DCI Group is a full-service public affairs consulting firm specializing in strategic communications and advisory services. Drawing on a global network of grassroots, media and government-affairs specialists—including professionals across all 50 states—the firm helps organizations navigate complex policy debates, manage reputational challenges and engage key audiences at the local, national and international levels.
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2026-08-27
Psychedelics in Mental Health: From Clinical Trials to State Lineswith Jennifer Cutler
In this episode, Jennifer Cutler, a partner at DCI Group, discusses the evolving landscape of psychedelic treatments for mental health issues. She highlights the FDA's role in approving various psychedelic products aimed at conditions like PTSD and depression, while emphasizing the challenges states face in implementing these therapies after federal approval. Cutler notes the bipartisan support for mental health initiatives, particularly for veterans, and identifies states like Colorado and Illinois as leaders in legislative progress regarding psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Notable quotes
“Mental health continues to be a serious issue in this country. And over 14 million Americans live with a serious mental illness.”
“It's about 25 years of patients having essentially the same treatment options, though, you know, there's finally a serious wave of innovative new psychiatric medicines using psychedelics moving through the FDA.”
“FDA approval is a huge milestone, but by itself, it does not put a medication in patients' hands, especially not for controlled substances.”
“If a state hasn't done any of this groundwork in advance, here's what's going to happen: the FDA is going to approve a drug, patients are going to start hearing about it, but if the legislature isn't meeting for another 6 months, these patients aren't going to have access.”
“When people hear the word psychedelic, you're thinking we're going to go to Woodstock or a festival, which makes sense because that's really how cultural TV, movies, et cetera, have associated with that word for the past 50 years.”
“This is a very, very bipartisan issue... Mental illness does not care about your political party, doesn't care about your state.”