Today, the Nevada Assembly Health Committee approved a bill that would establish a pilot program for the supervised use of psychedelic substances in mental health treatment.
Nevada State Capitol Building.
Assembly Bill 378 would create the Alternative Therapy Pilot Program, which would allow eligible patients—specifically military veterans and first responders aged 21 and over who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition—to receive psychedelic-assisted therapy at state-approved clinics under medical supervision. The bill identifies psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline as eligible substances for use in the program.
Under the measure, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health would oversee the program, develop regulations, approve participating patients, clinics, and practitioners, and authorize at least one entity to cultivate or produce the psychedelic substances. The program is intended to operate within the scope of existing federal and state laws while collecting comprehensive data on patient outcomes, safety, and efficacy.
The legislation also includes protections for participants, shielding them from civil, criminal, and administrative penalties for actions taken in compliance with the pilot program. All identifying patient information would be kept confidential, and annual reports would be submitted to the Legislature.
AB 378 is supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and reflects growing legislative interest nationwide in exploring psychedelic therapies as potential treatments for conditions like PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The bill now heads to the full Assembly for consideration. If enacted, most provisions would take effect on October 1, 2025.
