Psychedelics have been receiving a lot of attention recently! Rather than write up another summary of psychedelic history and research, here are links to the best introductory writings we've seen so far:
The case for psychedelics (a) in Quillette. Two research psychologists make the case for liberalizing access to psychedelics. A good, brief introduction; decidedly pro-psychedelic.
The fascinating, strange medical potential of psychedelic drugs, explained in 50+ studies (a) in Vox. Giant listicle in which Vox reporters outline the potential upside and dangers of psychedelics. Pretty balanced, cautiously optimistic about the benefits.
How to change your mind. Michael Pollan's detailed account of the psychedelic renaissance is the best book on the topic. His earlier piece in the New Yorker (a) is also excellent.
The Psychedelic Society has a good introductory Q&A (a).
Rethink Psychedelics (a) gives a good summary of the academic research and strategic landscape to date.
psychedelic.direct is a guide on getting started contributing to the psychedelic renaissance.
The first part of Nichols 2016 gives a comprehensive and readable overview of recent academic research, safety considerations, and mechanisms of action. The paper then veers into some pretty gnarly psychopharmacology.
The Usona Institute (a) and the Heffter Research Institute (a) maintain bibliographies of research they've supported.
Nearly all recent academic publications can be located on PubMed. Here's one method of accessing academic papers (a).
(a) = archived version of the linked page. For background on this practice, see here.