Psychedelic research and access in
Nevada
Nevada is a high-policy-activity state but does not yet have a live psychedelic therapy programme. SB 242, enacted in 2023, created the Psychedelic Medicines Working Group under the Department of Health and Human Services to study therapeutic use of entheogens and produce recommendations.
Key Insights
- 1
Nevada has one of the more developed policy records among non-access states.
- 2
SB 242 created an official working group; the Dec 2024 report recommended a therapeutic access plan.
- 3
AB 378 would have created a pilot programme but failed in Jun 2025.
- 4
Patient access today remains ketamine/esketamine, research, or out-of-state regulated services.
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Future legislation could move faster because programme design work has already been done.
Research Snapshot
Deep reportBlossom currently tracks 3 psychedelic clinical trials with verified sites in Nevada, including 1 active study.
- Active trials
- 1
- Total trials
- 3
- Stakeholders
- 10
- Events
- 0
Verified state-linked study sites
Linked trial records
10 physical, 0 jurisdiction-linked
Linked state-level events
Top Compounds
- Esketamine(1)
- Ketamine(1)
- Psilocybin(1)
Top Study Topics
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)(2)
- Headache Disorders (Cluster & Migraine)(1)
Access and Reimbursement
Ketamine/esketamine access; no state-regulated classical psychedelic pathwayFor patients, realistic access is ordinary ketamine/esketamine care, VA or private clinical services where available, and federally authorised research. Nevada Medicaid materials include a Spravato prior-authorisation guideline, and private clinics in Reno and Las Vegas advertise Spravato, IV ketamine or both. No non-research access pathway was verified for psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, DMT, ibogaine or mescaline.
Research signal
Not ReviewedNevada has historical and trial-registry relevance through MDMA-assisted therapy studies, including MAPS-associated PTSD research with Nevada locations in earlier multisite trials. The state also has clinic-level ketamine/esketamine activity in Reno and Las Vegas.
Ketamine / esketamine
AvailableFor patients, realistic access is ordinary ketamine/esketamine care, VA or private clinical services where available, and federally authorised research. Nevada Medicaid materials include a Spravato prior-authorisation guideline, and private clinics in Reno and Las Vegas advertise Spravato, IV ketamine or both.
No state service model
Not AvailableNo state-regulated psilocybin, MDMA or natural-medicine service model is verified for Nevada.
Classical psychedelics
Not AvailableNevada's policy process is unusually mature for a non-access state. The SB 242 working group reviewed scientific, regulatory and access issues and recommended a plan for safe and affordable therapeutic access.
Reimbursement / payment
LimitedNevada has state-specific Medicaid or payer material relevant to esketamine, but current plan criteria should be rechecked before publication.
Policy and Access Timeline
State-level bills, laws, pilots, agency actions and reimbursement signals that shape real-world access.
1 Dec 2024
ActiveTask ForceThe working group approves and submits its final report
The working group approves and submits its final report.
NevadaNevada DHHS report to Legislature→
Regulatory Status
Nevada is a high-policy-activity state but does not yet have a live psychedelic therapy programme. SB 242, enacted in 2023, created the Psychedelic Medicines Working Group under the Department of Health and Human Services to study therapeutic use of entheogens and produce recommendations. The working group submitted its report in Dec 2024. The 2025 follow-through bill was AB 378, which would have created an Alternative Therapy Pilot Program involving psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline under medical supervision. AB 378 failed when no further action was taken on 3 Jun 2025. Accordingly, Nevada has policy infrastructure and a developed proposal, but no current state-regulated access pathway.
Medical Access Summary
For patients, realistic access is ordinary ketamine/esketamine care, VA or private clinical services where available, and federally authorised research. Nevada Medicaid materials include a Spravato prior-authorisation guideline, and private clinics in Reno and Las Vegas advertise Spravato, IV ketamine or both.###
No non-research access pathway was verified for psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, DMT, ibogaine or mescaline. AB 378 would have been a major access change for eligible patients, but because it failed, it should be treated as policy context rather than current access.###
Local Research Map
Verified Blossom records with coordinates in Nevada, including trial sites, physical stakeholders and events.
Policy and Access Context
Nevada's policy process is unusually mature for a non-access state. The SB 242 working group reviewed scientific, regulatory and access issues and recommended a plan for safe and affordable therapeutic access. That makes Nevada more developed than states with only one-off bills.###
AB 378 translated that work into a pilot-program proposal, including Division of Public and Behavioral Health administration, approved practitioners and approved locations. Its failure leaves Nevada in a watch-and-wait posture: strong groundwork, no programme.###
Research Focus
Nevada has historical and trial-registry relevance through MDMA-assisted therapy studies, including MAPS-associated PTSD research with Nevada locations in earlier multisite trials. The state also has clinic-level ketamine/esketamine activity in Reno and Las Vegas.###
This source pass did not verify a Nevada university psychedelic centre equivalent to Washington University CHIRP or University of Iowa's programme. The stronger local signal is policy design plus real-world ketamine/esketamine providers.###
Implementation Context
Nevada is implementation-ready in concept but not in law. The working group and AB 378 materials outline the kind of machinery a programme would need: a state division administrator, approved practitioners, approved medical facilities or locations, cultivation/manufacturing authority, advisory oversight and annual reporting.###
Because AB 378 failed, none of those mechanisms is active for patient access. Any future Nevada programme would likely reuse parts of this design, but would still need enacted authority, funding, rulemaking and provider participation.###
Ecosystem Context
Las Vegas and Reno are the key ecosystem anchors. Las Vegas matters politically and clinically, while Reno has visible ketamine/esketamine providers such as Thunder Pain and Wellness and Reno Psychiatric Associates. The Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines is an important advocacy and policy actor, especially around AB 378 and working-group follow-through.###
Nevada's ecosystem is therefore more policy-and-clinic oriented than university-centre oriented. It is one of the stronger watch states for future state-regulated access.###
Key Milestones
Future Outlook
Nevada is a plausible candidate for renewed psychedelic therapy legislation in the next 12 to 24 months because the working group and AB 378 have already created a policy blueprint. The state is further along on design than many peers.###
Access will remain unchanged unless the legislature revives and passes a pilot or broader programme. Until then, coverage and practical access are concentrated in Spravato, ketamine clinics and any federally authorised trials.###
Sources and Verification
Last updated 18 May 2026. Source links are drawn from citation annotations in the subnational report.
State-Linked Stakeholders
Organisations with verified physical locations or jurisdiction-level coverage in Nevada.
Clinical Trials
Trial records with verified sites in Nevada.