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A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Tuesday held a hearing on a bill to create a state fund that could be used to provide access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n
The measure, which is being considered as separate proposals to legalize marijuana in the state are advancing in the legislature, would also support research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances.<\/p>\n
The House Appropriations Committee discussed the legislation, sponsored by Del. Seth Howard (R), weeks after the Senate Budget and Taxation and Finance Committee took up that chamber\u2019s companion version from Sen. Sarah Elfreth (D).<\/p>\n
\nThe proposal 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, the dollars would also be appropriated under the bill to improve \u201caccess to alternative therapies for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe use of alternative therapies and treatment of PTSD for active duty members and veterans has proven to be an extremely powerful tool in combating the ongoing suicide epidemic that we all know our veteran community is facing,\u201d Howard said at Tuesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cLegislators across the country are realizing that we must utilize every tool we have at our disposal to help bring an end to the suicide epidemic that is taking the lives of so many of our veterans,\u201d the delegate said.<\/p>\n
While the Senate and House versions are virtually identical, the Senate bill<\/a> specifies that the fund could be used to provide \u201ccost-free\u201d access to those alternative treatments, rather than simply to improve<\/em> access as is the case in the House measure<\/a>.<\/p>\n The state Department of Health would be required to \u201cperiodically\u201d consult with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland, Sheppard Pratt hospital and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.<\/p>\n \u2014 The purpose of the partnerships would be to determine the \u201ceffectiveness of and a method for improving access to alternative therapies for treating\u201d PTSD in veterans. They would also consult on \u201cappropriate uses of the fund that further the fund\u2019s purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n Howard, the bill sponsor, said that he\u2019s filed three amendments to more closely align the House version with the Senate\u2019s, including by revising the bill title and adding the organization Brain Futures to the list of groups that the department could work with on the measure\u2019s research objectives.<\/p>\n The department\u00a0would 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 recommendations would focus on \u201cbudgetary, legislative, or regulatory changes to expand access to alternative therapies for veterans with post\u2013traumatic stress disorder,\u201d the bill text states.<\/p>\n \u201cGeneral fund expenditures increase by $37,954 in fiscal 2023, which accounts for a 30-day start-up delay from the bill\u2019s July 1, 2022 effective date,\u201d a fiscal analysis states. \u201cGeneral fund expenditures increase by $1.0 million in fiscal 2024 to reflect the bill\u2019s mandated appropriation.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Senate committee hearing earlier this month, the sponsor, Elfreth, listed several states that have \u201cpassed critical legislation that provides financial support to veterans seeking alternative treatments [for conditions] such as PTSD.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis battle needs to be won one state at a time until Congress acts, and today I\u2019m asking that Maryland take this important step forward,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n To the senator\u2019s point, psychedelics reform is gaining traction in numerous state legislatures across the country this session.<\/p>\n For example, a Connecticut legislative committee on Monday discussed a bill that would set the state up to provide certain patients with access to psychedelic-assisted treatment<\/a> with substances like MDMA and psilocybin. Former top military officials, advocates and scientists testified in favor of the proposal.<\/p>\n The governor of that state, Democratic Ned Lamont, signed a bill last year that includes language requiring the state to\u00a0carry out a study into the therapeutic potential<\/a>\u00a0of psilocybin mushrooms. A\u00a0workgroup<\/a>\u00a0has since been meeting\u00a0to investigate the issue.<\/p>\n The Washington State legislature last week sent a budget bill to the governor\u2019s desk that includes a proposal to direct $200,000 in funding to support a new workgroup<\/a>\u00a0to study the possibility of legalizing psilocybin services in the state, including the idea of using current marijuana regulatory systems to track psychedelic mushrooms.<\/p>\n A bipartisan coalition of Georgia lawmakers recently filed a resolution that\u00a0calls for the formation of a House study committee<\/a>\u00a0to investigate the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like psilocybin and make recommendations for reforms.<\/p>\n Last week, the Hawaii Senate approved a bill to set up a state working group to\u00a0study the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms<\/a>\u00a0and develop a \u201clong-term\u201d plan to ensure that the psychedelic is accessible for medical use for adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n Also last week, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill this week to\u00a0decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0and promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.<\/p>\n Rhode Island lawmakers introduced\u00a0a pair of drug decriminalization bills this month<\/a>\u2014including one focused on psilocybin and buprenorphine that would authorize doctors to prescribe the psychedelic mushroom.<\/p>\n Also this month, a Missouri Republican lawmaker filed a bill that would\u00a0legalize a wide range of psychedelics for therapeutic use<\/a>\u00a0at designated care facilities while further decriminalizing low-level possession in general.<\/p>\n Last month,\u00a0Utah lawmakers sent a bill to the governor<\/a>\u00a0that would create a task force to study and make recommendations on the\u00a0therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs<\/a>\u00a0and possible regulations for their lawful use.<\/p>\n An Oregon Senate committee also recently advanced a bill to ensure that equity is\u00a0built into the state\u2019s historic therapeutic psilocybin program<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s actively being implemented following voter approval in 2020.<\/p>\n A bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel in January,\u00a0only 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 in January<\/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 Legislation was\u00a0also enacted by the Texas legislature<\/a>\u00a0last 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.<\/p>\n Colorado activists 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<\/a>, create licensed \u201chealing centers\u201d where people can use the psychedelic for therapeutic purposes and provide a pathway for record sealing for prior convictions. A competing campaign filed a different psychedelics legalization last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michigan activists\u00a0filed a statewide ballot initiative<\/a>\u00a0last month 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\u00a0allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, back in Maryland, there are at least five competing marijuana reform bills<\/a> in play this session in the legislature.<\/p>\n The House passed legislation last month that would ask voters whether to legalize cannabis for adults in the state<\/a>, as well as a separate bill that lays out related criminal justice reforms. On the Senate side, two competing proposals have been introduced and are pending in committee.<\/p>\n A newly released poll shows that a majority of Marylanders support the legalization of adult-use cannabis<\/a>, including most Republicans.<\/p>\n State Treasurers Discuss Marijuana Banking Challenges At Annual Conference With Congressional Officials<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype<\/a> and Apollo<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Fund Psychedelics Research And Access For Veterans In Committee<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Tuesday held a hearing on a bill to create a state fund that could be used to provide access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The measure, which is being considered as separateContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53580,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53579"}],"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=53579"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53581,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53579\/revisions\/53581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Maryland Lawmakers Discuss Bill To Fund Psychedelics Research And Access For Veterans In Committee<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"