Dr Samuel Lee links ketamine's rapid clinical rise to possible decline, warning that hype, weak standards, and commercial pressures could undermine psychedelic therapy

Ketamine's rapid ascent in mental health care may be setting the stage for a backlash if commercial expansion outruns evidence, ethics, and clinical standards. Dr Samuel Lee centers the tension between real therapeutic promise and the risks created by hype, loose protocols, and market incentives. Clinical practice, business models, and public expectations all shape whether ketamine remains a credible tool or becomes a cautionary example for the wider psychedelic field. Concerns include inadequate screening, insufficient integration, overpromising on outcomes, and systems that treat dissociation or symptom relief as a product rather than part of careful care. The broader implication reaches beyond ketamine alone. Psychedelic therapy's legitimacy depends on durable results, patient safety, practitioner competence, and honest communication about benefits, limits, and uncertainty.