The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee discussed a bill Thursday that would legalize the psilocybin mushroom in Rhode Island, temporarily eliminating penalties for possession, home cultivation, and sharing of psilocybin up until mid-2026.
The H.7047 proposal from Rep. Brandon Potter, (D), does not create a retail commercial system for psychedelics, at least until federal reform is implemented. It would allow up to one ounce of psilocybin to be exempted from the state law on controlled substances until then. This is provided it has been “securely cultivated in a person’s home for personal use,” or that it’s possessed or shared between two people.
The measure is identical with a Bill passed by the House 56-11 last year. However, that matter failed to move forward in Senate before the end session.
Potter, who spoke to the panel on Friday, said: “I’m not sure it was so long ago when a proposal such as this would have been considered controversial.” “But I believe it’s much more popularized, and people are aware of it. Especially when you see the overwhelming amount of medical research and clinical research that promotes the effects on people.”
He added, “These aren’t, you know… small, low-budget activities,” about the emerging scientific research that indicates the therapeutic potential for psilocybin. These are top medical institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Yale, Stanford and others–NYU and Columbia.
At Thursday’s Hearing, the Judiciary Committee did not officially act on the bill but instead received public testimony and asked Potter several questions.
Rep. David J. Place (R), asked Potter, why Rhode Island under the bill would wait until the Food and Drug Administration took action on psilocybin to set up state-level regulations.
Potter replied, “Quite honestly, if I were in charge, we would not.” After a long discussion with the Department of Health it became clear that without federal approval at some point there would not be support for a future enactment of controlled medical processes of how this could be legally prescribed.
The sponsor said, “If I were given carte blanche and could read this bill the way I wanted, it would simply be decriminalization.” It was about balancing the interests of the Department of Health and what is ultimately a decriminalization of drugs bill.
Place asked Potter if similar provisions had been included in the state’s reform of medical marijuana. The state legislators did not include similar provisions.
Rep. Thomas E. Noret, a Democrat, said that he had voted against the bill last year and plans to do so again with this bill.
The National Drug Intelligence Center has noted that drug-facilitated sexual assaults have increased. He also pointed to a Brown University report “that shows 90 percent of campus rapes happen when either the victim or attacker is using alcohol and/or drugs.” I object to the National Drug Center’s report listing psilocybin as one of the drugs that can be used.
Noret’s statement is not clear. The National Drug Intelligence Center, which was part of the Department of Justice, was founded in 1993. It was disbanded in 2012, more than 10 years later.
Potter explained that his decriminalization-first approach is aimed at allowing people access to psilocybin without creating an environment that makes psychedelic-assisted treatment prohibitively expensive.
He said that Colorado and Oregon had already legalized the practice. “One of the most disheartening stories I have heard is about people paying $5,000 to $10,000 for the treatment,” he added.
He said: “It’s a double-down of only allowing people with a certain level of wealth or privilege to have access.” “I personally did not want to create another framework that would deny people access to natural medicine.”
Potter is one of eight lawmakers who have signed on as co-sponsors, including Robert Craven, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Potter, when the House passed the measure last year, called it “a step in the right direction towards addressing mental health with modern, evidenced-based policies and research.”
The lawmaker said earlier this month, in response to Marijuana Moment’s article on the bill for this year, that he hopes the measure will be heard by the Senate.
He said that after the House vote last year, “I received a number of messages from people thanking me for passing the legislation and sharing with me their personal stories about how they used psilocybin.
He added that he hoped that a Senate Committee hearing would allow them to hear from some of these voices and understand that a number people in Rhode Island have already benefited from this treatment. In doing so, they broke the law.
This week, the City Council of Providence approved a proposal to open the first state-regulated site for safe consumption in the country. The site will allow people to use drugs under supervision and connect them with social support services and recovery programs.
The state’s cannabis system celebrated its first year of legal sales in the last month. Gov. Dan McKee, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said the state was “proud” of its careful execution in entering the cannabis industry. Retailers sold over $100 million of cannabis products within the first year.
industry advocates have outlined four major changes they would like to see in the cannabis laws of the state for the coming year . These include: reducing the qualifications regarding social equity; expanding the fund to cover social equity with tax revenues; waiving some fees and providing provisional licenses.
Regulators have been requesting state and federal data in order to better define the social equity eligibility.
The DOJ seeks White House approval for the updated Marijuana pardon certificate form under Biden’s expanded Proclamation
Photo courtesy Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.
The post Rhode Island House Panel Considers Bill To Temporarily Legalize Psilocybin first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
