Staying inside our scope
- Can: educate, explore a client's plans, offer harm-reduction information, help them prepare, and do integration afterward.
- Can't: supply, procure, handle or dose a Schedule I substance, attend an illegal session, or refer to a specific underground provider.
- Document the conversation as harm reduction and informed consent, including the legal risks the client has been told about.
- When unsure, consult your licensing board's guidance, your ethics code and a colleague. This brief is education, not legal advice.
After the series
Questions for the room
- Which episode stayed with you most, and why?
- The series aired in 2022. What has changed in how you or your clients talk about these medicines since?
- The mescaline episode centers Indigenous stewardship. How do we honor traditions we aren't part of while this field grows?
Prepared by OPT-IN, the Ohio Psychedelic Therapy & Integration Network, for a How to Change Your Mind community screening. Current as of October 24, 2026. Educational only: not medical or legal advice, and not an endorsement of illegal use. Laws and timelines change quickly.
Sources: How to Change Your Mind (miniseries), Wikipedia; Netflix, How to Change Your Mind; Definium, Voyage Phase 3 results (Aug. 12, 2026); Psychiatric Times, Panorama Phase 3 results (Sept. 14, 2026); Pharmaceutical Technology, DT120 NDA planned for 2027; Compass Pathways, Q2 2026 results; MAPS, MDMA resubmission (Aug. 10, 2026); American Legion, VA launches MDMA trial; 42 U.S.C. 1996a (peyote religious use); Mind Medicine Law, peyote guide; Erowid, NBOMes sold as LSD; Ohio R.C. 2925.11; Fireside Project; 988 Lifeline.