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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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a> earlier this week.<\/p>\n The legislation was approved on a noncontroversial basis as part of the panel\u2019s consent calendar. It now advances to floor consideration.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Rep. Michelle Cook (D) explained her support for the policy change, citing the \u201ccompassionate testimony that we had the other day from so many folks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think that by sitting back and not doing something, as we heard the other day, is costing lives day after day after day,\u201d the lawmaker said. \u201cDoing nothing I think would be criminal in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Kathy Kennedy (R) echoed her colleague\u2019s point, saying that \u201cthe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Psychedelic therapy would be specifically provided and funded for military veterans, retired first responders, health care workers and any person from a \u201chistorically 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 potential<\/a>\u00a0of psilocybin mushrooms. A\u00a0workgroup<\/a>\u00a0has since been meeting\u00a0to investigate the issue.<\/p>\n The new measure would require the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to launch a \u201cpsychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program to provide qualified patients with the funding\u201d to receive MDMA- or psilocybin-assisted therapy as part of FDA\u2019s expanded access program, the text of the bill states.<\/p>\n The pilot program would cease \u201cwhen MDMA and psilocybin have been approved to have a medical use by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), or any successor agency.\u201d At that point, state statute on the substances would be aligned with the federal government\u2019s.<\/p>\n One member of the panel, Rep. Liz Linehan (D), suggested on Friday that lawmakers further consider \u201cadding in other treatments\u201d such as ketamine.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Chairman Jonathan Steinberg (D) expressed frustration with the slow pace of federal reform.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pilot program ends when the federal DEA approves MDMA and psilocybin for medical use,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cwe should say \u2018when and if,\u2019 but we\u2019re presuming \u2018when.’\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are treading on some new ground here. We\u2019ll be among the first number of states to try to help people\u201d with psychedelic therapies, he said. \u201cWe 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 conditions\u2014and not just veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes we have to struggle with the feds. Sometimes we just wish they\u2019d get out of our way, but it doesn\u2019t happen very often,\u201d Steinberg said.<\/p>\n In the interim, the bill would further establish a Qualified Patients for Approved Treatment Sites Fund (PAT Fund) to provide \u201cgrants to qualified applicants to provide MDMA-assisted or psilocybin assisted therapy to qualified patients under the pilot program.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cApproved 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The\u00a0bill<\/a>\u00a0would 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.<\/p>\n The board would be tasked with making recommendation on the \u201cdesign 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.\u201d<\/p>\n There would be seven key areas that the board would be responsible for advising the department on:<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s committee vote revealed a significant level of bipartisanship around the reform proposal, with multiple Republican and Democratic legislators emphasizing the significant \u201cpotential\u201d that these psychedelics may present for vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n The legislature should \u201ccontinue this forward with the recognition that the FDA will continue doing their work,\u201d Rep. Josh Elliott (D) said, but that \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t be doing ours.\u201d<\/p>\n Also in Connecticut, regulators recently began accepting certain marijuana business license applications<\/a> as part of the recreational cannabis law that Lamont signed last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the state\u2019s Social Equity Council approved a list of geographic areas disproportionately impacted<\/a> by the drug war, which will be used to determine eligibility for social equity business licenses. Under the state\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Over the summer, Lamont also announced the launch of a new website to\u00a0provide residents with up-to-date information<\/a>\u00a0on the state\u2019s new marijuana legalization law.<\/p>\n As it stands, adults 21 and older are already able to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis for personal use.<\/p>\n A Maryland House of Delegates committee on Tuesday held a hearing on a bill to create a state fund that\u00a0could be used to provide access to psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n The Washington State legislature last week sent a budget bill to the governor\u2019s desk that includes a proposal to\u00a0direct $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 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 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 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 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 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<\/a> for the state\u2019s November ballot, though they aren\u2019t giving up on a future election cycle bid.<\/p>\n 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<\/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\u00a0filed 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 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 Bipartisan Congressional Lawmakers Want Biden To Push UN To End International Marijuana Ban<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Bill To Fund Psilocybin And MDMA Therapy<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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,Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53657,"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\/53656"}],"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=53656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53658,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53656\/revisions\/53658"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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In the psychedelics space, reform is advancing in states across the country.<\/h3>\n
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\nRead More: Connecticut Lawmakers Approve Bill To Fund Psilocybin And MDMA Therapy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"