Turning Reform Into Results for Research

Why We Need the DEA to Act

Mental health innovation depends on cutting-edge research, but efforts to remove barriers and expedite Schedule I research have been hampered by delays.

January 16, 2026 was the six-month deadline for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to issue rules for the HALT Fentanyl Act, which significantly changed the process for obtaining DEA registration to conduct research with Schedule I substances, including psychedelics. The DEA has not yet acted, so interested researchers still don't know how to take advantage of the research reforms provided under the law. 

There are many practical questions for researchers, including how and where to provide notice to DEA for the various processes specified in law.

In collaboration with researchers from Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, BrainFutures developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document to help researchers understand how the HALT Fentanyl Act impacts their work. 

Partnerships Propel Change

We're at a pivotal moment for mental health, and we believe partnerships are the best path forward, as they help propel change, whether it's...

• a partnership designed to remove barriers for Schedule I research,

• a partnership building the infrastructure for psychedelics to be delivered at scale upon FDA approval,
• 
  a partnership that advances the mental health of our youth through an evidence-based executive function initiative, or

• a partnership that advances collaborative care and the integration of behavioral health into primary care. 

BrainFutures' Executive Director, Sarah Norman, recently said, "Nobody can do this alone." So, we ask you to join us.

Reimagining Mental Health in Elementary Schools

Mental health innovation doesn't only happen in labs and clinics. It's also happening in classrooms in Baltimore County, Maryland.

Teachers and schools are an important pathway to advancing mental health for our next generation. They're on the front lines every day, seeing in real time how children manage their focus, impulse control, emotional regulation, and resilience. These are the building blocks of lifelong mental health.

Anna Gaskill is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) Resource Teacher in Baltimore County, where we're using the evidence-based digital cognitive training program, ACTIVATE™, to build executive function skills.

Listen and learn about the improvements Anna sees in her students as they build these skills, and how students and teachers are reflecting on the impact on their own lives.

Supporting the Collaborative Care Model

Partnering with Others

Despite rapid expansion of the Collaborative Care Model (CoCM), a low-cost, proven way to bring mental health treatment into primary care settings, a new report from Shatterproof and The Bowman Family Foundation found enormous disparities among states.

Henry Harbin, MD, is an Advisor to The Bowman Family Foundation and also an Advisor, Board Member, and Co-Founder of Brain Futures, and spoke on the importance of this model in primary care. 

BrainFutures joined other key organizations, including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), American College of Physicians, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychiatric Association, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and leading health insurers, in endorsing this report's findings and recommendations.

Together, we're calling on 14 state Medicaid agencies to reimburse for CoCM to improve outcomes and reduce total healthcare costs. 

Help Move Mental Health Forward

"I've used BrainFutures' toolkits to brief decision makers in Washington, helping prepare for a smooth rollout of psychedelic therapies. BrainFutures' work is helping chart the path to access after FDA approval."

- Leith J. States, MD, MPH, MBA, FACPM