The Missouri legislative committee has approved a bill to legalize medical use of psilocybin for veterans who have enrolled in a clinical trial of the drug.
The House Committee on Veterans and Armed Forces voted 20–0 to report the bill favorably, with little discussion before the vote.
If enacted, the proposal—HB 829, from Rep. Richard West (R)—would allow military veterans who are at least 21 and are diagnosed with a qualifying condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance use disorders to legally access laboratory-tested psilocybin.
This bill is a repetition of HB 1830 from last year, which passed two House Committees just before the end of session.
The legislation was itself modeled off a separate bill that advanced to the House floor a year earlier but was not ultimately enacted.
Before Monday’s voting, Dave Griffith, the chair of the committee, reminded that he, along with other members, had held an hearing in a previous legislative session on veterans suicide and mental illness.
“We learnt about psilocybin and other drugs like ketamine. We learned about Ayahuasca. And we also learned LSD,” said the man. “I’m from the 1960s. A lot of what we are talking about was very common during my childhood, and it was used recreationally. We began to discuss what they can do for vets suffering from PTSD. [traumatic brain injury] “I thought that it was very important to me to leave my own thoughts aside and listen to the witness’s testimony.”
“My Friends, It Changed Their Lives,” he said, in reference to veterans that have traveled to Mexico, and other countries, to obtain psychedelic treatments. “Those that went down there—that suffered from depression and suffered in so many ways—came back changed people.”
Griffith claimed that he asked West personally to reintroduce HB 1830. This bill was sponsored previously by Rep. Aaron McMullen.
Last week, members of the committee heard testimony from veterans and others about the proposed bill.
Griffith, speaking at the Monday hearing, said that many people who were heard by Griffith last week no longer smoke or drink alcohol, and they have stopped using drugs. They are productive members of our community.
Before passing the bill the lawmakers in the committee approved a substitute which made only minor technical modifications.
The proposed program requires that participants be 21 years of age or older, a former military member, and enrolled as part of a trial. In addition, they must have PTSD or a serious depressive episode, a substance abuse disorder, or to be receiving end-of-life treatment. Participants would be required to submit documentation about the facilitator, treating physician and place and time of usage to the Department of Mental Health of their state.
Further, the use of psilocybin will be restricted to 150 mg per year.
The bill allows the Department of Health of California to award grants up to $2 million to research the therapeutic potential of Psilocybin.
A separate measure 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 a statement late last month, that it was “absolutely” appropriate to offer psychedelic treatment as a form of alternative therapy for veterans. Andrew Bailey (R), Missouri’s Attorney General, stated on a podcast in recent weeks that he intends to participate with any program approved by the state legislature when it considers various reform proposals.
“It’s important that there are different treatment options available, and everyone can make their own choices about what option best meets their needs,” said he. He added that he expected the psychedelics bill to be “moved again in this session” to achieve that.
Bailey, himself an Army veteran who served in Iraq said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has “let down warriors, and too many haven’t received the treatment that they deserve because of bureaucracy, bad decision-making and apathy.” And we owe those who have served in the global war on terror and any other conflict—those who have served—we owe them more.”
“I’m encouraged” by the fact that Donald Trump “has put a renewed accent on” VA Care, he said. “I’m hopeful that they’ll make a variety of options available to people so that individuals can once again make their own good decisions.”
Trump hasn’t commented on the issue of psychedelic access.
Missouri officials also consider whether to and how they should regulate the intoxicating products made from hemp, which is widely sold in their 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.
Last month, both House and Senate Committees voted favorably on a measure allowing hemp-based beverages with low levels of intoxication to be sold by grocery and liquor retailers.
Skeptics have expressed concerns about the costs for both business and state. According to them, regulation can cost anywhere between $20 and $95 millions annually depending on how it is implemented, as well as closing hundreds of thousands of small business.
“The Governor wants a solution and set of regulations and rules that keep Missouri consumers safe and residents protected,” Republican State Rep. Dave Hinman told a General Laws Committee during a hearing held last month.
California report finds that the federal ban on interstate marijuana commerce hurts legal businesses while helping illegal markets.