Massachusetts legislators have passed a bill that establishes a pilot program to regulate the therapeutic use of psychoactive substances.
On Thursday, the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing of the Legislature advanced Sen. Cindy Friedman’s (D) proposal for a pilot program. The proposal has now been sent to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, for consideration.
It is part of a package of two legislative measures on the subject that will be discussed in November by another committee.
S.1400 leaves out many specifics and instead, the Department of Public Health will be responsible for determining the finer details of this pilot program. The bill calls for an “pilot program for clinically suitable patients to receive monitored mental healthcare using psychedelics.”
This would include “on-site management by a multidisciplinary team of care in a licensed and supervised mental health clinic.”
DPH would only be able to issue licenses to up to three facilities in order to study and administer psychedelics within the state. These facilities would be responsible for “establishing best practices and safety for mental health programs that use psychedelics in Massachusetts and collecting data about the effectiveness of these treatments.”
According to the text of the bill, “Eligible Pilot Program Organizations must exclusively focus on operations and treatment for mental health. They cannot be affiliates, subsidiaries, or members with cannabis industry groups, psychedelic-molecule development companies, or pharmaceutical firms.”
It would also be necessary for the department to create rules and regulations for the program. These include standards to meet for those who apply, ongoing patient monitoring and assessment, as well as clinical staffing.
The document states: “All participant organizations in the pilot program must track patient outcome data relating to the identification and diagnosis of depression and anxiety as well as psychedelic therapy for post-traumatic and substance use disorders.” The department must receive these data to help refine the best clinical protocols for the use of psychedelics in Massachusetts.
On November 10, the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery will hold an hearing on this bill, along with a measure that would provide for a pilot program that is more restricted and only focuses on psilocybin.
Mass Healing, a group that advocates for psychedelics and other alternative therapies, encourages interested parties to submit testimony to the hearing. Other than that, H.4200 is the companion version of the broader psychedelic bill that moved through committee on Thursday. The companion bill to the larger psychedelic legislation that passed through the committee Thursday is H.4200.
The voters of the State rejected last year a ballot measure that was intended to legalize substances for adults such as DMT, DMT, and psilocybin.
Ahead of that vote, the governor of Massachusetts signed a military veterans-focused bill that includes provisions to create a psychedelics working group to study and make recommendations about the potential therapeutic benefits of substances like psilocybin and MDMA.
In July, the Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard four out of twelve psychedelics bills submitted for the current session. Massachusetts Psychiatric Society endorsed the one which would decriminalize some entheogenic chemicals.
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Meanwhile in Massachusetts, the state attorney general recently certified and prepared summaries for dozens of proposed 2026 ballot initiatives—including a pair that would roll back adult-use marijuana legalization in the state.
Regulators are also working to finalize rules to allow for a new cannabis consumption lounge license type, which they hope to complete by October.
Last month the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy approved bills that would provide protections to marijuana consumers in employment and expand medical cannabis programs, including adding opioid use disorders and post-traumatic anxiety disorder (PTSD).
State lawmakers have also been considering setting tighter restrictions on intoxicating hemp-derived products and a plan to allow individual entities to control a larger number of cannabis establishments.
Carlosemmaskype, Apollo and other photographers provided the images.
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