A 2021 paper on the ethics of psychedelic-assisted therapy has carried a publisher-issued Expression of Concern since 12 March 2026, more than twelve months after the request that prompted it — and as of this writing, in August 2026, the Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JHP) and its publisher, Sage, have not announced a final decision. The case is a live, ongoing illustration of a question COPE’s own guidance leaves open: how long can an Expression of Concern (EoC) remain unresolved before it functions, in practice, as an indefinite holding pattern rather than the interim measure it’s designed to be?
What follows distinguishes, throughout, between an allegation, a request, an editorial finding, and a retraction — those are not interchangeable, and the paper has not been retracted.
