Join a trial

How to join a psilocybin clinical trial

You are not billed for the study treatment, it is legal in all 50 states, and it is the only lawful way most Americans will access psilocybin this year. It is also slower and more selective than people expect. 269 studies are recruiting across 576 trial sites; 255 of them publish a contact email you can write to today.

269studies recruiting

576trial sites enrolling

314US trial sites

no chargefor the study treatment

“Free” has an edge to it. Under the Common Rule a US study may not bill you for the investigational treatment or the research visits, and that is what “no charge” means here. What it does not cover: travel, time off work, childcare, and any routine care the protocol calls standard-of-care. Some sites reimburse travel or pay a participation stipend and some do not, so ask the coordinator for the consent form's cost and reimbursement section before you commit. We do not hold per-study cost terms in the index; the consent document is the authority.

1. Find studies, not sites

Start from the study record rather than the location. A study tells you the compound, the phase, the condition, the enrollment target and whether there's a placebo arm. Then check which of its sites you can reach. Our recruiting list is sorted by country and state, and every record links straight to its ClinicalTrials.gov registration.

2. Read the exclusions before you get attached

This is where most people fail, and usually on something they could have known in week one. The near-universal exclusions: personal or first-degree family history of psychosis or bipolar I, current lithium, uncontrolled hypertension, recent cardiac events, pregnancy. Many protocols also require you to taper off SSRIs under medical supervision, which takes six to eight weeks and has to start before screening, not after.

75countries

8.4kmapped

dailyrefresh

The live index

576 recruiting sites, filterable by location Open Research & Trials, switch on Recruiting, and zoom to your area. Each record carries the NCT number and sponsor. Explore the map →

3. Email the coordinator, and say the useful things

Study coordinators are drowning in vague enquiries. A message that names the NCT number, states your age and location, lists your diagnosis and how long you've had it, names your current medications, and says you've read the exclusions will get answered ahead of one that says "I'm interested in psychedelics." Include the best time to reach you by phone; screening calls are how this moves.

4. Expect the screen to take weeks

Phone screen, then an in-person visit with psychiatric assessment, bloods and an ECG. Four to ten weeks from first email to first dose is normal. Sites drop candidates for medication conflicts, comorbid conditions and scheduling, so apply to several studies at once rather than waiting on one.

5. Understand the placebo arm before you sign

Many psilocybin trials use an active comparator, often niacin or a very low dose, specifically because a true blind is difficult when the drug is this noticeable. Ask what the comparator is and what your odds are. Ask too whether the study offers open-label crossover, meaning placebo participants get the real dose afterwards. Some do, and it changes the calculation entirely.

If trials turn out not to fit, the licensed route is Oregon or Colorado, and this walkthrough of a session covers what either would involve.