New Mexico Senate Committee unanimously approves a bipartisan request that state officials investigate the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic and create a regulatory framework for its access.
On Saturday, the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee passed a resolution by Senators Jeff Steinborn (D), Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt and Senate Minority Leader Craig Brandt (R), with a 7-0 vote.
The bicameral legislation proposal would not be binding as it is “memorial”. It would be a formal request to the Department of Health of the state to “study and establish a program to use psilocybin for therapeutic medical treatment.”
The resolution’s whereas section cites numerous studies that support the therapeutic benefits psilocybin has for conditions like major depression and drug abuse, and points out that the FDA has classified the psychedelic a “breakthrough treatment.”
The measure also states that, to that end the Health Department should examine “necessary regulatory or statutory framework” for establishing a psilocybin state program.
Steinborn, who spoke at Saturday’s hearing, said: “This could help people very potential. So what we’re doing in a bipartisan manner is asking the Department of Health that they recognize we want them get started to look into this.”
He said that the measure was designed to “expand therapeutic options” for New Mexicans.
Researchers and advocates spoke in support of the law. They urged lawmakers to make New Mexico the leader in psychedelic research, at a time when there is a growing interest on the potential for substances like psilocybin as a way to combat widespread mental health issues.
Before the bill was passed, the committee adopted a resolution stating that the department of health should partner with the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center to conduct psilocybin-related research.
The vote of the committee comes one year after a similar bill was passed by the House Health and Human Services Committee. That bill called for the establishment of a state agency to investigate the possibility of launching an psilocybin treatment program for certain patients. The measure was not furthered in the 2023 session.
In this session, a growing number of state legislatures are working on psychedelics legislation reforms with an emphasis on research and therapeutic accessibility.
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Last week, for example, a Senate panel in Alaska heard testimony on a proposal to create a task force that would investigate how to legalize and regulate therapeutic use of psychedelics within the state.
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.
Arizona lawmakers filed a bill in the last month to legalize service centers that provide psilocybin under medical supervision.
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.
This month, the Indiana Senate passed a bill that would finance clinical research trials for psilocybin assisted therapy in mental health.
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.
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