Music artists including Melissa Etheridge and Grimes are advocating for greater research into psychedelic-assisted therapy, arguing it could help address addiction, trauma, depression and burnout. The shift matters because drugs long associated with music culture and recreational use are increasingly being discussed as potential medical treatments, while supporters also stress the risks of misuse.

The debate gained momentum after President Donald Trump’s 18 April executive order seeking faster research, review and approval of psychedelic drugs for serious mental illnesses. Etheridge’s advocacy follows the 2020 opioid-related death of her 21-year-old son, Beckett Cypher, and her foundation will hold its first R.I.S.E. Summit on 12 November in Irvine, California; Grimes supports research but warns that artists may be especially vulnerable to substance abuse and escapism.