A comprehensive psilocybin bill has been passed through a key committee in the Vermont Senate.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
The Senate Committee on Health and Welfare voted today to pass Senate Bill 114, filed by Senator Martine Gulick along with eight cosponsors. Its official title calls it “An act relating to removal of criminal penalties for possessing, dispensing, or selling psilocybin and establishment of the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group.”
According to its official legislative summary, this bill “proposes to make findings regarding the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin, to remove criminal penalties for possession of psilocybin; and to establish the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to examine the use of psychedelics to improve physical and mental health and to make recommendations regarding the establishment of a State program similar to Connecticut, Colorado, or Oregon to permit health care providers to administer psychedelics in a therapeutic setting.”
The measure notes that “Ten municipalities, three states, and the District of Columbia recently have relaxed laws or policies regarding the possession and use of psilocybin in light of a number of studies showing the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin”, while pointing out that “The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has launched clinical trials to study the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs including psilocybin as a treatment for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, and other serious mental health issues.”
The text of the bill also states that “A Johns Hopkins study published in 2022 demonstrated substantial antidepressant effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy for at least 12 months following acute intervention in some patients, with no reported adverse effects or continued use of psilocybin by patients outside the context of the study.
The measure must now continue to work its way through the committee process before it can be considered by the full Senate.
The bill’s full text can be found by clicking here.
