Massachusetts lawmakers moved a step closer today to authorizing the therapeutic use of psychedelics, with the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing approving legislation filed earlier this year by Senator Cindy Friedman (D).
Massachusetts State House.
The measure, Senate Bill 1400, would create a pilot program under the Department of Public Health to allow the supervised use of psychedelic substances in licensed mental health clinics. The pilot would be limited to three facilities statewide, with the aim of developing best practices and gathering data on treatment outcomes for conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder.
Under the proposal, psychedelic materials would be administered on-site by multi-disciplinary care teams in clinical settings. The bill does not name specific substances, instead leaving it to the Department of Public Health to determine which psychedelics may be used once regulations are developed. Only clinics licensed specifically for mental health services would be eligible to participate, and the law bars involvement by subsidiaries or affiliates of the cannabis, pharmaceutical, or psychedelic drug development industries.
The Department of Public Health would be tasked with writing rules to govern the pilot, including patient assessment protocols, clinical staffing requirements, coordination with outside prescribers, and standards for storage, dispensing and administration. Participating clinics would be required to collect and share patient outcomes data with the department to help shape a permanent regulatory framework.
With committee approval secured, the bill will now continue through the legislative process as Massachusetts weighs whether to become one of the first states to formally integrate psychedelic therapies into licensed treatment programs.
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