A second committee in the New Jersey Senate has voted to pass legislation to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms.
Psilocybin mushroom.
The Senate Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee has given approval to Senate Bill 2283, roughly four months after it was passed by the Senate’s Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee.
Sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D), the bill initially would have allowed individuals 21 and older to “possess, store, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport, deliver without consideration, or distribute without consideration, four grams or less of psilocybin.” However, it was amended before passage to focus on the therapeutic use of psilocybin for those with a qualifying medical condition.
The measure allows those with a recommendation from a licensed health care professional to possess and use psilocybin. It establishes a licensed and regulated system for the production and distribution of psilocybin, overseen by the Department of Health. The measure includes five different licenses for the psilocybin industry: testing laboratory, manufacturer, facilitator, service center operator, and psilocybin worker.
Additionally, the bill creates a Psilocybin Advisory Board to determine qualifying medical conditions and establish guidelines for psilocybin service centers and consumers.
According to recent polling from Stockton University, only 20% of New Jersey residents oppose legalizing the medical use of psilocybin.
