Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Bill To Fund Psilocybin And MDMA Therapy – Marijuana Moment

A Connecticut legislative committee on Friday approved a bill that would set the state up to provide certain patients with access to psychedelic-assisted treatment with substances like MDMA and psilocybin.

Before the vote, several members of the joint Public Health Committee remarked on the compelling testimony of top military officials, advocates and scientists who spoke about their experiences and the potential impact of the reform at a hearing earlier this week.

The legislation was approved on a noncontroversial basis as part of the panels consent calendar. It now advances to floor consideration.

The measure, HB 5396, would create psychedelic treatment centers in the state, pending approval of the substances by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under its expanded access program for investigational new drugs.

Rep. Michelle Cook (D) explained her support for the policy change, citing the compassionate testimony that we had the other day from so many folks.

I think that by sitting back and not doing something, as we heard the other day, is costing lives day after day after day, the lawmaker said. Doing nothing I think would be criminal in this regard.

Rep. Kathy Kennedy (R) echoed her colleagues point, saying that the testimony that we heard was compelling, it was compassionate, it was emotional and we owe something to our veterans who have served our country and many others that would benefit from this treatment.

Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they dont miss any developments.Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

While the legislation would not legalize the psychedelics, it would set up a regulatory infrastructure to enable Connecticut to play a leading role in providing access to this alternative treatment option as federal agencies continue to fund and facilitate clinical trials.

Psychedelic therapy would be specifically provided and funded for military veterans, retired first responders, health care workers and any person from a historically underserved community, and who has a serious or life-threatening mental or behavioral health disorder and without access to effective mental or behavioral health medication.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a separate bill last year that includes language requiring the state to carry out a study into the therapeutic potentialof psilocybin mushrooms. Aworkgrouphas since been meetingto investigate the issue.

The new measure would require the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to launch a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program to provide qualified patients with the funding to receive MDMA- or psilocybin-assisted therapy as part of FDAs expanded access program, the text of the bill states.

The pilot program would cease when MDMA and psilocybin have been approved to have a medical use by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), or any successor agency. At that point, state statute on the substances would be aligned with the federal governments.

One member of the panel, Rep. Liz Linehan (D), suggested on Friday that lawmakers further consider adding in other treatments such as ketamine.

Meanwhile, Chairman Jonathan Steinberg (D) expressed frustration with the slow pace of federal reform.

The pilot program ends when the federal DEA approves MDMA and psilocybin for medical use, he said, adding that we should say when and if, but were presuming when.'

We are treading on some new ground here. Well be among the first number of states to try to help people with psychedelic therapies, he said. We heard a tremendous amount of moving testimony, particularly from veterans that this can be a game changer for them, having tried any number of other therapies for PTSD and other conditionsand not just veterans.

Sometimes we have to struggle with the feds. Sometimes we just wish theyd get out of our way, but it doesnt happen very often, Steinberg said.

In the interim, the bill would further establish a Qualified Patients for Approved Treatment Sites Fund (PAT Fund) to provide grants to qualified applicants to provide MDMA-assisted or psilocybin assisted therapy to qualified patients under the pilot program.

Approved treatment sites shall collect and submit data to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, including, but not limited to, its protocols for the provision of MDMA-assisted and psilocybin-assisted treatment, training on the facilitation of such treatment, implementation of facility standards, strategies for patient protection and mitigation of drug diversion.

Thebillwould further create a Connecticut Psychedelic Treatment Advisory Board under the department. Legislative leaders and the governor would be empowered to appoint members of the board.

The board would be tasked with making recommendation on the design and development of the regulations and infrastructure necessary to safely allow for therapeutic access to psychedelic-assisted therapy upon the legalization of MDMA, psilocybin and any other psychedelic compounds.

There would be seven key areas that the board would be responsible for advising the department on:

Fridays committee vote revealed a significant level of bipartisanship around the reform proposal, with multiple Republican and Democratic legislators emphasizing the significant potential that these psychedelics may present for vulnerable communities.

