The Senate Health and Provider Services Committee of Indiana unanimously approved on Wednesday a bill to finance clinical research trials for psilocybin. Two relatively minor changes were made before the bill was advanced.
“There is reason to believe there is value in Psilocybin, and at this point, a discussion should be elevated,” said Sen. Ed Charbonneau, the bill’s sponsor, and chair of the committee. “We should be looking at this, which is important for our veterans who suffer from PTSD and other issues.”
Charbonneau stressed that the bill did not alter the legal status of Psilocybin in Indiana law. It is a bill that aims to promote research on the substance which has been granted breakthrough therapy status by the federal government.
He told his colleagues: “I in no manner, nor does this bill, seek to legalize anything which is not legalized today.” The breakthrough therapy designation was given due to the fact that there were a number well-recognized studies on psilocybin and mainstream research at places like Johns Hopkins.
Charbonneau had initially said that the panel would not take any final action on the bill until the following week. However, during the last minutes of the hearing on Wednesday, the committee held a vote.
A press secretary for Senate Republicans confirmed via email to Marijuana Moment that “SB 139 was passed unanimously, and has now been recommitted back to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.”
The bill, if it passes into law, would establish a Therapeutic Psilocybin Research Fund “to provide financial assistance to Indiana research institutions to study…the usage of psilocybin for mental health and other conditions”. Any research that receives funding under this measure would have to include veterans and emergency responders in the study.
Researchers would have to apply for funding from the Department of Health of the state to study the substance to treat conditions. Six of these are listed in the bill: PTSD, “with an emphasis on treating the disorder among combat veterans and first-responders,” anxiety and depression, bipolar disorders, chronic pain, and migraines.
The studies will need to “compare psilocybin’s efficacy as a treatment option for mental health conditions and other medical conditions… with the efficacy other treatment options currently available.”
The amendments made on Wednesday include a change to the definition of a research institution that is eligible for grants. This includes institutions with a review board and an academic institution, as well as those who publish the results of their clinical trials in peer reviewed publications.
The Bill will become effective immediately after it is passed, since it was submitted as an emergency measure. By July 1, officials would have to create a system to administer the fund, and to process applications.
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Richard Feldman, the former Indiana State Commissioner of Health, said at the hearing that using psychedelics for behavioral disorders may “sound like a crazy thing to do when first considered.” When I first heard of this .”, I thought it was crazy.
He added, “But recent research has shown impressive results reported by mainstream publications and conducted by respected institutions.” Examples include the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Psychopharmacology. Harvard, Hopkins and New York University are among the institutions that have published. “This is not fringe science.”
A study committee created by the state recently suggested that lawmakers authorise a psilocybin-assisted treatment pilot program for mental health research during this year’s session of legislature. They advised that “the Indiana General Assembly adopt an approach that strikes a balanced between access, research and prudence.”
The body stated that while psilocybin was classified as Schedule I controlled substances at the federal level, “the prevailing opinion is that psilocybin shouldn’t be a Schedule I drugs and has proven medical benefit.”
Charbonneau stated late last year that, in regards to psychedelics research, he had already been in contact with Purdue University and Indiana University Health.
He said, “I’ve had discussions with IU Health as well as Purdue University.” “I spoke with 150 pharmacy students at Purdue and then had the chance to speak to the dean. He texted Dr. Jerome Adams who is now at Purdue University.”
Adams, the former U.S. Surgeon General under President Donald Trump from October 2021, joined Purdue. He has said very little about psychedelic therapy but he did claim that ” medical marijuana does not exist.”
Indiana legislators have considered marijuana legalization, but have not taken concrete steps towards the reform. The GOP-controlled legislature has yet to make any recommendations. In November, another interim study group listened to testimony about the potential of decriminalizing simple possession. However, the group made no specific recommendations.
Rep. Blake Johnson, (D), wrote in an op/ed published by Marijuana Moment that Indiana “falls far behind” as neighboring states legalize marijuana. “I urge my colleagues to pay attention to the statistics. He wrote that it was time for Indiana “to sow the seeds of cannabis and reap its economic benefits.”
One supportive lawmaker–Rep. Justin Moed, a Democrat from California, managed to force the House to vote on marijuana legalization last year. However Republicans rejected this proposal.
Justice Department researcher questions 0.3% THC limit for hemp, saying federal law is based on 1950s anecdote
Photo courtesy Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.
The post Indiana Senate Panel Passes Psilocybin Research Bill with Minor Amendments first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
