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"Magic Mushroom" Bill Moves Through Senate
SB 139 would grant approval to conduct clinical studies on psilocybin, colloquially known as "magic mushrooms" and obtaining funding for research. These studies are to see if psilocybin can be used to treat treatment resistant depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and other medical conditions. This bill also sets the clinical study requirements along with a requirement that the research institution must create and submit a report to public health, behavioral health, and human services, the state department, and the division of mental health and addiction committees.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound that can be found in ‘magic mushrooms.' This can penetrate the CNS and has the potential to alter the entire brain for a period of time, which might treat many different mental health disorders and substance abuse. The studies conducted at John Hopkins Medicine have shown to help with smoking cessation, anxiety of life threatening cancer, potential treatment of alcohol abuse, and treatment for depression.
This bill is authored by Senator Charbonneau and Senator Johnson and was heard on January 18 in the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee where it passed out of committee 11-0. and referred to Committee on Health and Provider Services.