Nevada senators passed a joint motion that asks Congress to change the classification of certain psychedelics. It also calls for protections and research to be streamlined.
Last week, the Senate Legislative Operations and Elections Committee approved Sen. Rochelle’s (D) legislation with some amendments in a vote by voice. Last month, the panel discussed this proposal in an initial hearing.
The resolution refers to research that shows the potential therapeutic benefit of psychedelics for treating serious mental disorders. It also calls on the federal governments to “reschedule DMT, ibogaine mescaline MDMA and other psychedelic compounds to reflect their low abuse potential, therapeutic value and safe use when used under medical supervision.”
The article also highlights federal developments in the area, such as the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) classification of some psychedelics to be “breakthrough therapy” and the research being conducted by the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs of the United States (VA) on these substances.
This measure calls on Congress to provide more funding for research and establish a “streamlined approval and research process with psychedelic substances.” It also urges Congress reclassify psilocybin and psilocin as well as DMT, ibogaine and MDMA in the Controlled Substances Act.
It also calls for “legal protection from federal prosecution of individuals or entities that comply with state laws concerning the controlled adult use of psychoactive compounds, and requires states to form research partnerships under the Controlled Substances Act with the Attorney-General to study public health outcomes.”
Members of the Committee approved the measure, with some amendments made by Nguyen the sponsor to clarify the statistics cited and expand on the federal protections language to also cover local protections.
Annette Magnus said that at the hearing last week, the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines’ resolution aims to “address current federal issues with respect to the Schedule I classification for psilocybin.”
“We need to make sure that the federal government is in line when it comes to research—when it comes to the rescheduling of this medicine for research purposes,” she said, adding that advocates would like to see a “medical model” for psychedelics.
We want this to be in a medical environment with guardrails. With professionals. That way we know that a safety measure is in place, that a chain-of-custody exists, that it’s being used with people suffering from PTSD or anxiety disorders.
Voting on the joint-resolution came at the same time as a Nevada Assembly panel passed a bill for a separate pilot program that will allow certain patients to access substances, such as DMT, mescaline, DMT and ibogaine, legally.
If enacted, the program would allow the medically supervised use of psychedelics among military veterans and first responders with certain mental health conditions.
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The Assembly Health and Human Services Committee took public testimony on the bill late last month, hearing from reform advocates, veterans and their families and members of a state Psychedelic Medicines Working Group, which late last year called on lawmakers to establish a system for regulated access.
Assemblymember Max Carter (D), the measure’s sponsor, was among several Nevada legislators who participated in a recent psychedelic policy summit and expressed optimism that the state could make progress toward legalizing therapeutic use of the substances in the coming year.
Carter joined Nguyen in a discussion panel organized by the Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines. The two lawmakers are members of the state Psychedelic Medicines Working Group, which in December released a report urging the legislature to establish a program regulating access to psychedelic assisted therapy.
In 2023, Nguyen sponsored legislation that would have legalized psilocybin and promoted further research into the drug, as well as encouraged studies of MDMA—but the was significantly scaled back in a Senate committee to examine the use of entheogens “in medicinal, therapeutic, and improved wellness” and develop a future plan for regulated access. It ultimately became the vehicle that created the state psychedelics working group.
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