California Would Launch A Psychedelic Access Program For Veterans And First Responders Under New Bipartisan Bill
From toxifillers.com with love
Bipartisan California senators and assemblymembers have filed a bill to create a psilocybin pilot program for military veterans and first responders—the latest in a series of attempts by lawmakers to enact psychedelics reform in the state.
The legislation, led by Sens. Josh Becker (D) and Brian Jones (R), would establish a pilot program under the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) to provide for the “research and development of psilocybin services for targeted populations” in up to five counties across the state.
The agency would be empowered to enter into partnerships with colleges affiliated with the University of California (UC), while requesting that UC “oversee each local pilot program as a university partner responsible for protocol design, institutional review board approvals, training of psilocybin facilitators, data collection, and reporting.”
“The bill would require each local pilot program to partner with local mental health clinics, hospice programs, veterans facilities, or other community-based providers that provide services and care to the target population,” the measure, filed on Friday, says. “This bill would require the agency to report specified information about the pilot program to the Legislature by January 15, 2030.”
Under the legislation, the state would establish a “Veterans and First Responders Research Pilot Special Fund,” with continuous appropriations to fund CHHSA’s work.
A findings section of the legislation—which is also cosponsored by eight other lawmakers, including longtime psychedelics reform advocate Sen. Scott Wiener (D)—states that research “suggests that psilocybin and psilocyn, when used in a controlled setting, may offer significant benefits in treating mental health disorders, particularly those related to trauma and stress.”
It also notes that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already “determined that preliminary clinical evidence indicates psilocybin may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapies for treatment-resistant depression and has granted a breakthrough therapy designation for a treatment that uses psilocybin as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression.”
“Psilocybin should be available to veterans and former first responders in a manner that ensures safety, efficacy, and ethical standards, including use only under qualified supervision,” it says. “California can conduct federally regulated pilot trials of psilocybin services in partnership with community-based licensed health care settings to determine if and how psilocybin can be provided to veterans and first responders in a beneficial and effective manner.”
The new program would be carried out with a focus on “veterans and inactive first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder, end-of-life distress, or other specified conditions, as determined by program criteria and local needs.”
The bill states that CHHSA would need to “compile and submit the pilot program outcomes, data analysis, and recommendations from the university partners” into a report that would need to be submitted to the legislature by January 15, 2030.
Moving psychedelics reform legislation through the California legislature has proved complex over recent years, with a mix of achievements and setbacks for advocates and stakeholders.
Last year, for example, a Senate committee effectively killed a bill to legalize psychedelic service centers where adults 21 and older could access psilocybin, MDMA, mescaline and DMT in a supervised environment with trained facilitators.
The “Regulated Therapeutic Access to Psychedelics Act” was drafted in a way that was meant to be responsive to concerns voiced by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in 2023 when he vetoed a broader proposal that included provisions to legalize low-level possession of substances such as psilocybin.
Meanwhile, Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R), the lead on the Assembly side, sponsored a separate psychedelics bill last session focused on promoting research and creating a framework for the possibility of regulated therapeutic access that has already moved through the Assembly last year with unanimous support.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
A California campaign to put psilocybin legalization on the state’s November 2024 ballot did not secure enough signature to qualify in time for a deadline.
Another campaign filed and then abruptly withdrew an initiative to create a $5 billion state agency tasked with funding and promoting psychedelics research in 2023.
A third campaign also entered the mix late 2023, proposing to legalize the possession and cultivation of substances like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline. People could buy them for therapeutic use with a doctor’s recommendation.
The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) later released its review of that proposal, outlining not only the plan’s policy implications but also its potential fiscal impacts on the state—which the report calls “various” and “uncertain.”
Some California municipalities, meanwhile, are pushing forward with reform on the local level. The city of Eureka, for example, adopted a resolution last October to decriminalize psychedelic plants and fungi and make enforcement of laws against personal use, cultivation and possession a low priority for police. It’s at least the fifth local jurisdiction in the state to embrace the policy change. Others include San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz and Arcata.
Dozens Of New Jersey Marijuana Businesses Push To Legalize Home Cultivation, Despite Resistance From Governor And Legislative Leaders
The post California Would Launch A Psychedelic Access Program For Veterans And First Responders Under New Bipartisan Bill appeared first on Marijuana Moment.