Ohio State University Launches $400,000 Psychedelic Crisis Training Program for Healthcare Professionals
Key Insights
The Ohio State University's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (search) received a $400,000 grant to train over 127,000 Ohio healthcare professionals in psychedelic harm reduction and crisis response.
The P.E.A.C.E. program addresses rising psychedelic use, which increased from 2.7% to 3.6% of Americans aged 12 and older between 2021 and 2024 according to national survey data.
The initiative collaborates with MAPS (search) to provide specialized training modules for emergency responders, law enforcement, and behavioral health professionals on psychedelic crisis recognition and response.
The Ohio State University's Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (search) (CPDRE) has secured a $400,000 SOAR Innovation grant from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (search) to launch a comprehensive training program addressing the growing need for psychedelic crisis intervention skills among healthcare professionals and first responders.
The Psychedelic Emergency, Acute, and Continuing Care Education (P.E.A.C.E.) program aims to equip more than 127,000 Ohio professionals with specialized skills in psychedelic harm reduction and crisis response, addressing a critical gap in emergency care as psychedelic use continues to rise across the United States.
Rising Psychedelic Use Creates Training Gap
According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the percentage of people aged 12 or older who used hallucinogens (search) in the past year increased from 2.7% (or 7.6 million people) in 2021 to 3.6% (or 10.4 million people) in 2024. This surge in usage has created situations where individuals without proper dosage guidance or trained supervision may find themselves in overwhelming or dysregulating situations requiring emergency intervention.
"People have started to learn about the benefits of psychedelics while, at the same time, the federal government categorizes these as controlled substances," said Dr. Stacey B. Armstrong, associate director of the CPDRE at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. "With the promising outcomes of clinical trials, there has been an explosion of information, but the information has been limited in addressing adverse experiences and harm reduction."
Collaboration with MAPS Brings Proven Training Methods
The P.E.A.C.E. program is being developed in collaboration with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS (search)), a nonprofit psychedelic research and education organization with decades of experience in harm reduction and clinical training. MAPS previously partnered with Denver's public safety leadership after the city passed the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Initiative in 2019, creating the first emergency responder psychedelic crisis training for emergency medical, law enforcement, and mental health staff.
The CPDRE has integrated MAPS (search)' specialized training materials, including video modules and assessments on psychedelic crisis recognition, response, and responder liability, into the P.E.A.C.E. curriculum. This collaboration combines CPDRE's research and workforce expertise with MAPS' established leadership in harm reduction training.
"MAPS (search)' collaboration with Ohio State University's CPDRE and its P.E.A.C.E. initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that, as the use of psychedelics in ceremony, therapy, and community expands, so too does the corresponding infrastructure that supports individual safety, compassionate de-escalation, and real-world preparedness," said Sia Henry, MAPS Senior Policy Associate.
Comprehensive Training for Diverse Professional Groups
The program is designed to reach Ohio's more than 127,000 professionals across multiple disciplines and behavioral health settings, including doctors, nurses, social workers, EMTs, police officers, and psychiatrists. The training will be delivered through in-person seminars scheduled for January, March, and July of 2026, complemented by online training materials.
"We want to arm our first responder and behavioral health workforce with knowledge about how to support someone's challenging psychedelic experience in a way that's going to be helpful, not increase risk or harm," Armstrong explained. "We created the P.E.A.C.E. program to start educating Ohio's front-line workers and support them in facilitating quality care, psychedelic-informed crisis triage and referral guidance to healthcare providers with specialized training in psychedelic harm reduction."
Focus on Accessibility and Evidence-Based Training
A key component of the P.E.A.C.E. program is its commitment to accessibility. By offering the training at no cost, the program ensures that Ohio's workforce has consistent, evidence-based tools to provide safer, more compassionate care during high-stress situations and behavioral health crises (search).
"CPDRE is all about access and affordability," said Tina Romanella, CPDRE's program coordinator. "Too much information in this space is inaccessible, unaffordable, or inaccurate. Our job is to make it all three: accessible, affordable, and accurate."
Angela Douglas, CPDRE clinical research coordinator, emphasized the importance of reaching the intended audience: "We've created this content, but its value depends on reaching the people who need it. With DBH's network and workforce expertise, we're confident we can get this training to every corner of the state."
The Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education (search), founded in 2022 at The Ohio State University, represents a growing institutional commitment to advancing psychedelic science through research, education, and service. The P.E.A.C.E. program marks a significant step toward creating a more prepared healthcare infrastructure as psychedelic therapies continue to advance through clinical development and regulatory pathways.