Alaska lawmakers continue to work on legislation that will study the licensing and regulation of psychedelic assisted therapy, in anticipation of federal approval. A new survey shows that almost half of Alaska adults (49.4%) would support a measure in the ballot to remove criminal penalties from substances like psilocybin mushroom use.
The support for psychedelics increased dramatically, to nearly two-thirds (65%) when participants learned that Alaska had high rates of mental illness that could be treated by psychedelics.
Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council, a group that advocates for psychedelics in Alaska, released a statewide poll of 1,179 residents last week. The survey comes at a time when reforms around psychedelics are gaining momentum in Alaska. Many see them as a promising way to help veterans, those with PTSD and depression that is resistant to treatment, people with bipolar disorder, and others.
In a press release about the new survey, AKEAC stated that it was “inspiring” to see a shift so positive in the way people view these plant medicines. “More and more people are realizing the benefits of these substances for treating certain mental conditions.”
The advocacy group stated that the findings “underscore an increasing sentiment among Alaskans for policy reforms which prioritize harm reduction and access to alternative treatment, as well as a shift towards evidence-based policies.”
The poll is being conducted amid calls this session to create a taskforce to study the future legalization of psychedelic assisted therapy. The bill was approved by one Senate committee and lawmakers from a second panel heard testimony on Monday.
If the bill is approved in its current format, it would create a task force of legislators that would study how to license and control psychedelic therapies in Alaska, in the event federally rescheduling MDMA, Psilocybin, or other entheogenic drugs. The bill would not change the legal status for any drugs.
The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Forrest Dunbar, (D), said that conditions such as PTSD and depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders, and [traumatic head injury] were very common in Alaska. Trials show that psychedelic assisted therapies are effective at treating these conditions. The task force will examine how psychedelics-assisted therapy will fit Alaska’s healthcare system.”
Rep. Jennie (D) Armstrong, meanwhile, introduced a House-specific version of the bill. It has been heard in committee but has not yet been voted on.
While the hearing Monday was relatively relaxed, a few members of the Senate panel expressed their skepticism.
Loki Tobin, a Democratic Senator from California, for instance asked why there would be no representatives of law enforcement in the task force.
Tobin said, “I want to ask about a position that is noticeably missing. That is the position of law enforcement.” As we watch what’s happening in Oregon with their decriminalization for certain controlled substances, it’s become apparent that there is a lack of a voice that could provide insight into legal ramifications and interpretations of boots on ground.
Oregon voters approved two historic ballot measures to reform drug policy in 2020. Measure 109 legalized psilocybin-related services. Measure 110 was a separate initiative that decriminalized the use and possession of any drug. Tobin seemed to confuse the two measures.
Dunbar responded, comparing therapeutic psychedelics with ketamine, which is already approved, as well as other mainstream medications.
“We do not rely heavily on law enforcement.” He said that instead, licensing and other forms of regulation are used.
Vice chair of the committee Sen. Jesse Kiehl, (D), questioned Dunbar about recent changes made to the measure. These included a reduction in the length of the taskforce and the removal of funding for reimbursement of travel expenses. These adjustments, as well as the fact that the task force was now a legislative one rather than executive, were made to bring the fiscal note of the bill to zero.
Kiehl acknowledged that he understood the goal of the changes. However, he asked Dunbar if it was realistic to anticipate the completion of the task by the end December, particularly with no financial support.
Dunbar was told that the benefit of moving it to the legislative branch, rather than the executive, is that you don’t need a fiscal note. The downside is who will support this commission with staff? Who will gather the information and conduct the research to create the agenda?
Dunbar said that his office would be able to provide some support. He also said he was aware of “numerous other organizations” who may want to help.
Dunbar responded that the timeline proposed by the federal government “was imposed upon us” and would not allow the group to thoroughly study the topic or make recommendations.
He cited a recent Phase III Clinical Trial of MDMA for PTSD, which has put the substance in line for approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
Dunbar said to Kiehl that “people expect this by the end the summer and that kind of motivates us to do this quickly.” “But I agree with you, it’s an ambitious timeframe.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee held the Bill indefinitely for future action. Its next meeting will be on Wednesday.
The shift in results between the two questions shows the impact of framing. Participants were asked to support or oppose an initiative that would remove criminal penalties from the use of “naturally psychoactive plants and mushrooms, such as psilocybin mushroom.”
Responding to this question, 49.4 % were in favor of the motion, 34.2 % were against, and 16.4 % were undecided.
The support for reform was much stronger when the pollsters began by mentioning mental health issues, noting that Alaska has “one of the highest mental illness rates in the nation” and that psilocybin or other psychedelics have been “shown to be safe and efficient in treating mental conditions like PTSD.”
In this context, the support for eliminating criminal penalties increased to almost two-thirds (65%) while the opposition dropped to less than one quarter (24%). The percentage of respondents who had no opinion (11%) also decreased.
2024 Winter Alaska Survey Report / Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council
The two questions were about the same reform, which was to remove criminalization of personal use, despite the mention of therapeutic applications in the first question.
As for how the support of the respondents changed from the first to the second question, 19.7 percent said they were more supportive. 1 percent responded that they were less supportive. 79.3 expressed no change in opinion.
Those who changed their minds from opposing reform to supporting it, according to AKEAC, are more likely to be female, white, politically moderate and older than 55, living in a household with an annual income of more than $100,000. The majority of them had voted in all general elections and lived in Anchorage.
In general, Alaskans aged 55 and older were less likely to support the removal of criminal penalties for the use of psychedelics. The only group with a lower percentage (36%) was the 55+ age group. Support was 52,7 percent for those aged 45-54, 51,1 percent for those aged 35-44, and 67,8 percent for those aged 18-34.
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Politics played a major role in the responses. Modests were 48.3 per cent in favor of reforming psychedelics. Conservatives supported the reform much less, with 31.8 percent. Progressives, on the other hand, were 78.6 per cent in favor.
People with household incomes above $100,000 per annum and those who have not attended college are less likely to support the reform. The policy change was also less popular among those who voted more frequently.
Comparatively, differences by region, gender, size of the household and number children in a family were minimal.
The AKEAC compared the findings of its study to those of a separate research conducted by the Center for the Science of Psychedelics at UC Berkeley last year. The Berkeley report , which asked different questions in each survey, found that 61 per cent of U.S. voters support “creating an regulated legal framework to allow for therapeutic use of psychoedelics” while 49 percent supported decriminalization.
According to the Berkeley survey, 78 percent of Americans are in favor “making it easier for scientists to study psychedelic drugs.”
Social acceptance of psychedelic-assisted therapies appears to be increasing as more research is conducted and more jurisdictions decriminalize, regulate or research psychedelics.
Nearly 8 out of 10 Canadians (79.3%) recently stated that they believe psilocybin assisted therapy is a “reasonable medical choice” for treating existential dread near the end one’s own life. Almost 2 in 3 people (63.3%) felt it should be legalized for medical use in general.
A doctor who specializes palliative medicine in Washington State has been trying to get psilocybin to cancer patients he treats since at least 2020. This effort is currently in court due to pushback by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Military members and their family members are also generally supportive of legal access psychedelics for mental health . More than six in ten (62%) said that psychedelics are an effective treatment for some mental health conditions. Nearly two-thirds (64%) said VA doctors should have the right to recommend psychedelics if they think it will benefit veterans.
Psilocybin mushrooms may date back to the time of dinosaurs (or at least their demise), study finds
Photo courtesy Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.
The article Alaskans support psychedelics reform, poll finds as lawmakers consider bill to study therapeutic access first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
