Maryland Governor Wes Moore has signed into law legislation that establishes a psychedelics task force.
Psilocybin (top left), mescaline (top right), DMT (bottom left), and psilocin (bottom right), the four substances that will be covered by the new task force.
Senate Bill 1009 was passed unanimously through the full legislature, with the vote being 137 to 0 in the House of Representatives and 45 to 0 in the Senate.
The new law will 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 (DMT). 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.
