In the Indiana legislature, a study group is encouraging legislators to approve a pilot program for psilocybin to investigate psychedelic assisted therapy for mental illness in 2024.
The final report of Indiana’s Interim Study Committee on Public Health, Behavioral Health and Human Services states that although psilocybin has been classified as a Schedule I controlled drug at the federal level, “the prevailing opinion is that psilocybin shouldn’t be a Schedule I drugs and that it has proven medical benefits.”
The committee suggested that the Indiana General Assembly adopt an approach that strikes the right balance between access to research and prudence. It also advised state research institutions to conduct a “pilot clinical study” using established therapeutic protocols “to explore the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted therapy in Indiana.”
In June, the committee was given the task of studying a variety of mental health topics including psychedelic assisted therapy. They were tasked with studying alternative treatments that have been granted “breakthrough therapy status” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and examining other state policies that allow psilocybin assisted therapy for “veterans, first responders and others suffering from mental illness.”
At the meeting last month, where the committee’s recommendations were adopted by the Senate, Sen. Ed Charbonneau, (R), said that he had already spoken to people from Indiana University Health and Purdue University regarding psychedelics research.
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, was asked to resign by Joe Biden in October 2021. He has said very little about psychedelic therapy but he did claim that there is no medical marijuana .
Charbonneau said that he had spoken to the schools. “They are interested in moving forward but this is just a preliminary conversation.”
The draft report has been changed to remove a statement that psilocybin is “not a drug which is addictive or poses a risk of overdose.” Some members said that the statements were accurate based on the scientific literature they had reviewed, but others were hesitant to make “such a generalized statement.”
One person said, “I mean you can overdose on aspirin.”
The report of the committee states that, in comparison to medical marijuana psilocybin assisted therapy is “promising” and “significantly more robust.”
It says that “Many people confuse increased access of psilocybin-assisted therapy with increased access of medical and recreational marijuana.” The committee hearing, however, made it clear that psilocybin-assisted therapy has a promising future and is significantly more robust than medical cannabis. These two issues are not related.
Indiana legislators have considered marijuana legalization, but have not taken concrete steps to reform the law in the GOP controlled legislature. Another interim study group listened to testimony about the possibility of decriminalizing the simple possession of cannabis earlier this month. However, the group made no specific recommendations.
Blake Johnson, a Democratic Representative from Indiana, wrote in an Op-Ed published by Marijuana Moment last month that Indiana was “falling behind” as neighboring states legalized 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.”
A supportive legislator managed to force the House to vote on the legalization of marijuana earlier this year, but Republican lawmakers turned down the proposal.
Oregon, Colorado, and other states have passed state laws allowing the therapeutic use of Psilocybin. A California Democratic Senator recently announced that would focus on regulated therapeutic access for certain psychedelics.
In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Shealy (D), recently submitted a bill for the creation of a psychedelics Working Group that would study and make recommendations regarding the potential therapeutic benefits to military veterans from substances such as psilocybin or MDMA. Recently, campaign organizers in Massachusetts said that they believed they had collected enough valid signatures for lawmakers to take into consideration a psychedelics-legalization initiative. This is the first option before activists push to place it on the 2024 ballot.
has introduced a bill in Wisconsin by bipartisan legislators to create a pilot program for psilocybin in the state.
The Washington State Governor signed a law in May of this past year to create a pilot program to give military veterans and first-responders access to the psychedelic to treat post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), mood disorders, and substance abuse disorders.
The first ever congressional hearing on psychedelics was held earlier this month at the federal level. Testimony focused on how substances such as psilocybin or MDMA could aid in the treatment of military veterans with mental health issues.
Speakers at a recent Harvard University panel, which included former Department of Veterans Affairs officials and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials , agreed that psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin have the potential to treat PTSD and reduce suicide rates among servicemen. However, they warned against unsupervised, hasty use of psychedelics, given their possible side effects.
The National Institutes of Health announced that they are also looking for proposals to develop psychedelics as treatments for substance abuse disorder (SUD). They plan to award $2 million in grants to research projects.
Californians have until Monday to comment on the revised psychedelics ballot proposal, with a final update expected by December 1
The post Indiana Legislative Committee Recommended Launch Of Psilocybin Assisted Therapy Pilot Program first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
