Maine’s full legislature has now given approval to legislation to establish a psilocybin task force, with one final technical vote required in the Senate before it can be sent to Governor Janet Mills.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
Senate Bill 1914 would establish a “Commission To Study Pathways For Creating a Psilocybin Services Program in Maine”. As filed, the bill would have legalized the medical use of psilocybin for all qualified patients, but it was amended during the Senate committee process to instead establish a task force.
Earlier this month the state’s Senate voted 23 to 6 to pass SB 1914, sending it to the House of Representatives. Today, the House gave approval to the measure. Given it was amended slightly in the House, the Senate will need to give the bill one final vote of concurrence before it can be sent to Governor Janet Mills.
The psilocybin task force setup under the proposal could study psychedelics including but “not limited to psilocybin”, although psilocybin will likely be the primary focus. The task force would be tasked with designing a “long-term strategic plan for ensuring that psilocybin services will become and remain a safe, accessible, and affordable therapeutic option for all persons who are 21 years of age or older and for whom psilocybin services may be appropriate”, and they would be required to “advise and make recommendations to the legislature regarding a legal framework for the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs.”
The task force would be required to submit a report to the legislature by November 6, 2024.
