June 20th is the 6th Annual World Psychedelics Day
Global movement calls for action on mental health as a human right
GLOBAL - TheNewswire - June 19, 2026 — Today, people around the world are observing the 6th Annual World Psychedelics Day 6·20, a global movement with supporters in more than 55 countries dedicated to advancing awareness, research, and equitable access to psychedelic healing. With the recent U.S. Executive Order “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness” signalling growing policy momentum south of the border, and a new private member’s bill introduced this week in Canada’s Parliament to legalize the prescription of psilocybin, this year’s observance arrives at a pivotal moment for both countries.
“Mental health is a human right — and today is a call to act on that belief. We are grateful to every researcher, advocate, community member, and organization who has shown up for this work, including our partners at MAPS and our community sponsors around the world.”
— Shannon Smadella, Co-Executive Director, World Psychedelics Day 6·20
Now in its sixth year, World Psychedelics Day has grown into a platform uniting science, policy, traditional knowledge, and community action. Over six years, the movement has featured more than 100 speakers, including Dr. Andrew Weil, Rick Doblin, Amanda Feilding, and Dr. Gabor Maté, alongside researchers from Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Imperial College London — along with comedian and podcaster Duncan Trussell. Events are taking place globally today alongside a free livestream at www.worldpsychedelicsday.org.
“There is real hope in this moment — for the millions of people who haven’t found healing yet, and for a world that is finally ready to listen.”
— Sarah Butterfield, Co-Executive Director, World Psychedelics Day 6·20
People everywhere are invited to take action today:
• Sign the petition — for United Nations recognition of World Psychedelics Day at https://www.worldpsychedelicsday.org/united-nations
• Join the free global livestream — register here.
• Share the movement — using #WorldPsychedelicsDay620 or #WPD620 to help reach those who need this information most.
“World Psychedelics Day was created as a global invitation to gather around healing and responsible access. Six years in, our focus is on building bridges — across science and tradition, across policy and community, across every barrier that stands between people and the care they deserve.”
— Mark Achbar, Founder and Co-Executive Director, World Psychedelics Day 6·20
About the Co-Directors
World Psychedelics Day 6·20 is led by an unlikely trio: Mark Achbar, multi-award-winning documentary filmmaker behind The Corporation and Manufacturing Consent; Shannon Smadella, former Miss Canada and strategic communications executive; and Sarah Butterfield, artist and advocate. Achbar and Smadella presented at Psychedelic Science in Denver in 2025. Together with volunteers, partners, and sponsors, the three co-directors built the movement from scratch — drawing more than 2,500 participants in its first three months.
About World Psychedelics Day 6·20
World Psychedelics Day, observed annually on June 20, is a volunteer-run global movement dedicated to advancing awareness, research, and equitable access to psychedelic medicine, honouring the intersection of science, policy, traditional knowledge, and community action. Learn more at www.worldpsychedelicsday.org.
Media Contact
info@worldpsychedelicsday.org | www.worldpsychedelicsday.org
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