Legislation to establish a psychedelics task force has been given approval by the Maryland House and Senate, with one technical vote required before the measure can be sent to Governor Wes Moore.
Psilocybin (top left), mescaline (top right), DMT (bottom left), and psilocin (bottom right).
House Bill 548 was passed through a second reading in the Senate today, 16 days after it was approved through the full House of Representatives by a vote of 136 to 1. A companion measure, Senate Bill 1009, passed the full Senate on March 18 in a unanimous 45 to 0 vote, and it was passed through a second House reading yesterday.
Now, if the Senate passes House Bill 548 through a third reading, or the House passes Senate Bill 1009 through a third reading, the legislation will be sent to a supportive Governor Moore.
The proposed law would establish a “Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances to study and make recommendations related to the use of natural psychedelic substances; and requiring the Task Force to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before July 31, 2025.”
The task force would be overseen by the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA), with a goal of providing “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances”.
The task force would consist of 17 members, appointed by a mix of the governor, lawmakers and various state agencies, and they would be tasked with studying mescaline, psilocybin, psilocin and dimethyltryptamine. In addition to studying the potential decriminalization or legalization of these substances, the task force would also be tasked with studying the potential expungement of past psychedelics convictions and potentially releasing those in prison for psychedelics early.
The measure was filed by Senator Brian Feldman in the Senate, and Delegate Pam Guzzone in the House. For the full text of the legislation, click here.
