ARC: a framework for access, reciprocity and conduct in psychedelic therapies

Area of Science:

• Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT)
• Bioethics
• Mental health infrastructure

Background:

• The rapid growth of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) necessitates robust ethical guidelines.
• Increasing pressures on the field raise critical questions about risk and responsibility in PAT.
• An ethical and equitable infrastructure is crucial for supporting PAT's expansion in research and clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the Access, Reciprocity, and Conduct (ARC) framework, a culturally informed ethical infrastructure for psychedelic therapies.
• To establish a foundation for a sustainable psychedelic infrastructure prioritizing access, safety, and respect for traditional medicine use.
• To foster collaborative development and refinement of ethical guidelines through a dual-phase co-design approach.

Main Methods:

• A novel dual-phase co-design approach is employed for framework development.
• Phase one involves co-developing ethics statements with diverse stakeholders (research, industry, therapy, community, indigenous).
• Phase two will involve wider dissemination for collaborative review and refinement by the psychedelic therapy community.

Main Results:

• The ARC framework is presented as a foundational ethical infrastructure for psychedelic care.
• It comprises three interdependent pillars: Access (equitable patient access), Reciprocity (respect for traditional uses), and Conduct (safety in clinical practice).
• The co-design process aims to integrate collective wisdom from the psychedelic community.

Conclusions:

• The ARC framework offers a structured approach to address complex ethical questions in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• It promotes responsible innovation and equitable implementation of PAT.
• Early presentation of ARC encourages community dialogue and collaboration for ethical development in psychedelic care.