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A Pennsylvania bill meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms for certain mental health conditions may be in jeopardy, with the sponsor saying that the chair of a key House committee is expressing reservations even after the legislation was amended in an effort to build support.<\/p>\n
The legislation from Rep. Tracy Pennycuick (R)\u2014titled the \u201cPsilocybin Data Act\u201d\u2014was originally introduced last year<\/a>, but it did not advance. A revised version filed this month notably removes a key provision allowing state Department of Health to authorize two entities to cultivate the psychedelic for research purposes.<\/p>\n But the sponsor tells Marijuana Moment that the \u201cwatered down version\u201d is still facing a major obstacle in the committee where it\u2019s been referred.<\/p>\n Pennycuick said that supporters are \u201cstruggling\u201d with the chair of the House Health Committee, Rep. Kathy Rapp (R).<\/p>\n \u201cI am not sure she will even run this,\u201d the sponsor said. \u201cTo say I am frustrated is mild compared to how I really feel. I have worked this bill for months.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennycuick said that she\u2019s been working to build support for the legislation for months, but then the chairwoman \u201cshifted course due to an overdose death in her district\u201d allegedly involving so-called \u201cmagic mushrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n Two points on that: First, the bill would not legalize psilocybin. Second,\u00a0the psychedelic has a very low toxicity rate. The Drug Policy Alliance explains<\/a> that \u201csensationalized media coverage of psychedelic-related deaths [have] misattributed the role of psychedelics like psilocybin in causing suicide or accidental death.\u201d<\/p>\n Rapp\u2019s office did not respond multiple requests for comment and clarification from Marijuana Moment.<\/p>\n \u2014 \u201cI don\u2019t understand it,\u201d Pennycuick, an Army veteran herself who lives with PTSD, said. \u201cIt is frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawmaker suffered a traumatic experience as an Army helicopter pilot, left stuck in a vehicle that caught fire following an explosion. She told<\/a> Philadelphia Magazine that the psychological damage of that event \u201cdidn\u2019t hit me until five or six years later,\u201d and she hopes to be \u201cpatient number one\u201d for psilocybin clinical trials as a therapeutic tool for her own condition.<\/p>\n Her newly revised bill, HB 2421<\/a>, starts with a declaration of purpose stating that the Commonwealth is \u201cin desperate need of innovative and cost-effective mental health treatment to combat this significant public health crisis,\u201d citing statistics about increased rates of mental health complications.<\/p>\n \u201cA growing body of research suggests that psilocybin, administered in a controlled setting, may be the most effective tool at our disposal to combat this public health crisis,\u201d it says. \u201cThis Commonwealth, including this Commonwealth\u2019s substantial veteran community, will benefit from establishing a psilocybin regulatory system to combat the worsening mental health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation would make it so the state health department would need to work with at least one academic institution to conduct clinical trials \u201cfor the purpose of collecting and studying the efficacy and cost-benefit optimization of psilocybin and psilocybin-assisted therapy in the treatment of mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury.\u201d<\/p>\n Beside traumatic brain injury, researchers would be tasked with investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, migraines and substance misuse disorders.<\/p>\n However, it stands to reason that those clinical trials might have been more easily facilitated with language from the original version authorizing limited cultivation within the state that has now been stricken.<\/p>\n That bill, HB 1959<\/a>, originally contained a provision to permit at least two entities to \u201cplant, grow and cultivate natural psilocybin mushroom product solely for use in the clinical studies of psilocybin.\u201d<\/p>\n That would no longer be the case under the revised bill.<\/p>\n Under the legislation, the department, in collaboration with an advisory board, would need to \u201cissue interim reports every 180 days beginning 180 days after the effective date of this section on the data collected from the academic research institution\u2026 and a final report by December 31, 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n The final report would need to include results of any psilocybin clinical trials, an analysis of existing research into the psychedelic \u201cand similar compounds,\u201d a description of federal and state laws concerning psilocybin.<\/p>\n It must also contain recommendations \u201cfor legislative actions or other actions to enact a framework for further research of psilocybin and similar compounds\u201d as well as \u201clegislative actions or other actions for the implementation of a regulatory system governing the use of psilocybin and psilocybin-assisted therapy with the goal of minimizing cost and maximizing the public health benefit of treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n In a cosponsorship memo released earlier this month, Pennycuick implored her colleagues to support the modest reform.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is my hope that this study is the first step in learning more about the benefits of psilocybin and what can be done in the future for the citizens of this Commonwealth who are suffering from mental health conditions,\u201d the lawmaker wrote.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no deficit of psychedelics reform proposals that are moving through state legislatures across the U.S. this session, in addition to activist-led efforts.<\/p>\n For instance, a Missouri House committee on Monday held a hearing on a GOP-led bill to legalize a wide range of psychedelics for therapeutic use<\/a>\u00a0at designated care facilities while further decriminalizing low-level possession in general.<\/p>\n A Connecticut legislative committee approved a bill last week that would set the state up to provide certain patients with access to psychedelic-assisted treatment<\/a>\u00a0with substances like MDMA and psilocybin. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a separate 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 A Maryland House of Delegates committee held a hearing last week 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 recently 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 This month, 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 this month, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill 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 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\u00a0qualify a measure to legalize psilocybin mushrooms<\/a>\u00a0for 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\u00a0proceed 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 50 Years Ago Today, A Federal Panel Said Marijuana Should Be Decriminalized\u2014But A President Who Ran On Reform Still Hasn\u2019t Done It<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Pennsylvania Psilocybin Research Bill In Limbo After Key Committee Chair Raises Concern Over Mushroom \u2018Overdose,\u2019 Sponsor Says<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A Pennsylvania bill meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms for certain mental health conditions may be in jeopardy, with the sponsor saying that the chair of a key House committee is expressing reservations even after the legislation was amended in an effort to build support.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53732,"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\/53731"}],"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=53731"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53733,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53731\/revisions\/53733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Pennsylvania Psilocybin Research Bill In Limbo After Key Committee Chair Raises Concern Over Mushroom \u2018Overdose,\u2019 Sponsor Says<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"