Hawaii House committee amended and approved a Senate-approved measure to fund clinical research into psychedelics-assisted therapy using substances such MDMA and psilocybin.
After a series of suggested changes by the Office of Wellness and Resilience (D), the House Health Committee unanimously approved SB 1042 on Friday. This legislation was introduced by Sen. Chris Lee, D., after a few minor modifications.
This action came about a month after the Senate as a whole passed a previous version of the measure.
The Senate approved the proposal, which would create a “special fund for emerging mental health therapies” in the state. This could be used to support clinical trials, form public-private partnerships, and develop programs around “compassionate access”.
Some legislators and executive agencies expressed concerns that the plan would not comply with state requirements for special funds. This requirement is that funds be “financially self-sustaining”.
In the version passed by the Senate, funds for the fund will come either through appropriations from the Legislature or via gifts, donations, or grants made from public or private agencies. The bill doesn’t allocate money for this account.
In the amendments that were approved by the House committee on Friday, the plan was changed to include a 2-year pilot program under the Office of Wellness and Resilience.
A million dollars per year would be invested by the government, and matched with private funding. Over the course of the program, this could amount to $4 million.
Trina Oriimoto, OWR deputy director in response to lawmakers’ questions, explained that the program pilot would be based on the proposed changes. It will include the education, training, and research. It would also present its findings as a legislative report.
Orimoto said that the research study was the most important part of the program, adding that the pilot would operate under the “necessary supervision” of the DEA as well as the institutional review board and all the controls.
According to the Senate’s and the House Committee’s amended versions of the measure, emerging therapies refers either to substances approved by FDA or Hawaii State law or that have undergone FDA-approved trials.
Compassionate use, on the other hand, means “treating people with terminal or life-threatening illnesses,” such as mental conditions that resist treatment.
Gregg Takayama, the chair of the committee before Friday’s voting encouraged his members to vote in favor.
He stated, “Frankly I have wrestled with the bill.” In light of the financial state of the state, it is not the right time to begin any new programs which require significant appropriations. “But I believe that we owe a lot to veterans suffering from PTSD or other traumas.”
Rep. Ikaika (D) Olds thanked his colleagues and the commentators for their support of this proposal.
I’m a personal person. I was forced to leave. “Thank you for sharing your powerful story,” he replied. He said: “A friend of mine and I, we escaped the bullets and bombs in Iraq, came back home and then he lost the battle. “Thank you for your service.”
Although the bill does not mention specific conditions, a Senate Health and Human Services Committee Report, that previously advanced this plan, states depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and PTSD are “widespread and affect millions around the world and many within the community of State.”
According to a report of a Senate committee that also approved the measure, the Committee on Ways and Means (CWM), “the research and special fund that will be established by this bill and supported through it will assist patients in accessing innovative mental health treatment.”
OWR submitted the new amendments as part of the more than 100 written pages received by the House Committee from agencies of state, advocacy groups, and individuals interested, including several veterans and their family members who described therapeutic psychedelics as having changed their lives.
The proposal was not opposed in any of the comments written or the oral testimony given at the hearing on Friday.
The state Department of Budget and Finance, in its comments on the Senate approved special fund, stated that it does not, generally, support the establishment of new special funds that do not meet Hawaii criteria, which includes that they must “demonstrate the capacity to be financial self-sustaining.”
In their testimony, the agency states that it is “difficult to determine whether or not SB No. The agency testifies that it is “difficult to determine if the special fund proposed would be self-sustaining.”
Hawaii’s Attorney General Department cited the same criteria for the Hawaii Special Fund, stating that: “We recommend adding a purpose to the bill to explain how the funds meet the requirements of [the state’s criteria for special funds].”
The House Committee approved amendments that appear to be in line with the core concerns of the two agencies.
The groups Reason for Hope (RH) and Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition(VMHLC), in a joint written statement, echoed the comments they made to Senate legislators. They called the legislation “a courageous and necessary step towards addressing urgent mental health issues of our Veterans.”
Hawaii could become the leader of all states in providing lifesaving, innovative treatments to those who have served their country with selflessness.
A separate proposal, which would have allowed a person to possess five times as much cannabis without being charged with a crime, was also defeated by the Senate. The body voted 12–11 against the decriminalization measure, SB 319, from Sen. Joy San Buenaventura (D).
If the bill had become law, the amount of marijuana decriminalized would have been increased from 3 to 15 grams. The civil penalty for possession up to the 15-gram limit was $130.
The Community Alliance on Prisons (CAP), Marijuana Policy Project(MPP), ACLU of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Alliance for Cannabis Reform were among the groups that supported this measure.
Separate Senate legislation that would legalize marijuana for adults has stalled the entire session. SB 1613 was still in its committee even though a deadline for the session had passed last month.
While advocates feel there’s sufficient support for the legalization proposal in the Senate, it’s widely believed that House lawmakers would ultimately scuttle the measure, as they did lasts month with a legalization companion bill, HB 1246.
Nevertheless, some observers believe that lawmakers may not pursue these legislative maneuvers to revive the Senate bill on legalization this session.
Last session, a Senate-passed legalization bill also fizzled out in the House.
The House vote to stall the bill came just days after approval from a pair of committees at a joint hearing. The panels had received almost 300 pages of testimonies from various state agencies, advocacy groups and the general public.
In Hawaii, in January the House Committee on Labor unanimously approved legislation to protect medical marijuana patients registered with the state from workplace discrimination. This bill (HB 325) hasn’t yet been considered by the Senate.
This past fall, regulators solicited proposals to assess the state’s current medical marijuana program—and also sought to estimate demand for recreational sales if the state eventually moves forward with adult-use legalization. The move was interpreted by some as an indication that the regulators were preparing for a possible reform.
Hawaii passed a medical cannabis law in its state legislature. This was done by the Hawaii State Legislature.
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