Research abuses against people of colour and other vulnerable groups in early psychedelic research

Introduction

Schultes and colleagues situate this work within the "first wave" of Western psychedelic research in the USA (approximately 1950–1980), a period of intense investigation of substances such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT and mescaline for psychiatric indications and other experimental uses. The introduction summarises how early enthusiasm for therapeutic applications coincided with Cold War research programmes (notably CIA-funded MKUltra) and with broader historical currents that shaped research practices and participant selection. The authors highlight that ethical safeguards such as the Nuremberg Code, the Declaration of Helsinki and, later, the Belmont Report emerged contemporaneously or subsequently, yet many early studies appear to have disregarded these principles, particularly with respect to vulnerable groups including people of colour (POC), incarcerated people and psychiatric inpatients. This investigation aims to document how and to what extent POC and other vulnerable populations were unduly exploited in early US psychedelic research. The study addresses recruitment strategies, study methodologies and safety practices in human trials from 1950–1980, with a focus on whether participants were drawn from marginalised ethnic/racial groups, lacked decisional capacity, or were incarcerated. By reviewing primary publications and historical sources, the authors seek to contextualise modern underrepresentation of POC in contemporary psychedelic research and to suggest avenues for redress and culturally competent practice going forward.