A Republican-led Missouri House Committee has passed a bill that would legalize the use of the drug psilocybin for medical purposes by veterans participating in clinical trials.
In a vote of 8-0 on Tuesday, the Rules Committee unanimously passed the bill by Rep. Richard West. It had been approved the previous month in the House Veterans and Armed Forces Committee. Now it will be debated on the floor.
If the proposed law is passed, it would give veterans of military service who are over 21 years old and suffer from certain medical conditions access to psilocybin tested in laboratories.
The bill is a repeat of last legislative year’s HB 1830, which was passed by two House committees before lawmakers ran out of time in the session. And the legislation was itself modeled off a separate bill that advanced to the House floor a year earlier but was not ultimately enacted.
Members of the former committee took evidence on the bill, which is currently before the Senate last month. This included military veterans.
Prior to passing the measure, lawmakers on that panel adopted a substitute that made minor, technical changes.
Participants in the program must be at least 21 years old, a veteran, and enrolled into a clinical study. They also need to suffer from PTSD, a major depression disorder, a drug use disorder, or end-of life care. The state Department of Mental Health would need documentation from the participants about their treating doctor, facilitator as well as the location and the time of the use.
A 12-month limit would also be placed on the use of psilocybin.
This bill authorizes up to $2,000,000 in grants from the Department of Health of the State to fund research into the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin.
Eapen Thampy, a spokesperson for American Shaman and a lobbyist at MEDCAN24, said on Wednesday that “it seems there is a wide acceptance of the fact that these treatments need to be implemented.”
It is a question of how to promote the access as opposed clinical research. He said, “I believe we’re on the verge of seeing real change.”
Separately, a similar bill sponsored by Senator Stephen Webber(D) was approved last month in a separate committee of that chamber.
Meanwhile, another proposal being sponsored by Rep. Matt Overcast (R) would legalize and regulate psilocybin therapy for people with certain mental health conditions.
Missouri’s Republican AG said, in February, that it was “absolutely correct” to offer psychedelic treatment as an alternative option for treating veterans. Andrew Bailey, the Republican Attorney General of Missouri, said in a podcast recently that he plans to get involved with programs that are approved by lawmakers as they consider various reforms.
He said that it was “absolutely appropriate” that people have a choice of treatment options and be allowed to choose the one that best fits their individual needs.
Separately, Missouri officials are considering whether and how to regulate intoxicating hemp products, which are widely available in the state. The lawmakers are considering multiple options, including different approaches to what types of hemp products will be permitted and the limits that would be placed on their THC content.
In February, legislation allowing low-dose intoxicating hemp beverages to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores was reported favorably by committees in both the House and Senate.
Hawaii House Of Representatives Adopts bill for psychedelic assisted therapy research pilot program