Arizona Senate Committee Approves Psilocybin Service Centers Bill Unanimously

A bipartisan Arizona Senate committee unanimously approved a bill to legalize service centers that provide psilocybin under medical supervision.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing shortly after a coalition consisting of Republican Senators, First Responders and Military Veterans held a conference to draw attention to the benefits psychedelic drugs. Members discussed the psilocybin bill, sponsored by Sen. T. J. Shope, and voted 7-0 to pass it.

The Department of Human Services would be able to license psilocybin assisted therapy centers throughout the state where facilitators trained in the use of the psychedelic could administer it.

The bill introduced by the senator would expand Arizona’s current research-focused psychedelics laws, which provides $5 million annually in funding for studies into psilocybin treatment.

The new bill would create an Arizona Psilocybin Advisory Board, which would consist of members who are appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders. The board would include representatives of the Attorney General’s Office and DHS as well as veterans, first-responders, scientists and physicians with experience in psilocybin.

Join us tomorrow when First Responders and Veterans join Senator @TJShope in highlighting efforts to legalize psilocybin mushrooms as a treatment for mental health conditions. Please come out to show your support. #psychedelic #sb1570 #MentalHealth # pic.twitter.com/MLACBQS1Lr

— Psychedelic association of Arizona (@48paaz February 12, 2020

The board will be responsible for developing training criteria for the staff of psilocybin services centers, making recommendations for the implementation and study of science and policy related to psychedelics.

Members would be required to submit, by July 31, 2025, and every year thereafter, an annual report describing the progress of “medical and psychological” studies on the safety and effectiveness of psilocybin. They would also need to develop a “long-term strategy” for ensuring psychedelic assisted therapy is “safe, affordable and accessible” to those aged 21 and over.

The medical directors of centers that use psychedelics in therapy would have to complete 132 hours of approved training. This would include lessons on historical and traditional uses of psychedelics as well as safety and ethics. They would also need to learn about facilitation and preparation skills, administration, and integration.

According to the bill cosponsored by Senate president Warren Petersen, DHS must begin accepting applications for psychedelics centres by January 1, 2026. The Department would have to establish rules for the program but would not be allowed to specify eligibility requirements for psilocybin service.

Regulators could also license psilocybin centers that are carrying out clinical trials into the psychedelic that could lead to a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug.

This bill is solely about mental health. Josh Mozell is an attorney and the president of the Psychedelic Association of Arizona. He testified during Tuesday’s hearing that it’s all about addressing mental health. “We must offer hope, and give doctors treatment options.”

“We need more for these people who do so much work for us,” said Sue Sisley. She is a psychedelics research licensed by the Drug Enforcement Administration to cultivate psilocybin to study purposes. “Psilocybin assisted therapy gives us hope for the future.”

Last month, an Arizona House Committee approved a separate measure to prevent the $5 million already designated for psilocybin-research being redistributed due to a state budget shortfall.

The fund was created last year as part of an appropriations package that was signed by the Governor and required research into the potential medical benefits of psilocybin mushroom for a number of conditions.

The first meeting of the Psilocybin Advisory Council, which was created under DHS, took place in November last year prior to an open period for grant applicants.

The money will be given to those who submit proposals that focus on clinical trials aimed at identifying therapeutic applications that may receive FDA approval to treat 13 conditions.

Arizona is one of many states that has worked to promote research on psychedelics in response to the growing interest among the public for expanding access to therapeutic use and ending criminalization.

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A Republican-led Indiana House committee voted on Tuesday to approve a bill that funds clinical research trials for psilocybin, a bill that had already been approved by the Senate.

A bipartisan resolution was unanimously adopted by a New Mexico Senate Committee over the weekend. It requested that state officials investigate the therapeutic potential for psilocybin, and examine the creation of a legal framework to allow access to this psychedelic.

Last week, an Alaska Senate panel heard testimony on a proposal to create a task force in the state to investigate how to legalize psychedelics for therapeutic purposes and to regulate them.

Recently, bipartisan California legislators introduced a bill that would legalize psychedelic services centers, where adults aged 21 and over could have access to psilocybin MDMA mescaline DMT and other psychedelics in a supervised environment and with trained facilitators.

Last month, a joint Nevada legislative committee heard expert testimony and public testimony about the therapeutic potential for substances such as psilocybin. Law enforcement officials also expressed their concerns about legalization. However, there was a notable acknowledgment that reforms could be implemented including rescheduling.

The Governor of Massachusetts recently promoted the testimony from activists who spoke out in support of her veterans’ bill. This bill would, among other things, create a work group for psychedelics to investigate the therapeutic potentials of substances like psilocybin.

New York legislators recently introduced a bill to create pilot program for psilocybin treatment to 10,000 people. The focus is on veterans and first responders.

Last month, a Missouri House Committee considered a proposed that would allow the medical use psilocybin within the state as well as mandate clinical trials to explore the therapeutic potential.