Motivation Science, Vol 11(2), Jun 2025, 158-167; doi:10.1037/mot0000361
Psilocybin legalization continues to surface among policymakers considering the potential benefits (e.g., medicinal) offered by this substance. To better understand audience resistance to legalizing psilocybin, psychological reactance theory was employed to weigh the effectiveness of evidence uncertainty, controlling language, and specific call to action in relation to policy support. Results revealed a negative association between scientific certainty and freedom threat perceptions. As expected, freedom threat was positively associated with reactance, which in turn was negatively associated with intentions to support psilocybin legalization. Against expectations, no relationship between controlling language emerged with freedom threat perceptions. The findings are discussed with an emphasis on the theoretical and practical implications and the role of reactance when promoting the legalization of a currently banned substance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)