A key committee in the New Jersey Senate has given approval to legislation to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms.
The Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee voted 6 to 2 today to pass Senate Bill 2283, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D).
Originally, the bill 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 medical use of psilocybin.
The amended bill permits 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.