The legislature should continue this forward with the recognition that the FDA will continue doing their work, Rep. Josh Elliott (D) said, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt be doing ours.

Also in Connecticut, regulators recently began accepting certain marijuana business license applications as part of the recreational cannabis law that Lamont signed last year.

Meanwhile, the states Social Equity Council approved a list of geographic areas disproportionately impacted by the drug war, which will be used to determine eligibility for social equity business licenses. Under the states new cannabis program, half of all licenses must go to equity applicants, who may also qualify for lower licensing fees, technical assistance, workforce training and funding to cover startup costs.

Over the summer, Lamont also announced the launch of a new website toprovide residents with up-to-date informationon the states new marijuana legalization law.

As it stands, adults 21 and older are already able to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis for personal use.

A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Tuesday held a hearing on a bill to create a state fund thatcould be used to provide access to psychedelicslike psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Washington State legislature last week sent a budget bill to the governors desk that includes a proposal todirect $200,000 in funding to support a new workgroupto study the possibility of legalizing psilocybin services in the state, including the idea of using current marijuana regulatory systems to track psychedelic mushrooms.

Last week, the Hawaii Senate approved a bill to set up a state working group tostudy the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushroomsand develop a long-term plan to ensure that the psychedelic is accessible for medical use for adults 21 and older.

Also last week, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill this week todecriminalize low-level possession of psilocybinand promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.

A bipartisan coalition of Georgia lawmakers recently filed a resolution thatcalls for the formation of a House study committeeto investigate the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like psilocybin and make recommendations for reforms.

Rhode Island lawmakers introduceda pair of drug decriminalization bills this monthincluding one focused on psilocybin and buprenorphine that would authorize doctors to prescribe the psychedelic mushroom.

Also this month, a Missouri Republican lawmaker filed a bill that wouldlegalize a wide range of psychedelics for therapeutic useat designated care facilities while further decriminalizing low-level possession in general.

Last month,Utah lawmakers sent a bill to the governorthat would create a task force to study and make recommendations on thetherapeutic potential of psychedelic drugsand possible regulations for their lawful use.

An Oregon Senate committee also recently advanced a bill to ensure that equity isbuilt into the states historic therapeutic psilocybin programthats actively being implemented following voter approval in 2020.

A bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel in January,only to be pushed off until 2023. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alonewas later defeated in a key committee.

California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that his bill tolegalize psychedelics possessionstands a 50/50 chance of reaching the governors desk this year. It already cleared the full Senate and two Assembly committees during the first half of the two-year session.

Washington State lawmakersalso introduced legislation in Januarythat would legalize what the bill calls supported psilocybin experiences by adults 21 and older.

New Hampshire lawmakers filed measures todecriminalize psilocybin and all drugs.

Legislation wasalso enacted by the Texas legislaturelast year requiring the state to study the medical risks and benefits of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and a military-focused medical center.

A pair of Michigan senators also introduced a bill in September tolegalize the possession, cultivation and deliveryof an array of plant- and fungi-derived psychedelics like psilocybin and mescaline.

In a setback for the movement, California activists on Wednesday announced that they have come up short on collecting enough signatures to qualify a measure to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for the states November ballot, though they arent giving up on a future election cycle bid.

Colorado activists, meanwhile, recently selected one of the four psychedelics reform ballot initiatives that they drafted and filed for the November ballot, choosing to proceed with a measure to legalize psilocybin, create licensed healing centers where people can use the psychedelic for therapeutic purposes and provide a pathway for record sealing for prior convictions. A competing campaignfiled a different psychedelics legalization last month.

Michigan activistsfiled a statewide ballot initiativelast month that would legalize possessing, cultivating and sharing psychedelics and set up a system for their therapeutic and spiritual use.

At the congressional level, bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last month, urging that the agencyallow terminally ill patients to use psilocybinas an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.

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Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.

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Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Bill To Fund Psilocybin And MDMA Therapy - Marijuana Moment