After receiving final approval from the Senate, a Washington State bill that promotes research into psilocybin as well as a pilot program for therapeutic access to psychedelics in mental health treatments is headed to the Governor’s desk.
The Senate passed the bill first. The House passed the legislation last week, after it was amended by Jesse Salomon and Liz Lovelett. This change was approved by the Senate on Friday, 40-4.
The bill has been sent to the governor. Jay Inslee, a Democrat who has expressed an openness to reform of psychedelics.
Salomon, a senator from California, told his colleagues in the Senate that the amendments they had before them improved the bill.
was introduced earlier in this session and would have legalized psilocybin more broadly, allowing those 21 years old or older to access it under the supervision of licensed facilitators. The Senate committee watered it down to only include a taskforce and advisory group that would study the reform. These changes were reportedly made after the governor’s office complained about the scope of the initial bill.
Later, Rep. Nicole Macri, (D), on the House side modestly expanded legislation through her committee amendment. The bill, as adopted and concurred upon, now calls for a pilot program that will allow the University of Washington to offer psychedelics to military veterans and first-responders for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood disorders and substance abuse disorders.
According to the bill, the UW clinical program pilot would have to “offer psilocybin therapies through pathways approved by FDA (Federal Food and Drug Administration)”.
The measure, in addition to the Psilocybin Pilot Program, would also create an Interagency Psilocybin Work Group, a Psilocybin Task Force, and a Psilocybin Board.
According to the summary of the bill, this group will be tasked with “developing a regulatory framework for a controlled psilocybin product system, including a procedure to ensure that psilocybin is free from pesticides and clean.” The group would also examine research on psychedelics and indigenous practices associated with them, as well as take steps to ensure a social-opportunity program is included in any licensing system.
Some have criticized the reduced reform. They are concerned that it could be used as an excuse by lawmakers to postpone consideration of a more comprehensive legalization until the psilocybin research is completed.
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This session, drug policy reform was a major topic of discussion in the Washington state legislature. Last week, for example, legislators passed a bill that would have allowed the governor to sign agreements with other states that legalize marijuana in order to engage in interstate commerce pending a change to federal policy.
A bill prohibiting employers from discriminating against applicants for jobs based on marijuana usage was also passed by both chambers. However, on Friday the Senate refused to agree with the House amendments.
Washington State joins a growing number of states that are reforming their laws this year in relation to psychedelics.
A Nevada Senate Committee, for example, approved last week a revised bill that would establish a new group to study psychedelics as well as develop a plan allowing regulated access to therapeutic purposes.
Last week, the Hawaii Senate passed a bill to establish an advisory council that would examine possible regulations to allow access to federal “breakthrough therapy” such as psilocybin or MDMA.
Minnesota lawmakers have attached , a bill that creates a task force to prepare the state for a possible legalization of psychedelics to a large-scale health legislation which could be brought to the House floor in the near future.
A Republican Massachusetts legislator filed three new reform bills for psychedelics, including proposals to legalize substances such as psilocybin or reschedule MDMA while waiting for federal approval and setting a price limit on therapeutic access.
These are only a few of the reforms being considered by legislators in the United States this session.
Based on statistical modelling of policy trends, an analysis published last year in the American Medical Association journal concluded that most states will legalize psychedelics before 2037.
A national survey published last month revealed that a majority of U.S. citizens support the legalization of psychedelic therapy, and are in favor decriminalizing substances such as psilocybin or MDMA.
Pennsylvania Senators who support marijuana legalization ask federal court to reject safe drug consumption sites
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