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A New Jersey Assembly committee has adopted an amendment to a psilocybin bill that aligns its provisions with a Senate companion version, removing language to more broadly legalize the psychedelic and instead focusing on therapeutic use.<\/p>\n
The Assembly Health Committee on Monday took testimony from experts before approving the amendment to the Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act, which is being sponsored by Assemblymembers Herb Conaway (D), Clinton Calabrese (D) and Anthony Verrelli (D).<\/p>\n
This comes just over a week after a Senate committee revised and passed that chamber\u2019s version of the psilocybin proposal<\/a> from Senate President Nick Scutari (D) and others.<\/p>\n The intent of the proposal is to \u201cdeal with and address the very real deficiencies that we are finding in terms of treatment for those who are in distress and not yet not able to obtain therapeutic benefit by alternate means,\u201d Conaway, who chairs the Assembly panel, said at Monday\u2019s meeting. \u201cWe\u2019ll see as we move forward how this bill shapes up.\u201d<\/p>\n Initially, the legislation was\u00a0introduced this year in identical form<\/a> to what lawmakers proposed last session\u2014a plan that included personal legalization provisions, which the recent amended versions takes out. Those components would have made it legal for adults to \u201cpossess, store, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport, deliver without consideration, or distribute without consideration, four grams or less of psilocybin.\u201d<\/p>\n The amended measures would nevertheless significantly expand on legislation introduced in late 2020 to reduce penalties for possession of up to one ounce of psilocybin. That reform that was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy (D)<\/a>\u00a0in 2021.<\/p>\n In its amended version, the bill<\/a> would charge the Department of Health (DOH) with licensing and regulating the manufacture, testing, transport, delivery, sale and purchase of psilocybin. There would be five license types: manufacturer, service center operator, testing laboratory, facilitator and psilocybin worker.<\/p>\n A Psilocybin Advisory Board would establish qualifying medical conditions for use, propose guidelines for psilocybin services and dosage, craft safety screenings and informed consent practices and oversee facilitator education, training and conduct.<\/p>\n Its stated goal would be to develop a long-term strategic plan for safe, accessible and affordable access to psilocybin for all people 21 and older.<\/p>\n Toward that goal, a social equity program would be tasked with establishing financial assistance to help low-income people cover costs of psilocybin services. DOH would also be directed to establish programs for technical assistance, reduced fees and other support services.<\/p>\n In furtherance of the shift toward a therapeutic-focused model, the substitute bill changes references to \u201cclients\u201d to \u201cpatients,\u201d and \u201cintegrated session\u201d has been replaced with \u201cintegrated therapy session.\u201d It also removes all references to the existing Cannabis Regulatory Commission.<\/p>\n In order to access the psilocybin services, a patient with a qualifying condition would need to obtain a referral from a licensed health care professional. Services would also include mandatory preparation and integration sessions before and after the administration of psilocybin.<\/p>\n A survey of New Jersey residents released earlier this month indicates that a majority of state residents agree with making psilocybin available for therapeutic use<\/a>, though they weren\u2019t asked specifically about the new legislation.<\/p>\n The poll, from Stockton University\u2019s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, found that 55 percent of respondents supported legalizing psilocybin for medical use under a doctor\u2019s supervision. Just 20 percent of respondents were opposed, while 24 percent said they weren\u2019t sure. One percent of respondents refused to answer the question.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lawmakers in a growing number of other states have also considered psychedelics legislation this session, with many focusing on psilocybin.<\/p>\n For example, last week the Massachusetts Senate approved a bill focused focused on military veterans that includes provisions to create a psychedelics working group\u00a0to study and make recommendations<\/a> about the potential therapeutic benefits of substances like psilocybin and MDMA.<\/p>\n The Arizona House of Representatives also advanced a Senate-passed bill this month to legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic<\/a> in a medically supervised setting, sending it to the governor.<\/p>\n Bipartisan California lawmakers recently filed legislation to authorize a pilot program that would provide psilocybin treatment<\/a>\u00a0to military veterans and first responders.<\/p>\n Last month, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R)\u00a0signed a bill into law to create a psychedelic-assisted therapy working group<\/a>\u00a0that will make recommendations on whether and how the state should regulate legal access to substances such as psilocybin and MDMA.<\/p>\n Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed legislation last month to\u00a0create a psychedelics task force responsible for studying possible regulatory frameworks\u00a0for therapeutic access<\/a>\u00a0to substances such as psilocybin, mescaline and DMT. It would be charged specifically with ensuring \u201cbroad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances\u201d in the state.<\/p>\n Last month in Alaska lawmakers sent the governor a bill to\u00a0create a state task force to study how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy<\/a>\u00a0in the event of federal approval of substances such as MDMA and psilocybin.<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s governor recently signed a bill that includes\u00a0provisions to fund clinical research trials into psilocybin<\/a>.<\/p>\n Utah\u2019s governor, meanwhile, allowed a bill to\u00a0authorize a pilot program for hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA<\/a>\u00a0as an alternative treatment option to become law without his signature.<\/p>\n Maine lawmakers sent the governor legislation to establish a commission tasked with studying and\u00a0making recommendations on regulating access to psychedelic services<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Connecticut joint legislative panel approved a bill to\u00a0decriminalize possession of psilocybin<\/a>.<\/p>\n The governor of New Mexico has endorsed a newly enacted resolution\u00a0requesting that state officials research the therapeutic potential of psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0and explore the creation of a regulatory framework to provide access to the psychedelic.<\/p>\n An Illinois committee also recently held a hearing to discuss\u00a0a bill to legalize psilocybin and allow regulated access at service centers<\/a>\u00a0in the state\u00a0where adults could use the psychedelic in a supervised setting\u2014with plans to expand the program to include mescaline, ibogaine and DMT.<\/p>\n Lawmakers in Hawaii also considered a bill that would\u00a0provide some legal protections to patients engaging in psilocybin-assisted therapy<\/a>\u00a0with a medical professional\u2019s approval.<\/p>\n New York lawmakers said that a bill to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy in that state\u00a0has a \u201creal chance\u201d of passing this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Nevada joint legislative committee held a hearing with\u00a0expert and public testimony on the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0in January. Law enforcement representatives also shared their concerns around legalization\u2014but there was notable acknowledgement that some reforms should be enacted, including possible rescheduling.<\/p>\n Marijuana Rescheduling Opponents Slam FDA Process, Saying It Relied On \u2018Very Bad Studies\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post New Jersey Lawmakers Amend Psilocybin Bill To Focus Only On Therapeutic Use, Removing Broader Legalization Provisions<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A New Jersey Assembly committee has adopted an amendment to a psilocybin bill that aligns its provisions with a Senate companion version, removing language to more broadly legalize the psychedelic and instead focusing on therapeutic use. The Assembly Health Committee on Monday took testimony from experts before approving the amendmentContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":76386,"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\/76385"}],"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=76385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76387,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76385\/revisions\/76387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: New Jersey Lawmakers Amend Psilocybin Bill To Focus Only On Therapeutic Use, Removing Broader Legalization Provisions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"