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A group of Maryland senators recently filed a bill that would create a state fund that could be used to provide free access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while also supporting research into their therapeutic potential.<\/p>\n
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D), would establish what\u2019s being called the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Alternative Therapies Fund. In addition to funding research into psychedelics through the state Department of Health, money would also be appropriated under the bill to provide \u201ccost-free access to alternative therapies\u201d for the target community.<\/p>\n
Further, it says that regulators must periodically \u201cconsult with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Sheppard Pratt, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center\u201d on the use of entheogenic substances for PTSD.<\/p>\n
There are also reporting requirements that could set the stage for future legislation on providing regulated access to psychedelics for therapeutic use.<\/p>\n
\u2014 The Maryland Department of Health would need to first submit a report to the governor and legislation with \u201cinitial findings and recommendations\u201d by December 1, 2022. Two years later, there would be another deadline for findings and recommendations that are based on studies that were specifically funded through the PTSD fund.<\/p>\n The report must include \u201cany findings regarding the efficacy of alternative therapies as treatment for post\u2013traumatic stress disorder,\u201d as well as \u201crecommendations on budgetary, legislative, or regulatory changes to expand access to alternative therapies for veterans with post\u2013traumatic stress disorder,\u201d the bill text says.<\/p>\n The bill<\/a> already has nine senators as cosponsors, and it\u2019s scheduled to receive a hearing in the Budget and Taxation Committee on March 2.<\/p>\n The proposal is the latest example of how psychedelics reform is expanding into state legislatures following several successful local campaigns to decriminalize the plants and fungi.<\/p>\n Just last week, a Utah House committee approved a bill<\/a> that would similarly create a task force to study and make recommendations on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs and possible regulations for their lawful use.<\/p>\n Two Republican Oklahoma lawmakers recently filed bills meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, and one of the measures would further\u00a0decriminalize low-level possession of the psychedelic<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Republican Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill last month to give residents with serious illnesses legal\u00a0access to a range of psychedelic drugs<\/a>\u00a0like psilocybin, ibogaine and LSD \u00a0through an expanded version of the state\u2019s existing right-to-try law.<\/p>\n A bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel last month, only to be pushed off until 2023<\/a>. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alone\u00a0was later defeated in a key committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that his bill to\u00a0legalize psychedelics possession<\/a>\u00a0stands a 50\/50 chance of reaching the governor\u2019s desk this year. It already cleared the full Senate and two Assembly committees during the first half of the two-year session.<\/p>\n Washington State lawmakers\u00a0also introduced legislation last month<\/a>\u00a0that would legalize what the bill calls \u201csupported psilocybin experiences\u201d by adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n New Hampshire lawmakers filed measures to\u00a0decriminalize psilocybin and all drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year, the governor of Connecticut signed legislation that includes language requiring the state to\u00a0carry out a study into the therapeutic potential<\/a>\u00a0of psilocybin mushrooms.<\/p>\n Similar legislation was\u00a0also enacted by the Texas legislature<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Activists in Colorado recently\u00a0filed revised versions of 2022 ballot initiatives<\/a>\u00a0to similarly legalize psilocybin and establish \u201chealing centers\u201d in the state. A competing campaign\u00a0filed a different psychedelics legalization last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michigan activists\u00a0filed a statewide ballot initiative<\/a> last week that would legalize possessing, cultivating and sharing psychedelics and set up a system for their therapeutic and spiritual use.<\/p>\n A pair of Michigan senators also introduced a bill in September to\u00a0legalize the possession, cultivation and delivery<\/a>\u00a0of an array of plant- and fungi-derived psychedelics like psilocybin and mescaline.<\/p>\n At the congressional level, bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) last month, urging that the agency allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.<\/p>\n Justice Department Evaluating \u2018Guardrails\u2019 For Safe Drug Consumption Sites As Court Deadline Approaches<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype<\/a> and Apollo<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Maryland Senate Bill Would Provide \u2018Cost-Free Access\u2019 To Psychedelics For Military Veterans<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A group of Maryland senators recently filed a bill that would create a state fund that could be used to provide free access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while also supporting research into their therapeutic potential. The legislation, sponsoredContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":52827,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52826"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52826"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52826\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52828,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52826\/revisions\/52828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Maryland Senate Bill Would Provide \u2018Cost-Free Access\u2019 To Psychedelics For Military Veterans<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"