In the United States Congress there are currently two active bills that address psychedelics.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
Despite the increasing acceptance of psychedelic substances, as evidenced by numerous states and localities voting to legalize or decriminalize them in recent years (especially psilocybin), there has been minimal federal legislation introduced. However, there are two active psychedelics-related bills in the US House of Representatives.
Here’s a look at those measures:
H.R. 3684: Douglas Mike Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act of 2023
HR 3684 was filed by Congressmember Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) in May 2023, along with 11 cosponsors. Since then, the measure has garnered four additional sponsors, including Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) who signed on earlier this year.
The proposed law states:
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall award grants to eligible entities to conduct research on the treatment of members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty with a covered condition using covered psychedelic substances. Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall designate a lead administrator to carry out the grant program under this section.
“Covered psychedelic substances” would include psilocybin, ibogaine, MDMA and DMT. “Eligible entities” would include:
- A department or agency of the Federal Government or a State government.
- An academic institution.
- A nonprofit entity.
A recipient of a grant could use the grant to conduct one or more phase two clinical trials for the treatment of covered conditions that:
- Include members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty as participants in the clinical trial
- Use individual or group therapy assisted by covered psychedelic substance
The funds could also be used to “train practitioners to provide treatment to members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty for covered conditions using covered psychedelic substances.”
The measure has been assigned to the House Armed Services Committee.
H.R. 5592: VISIONS Act
The Validating Independence for State Initiatives on Organic Natural Substances (VISIONS) Act was filed in September by Congressmembers Juli Garcia (D-CA) and Early Blumenauer (D-OR). In the months since, it has not garnered any additional cosponsors.
The proposed law would “prevent the federal government from enforcing its federal ban on psychedelics in states which legalize them.” This would mirror a federal policy that has been in place since 2014 that prevents the federal government from going after medical marijuana states.
Specifically, the measure states that “No Federal funds may be used to prevent any State or unit of local government from implementing such State’s or unit of local government’s own laws that authorize the use, distribution, sale, possession, research, or cultivation of psilocybin.”
The term unit of local government means “a county, municipality, town, township, village, or other unit of general government below the State level.”
The measure has been assigned to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
