Alaska’s House Committee has introduced a bill to create a task force that will study the licensing and regulation of psychedelic assisted therapy. Supporters say this plan will prepare Alaska for federal approvals such as MDMA or psilocybin.
In a Tuesday hearing, the members of the House Military and Veterans Affairs Committee decided to advance the measure based on individual recommendations.
The proposal, HB 228 would not change the legal status for any drug if it became law. It would instead create a task force to study how to license and regulation psychedelic therapies in Alaska. The group would have to submit a report with recommendations by December 31, 2024.
Recent clinical trials indicate that MDMA could be approved by the FDA later this year.
Before moving forward with the bill, the members of the House committee adopted amendments in order to align the bill with SB 166. SB 166 has already been passed by one committee of that chamber , and was heard again last month.
In January , sponsors submitted the legislation to both chambers.
The changes that were adopted by the committee on Tuesday make the taskforce a legislative rather than executive group, reducing the fiscal note of the proposal to zero. They also add a psychiatric nursing practitioner to the taskforce.
The bill, in its latest version, states that rather than having the task force elect their own chair, members nominated by the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of Senate would automatically serve as co-chairs.
A fiscal note attached indicates that the revised policy would not result in any additional costs for the state.
Last month, Rep. Jennie Armstrong, a Democrat, told her colleagues that, despite its subject matter sounding “quite provocation, I believe you’ll discover this is actually quite a staid measure.”
She said that “what we’re proposing is the most conservative thing,” pointing out other states such as Oregon and Colorado that have already legalized therapeutic use of psychedelics at the state-level and started licensing.
Armstrong stated that under the Alaska bill “the policy suggestions [from the Alaska task force] will only be implemented if the FDA approves the prescription of these medications,” at the time.
Alaskans are generally in favor of reforms to psychedelic policies, particularly when it comes to mental health. In a recent survey, just under half of respondents (49.4%) said that they support removing criminal sanctions for substances like psilocybin mushroom. When Alaskans were informed that psychedelics could be used to treat mental disorders, support rose to 65 percent.
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Alaska Entheogenic Awareness Council, an advocacy group who published the poll, said: “It is inspiring to see this positive shift in the way people view these plant medicines.” “More and more people are realizing the benefits of these substances for treating certain mental conditions.”
This is true not just in Alaska, but all across the nation. This legislative session, a growing number of states have introduced psychedelics legislation with an emphasis on therapeutic access and research.
A Missouri House Committee, for example, unanimously approved this week a bill that would legalize medical use of Psilocybin among veterans as well as fund studies to explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
A Vermont legislature panel continued to consider a bill last week that would legallyize psilocybin and create a working group for how to regulate psychedelics in therapeutic use. The Arizona Senate passed a bipartisan law that would allow psilocybin services centers, where patients could receive the psychedelic under medical supervision.
Recently, the governor of New Mexico endorsed a newly passed resolution that requested state officials to research the therapeutic potential psilocybin as well as explore the creation a regulatory framework for providing access to psychedelics.
The Connecticut Joint Judiciary Committee has filed a bill that would decriminalize psilocybin.
A senator from Illinois introduced a bill to legalize and regulate access to psilocybin at service centers within the state, where adults can use the psychedelic under supervision. The program will eventually include mescaline and ibogaine.
Hawaii lawmakers are also advancing a bill that would provide some legal protections for patients who engage in psilocybin assisted therapy after a doctor’s approval.
New York legislators also stated that a bill that would legalize psilocybin assisted therapy in the state had a “real shot” at passing this year.
A Republican-led Indiana House committee last week approved a bill that funds clinical research trials on psilocybin, which has already been cleared by the Senate.
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.
In January, a joint Nevada legislative committee heard expert testimony and public testimony about the therapeutic potential for substances such as psilocybin. In January, 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.
Missouri Lawmakers Approve a Bill to Legalize Psilocybin Treatment for Veterans
Image courtesy of Workman.
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