Republican State Representative Kevin Payne has filed legislation that would facilitate the research of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
House Bill 2105 was prefiled today by Representative Payne for the upcoming legislative session which begins January 8. The measure has not yet received a committee assignment.
Under the legislation the director of the Department of Health Services “shall provide from monies appropriated competitive research grants for whole mushroom psilocybin phase one, phase two and phase three clinical trials that are capable of being approved by the United States food and drug administration to evaluate the effects of whole mushroom psilocybin on treating any of the following:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Symptoms associated with long COVID-19.
- Depression.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Symptoms associated with end-of-life distress.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder.
- Substance abuse and addiction disorders.
- Eating disorders.
- Chronic pain.
- Inflammatory disorders.
- Autoimmune disorders.
- Seizure disorders.
- Other degenerative disorders.”
Clinical trials that funded funded under the bill would prioritize:
- Using whole mushroom psilocybin cultivated under a schedule I license issued by the United States drug enforcement administration.
- Using veterans, first responders, frontline health care workers and persons from underserved communities as the research subjects.
The department “may not use more than two percent of the monies appropriated for psilocybin research grants each fiscal year for administrative purposes.”
A person who receives a grant for a whole mushroom psilocybin clinical trial and any of the person’s employees working on the clinical trial “may not be charged with or prosecuted for possession of psilocybin when the person is working on the clinical trial”, the bill clarifies.
The bill would establish the psilocybin research advisory council within the department consisting of the director or the director’s designee who is employed by the department and the following members appointed by the director:
- One member who has a federal license to study psychedelics and who is a licensed physician
- One member who is a military veteran.
- One member who is a law enforcement officer in this state.
- One member who is a professor or researcher from a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents and who specializes in clinical research or psychedelic studies.
The director would serve as chairperson of the advisory council.
The bill’s text ends by stating that “This act is an emergency measure that is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or safety and is operative immediately as provided by law.”
You can find the full text of House Bill 2105 by clicking here.
