GOP Governors In Vermont And Alaska To Weigh In On Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Task Force Bills

House members recently approved the Senate measure, that seeks to set up an eight-person psychedelic-assisted therapy working group, with amendments. Vermont Senators gave the green light to the revised language of the bill on Friday, approving changes previously made in the state House of Representatives.

The bill, S.114, from Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick (D) was first passed in the Senate, before the amendments in the House would “review the latest research and evidence of the public health benefits and risks of clinical psychedelic-assisted treatments” and “examine the laws and programs of other states that have authorized the use of psychedelics by health care providers in a therapeutic setting.”

Sen. Larocque Gulick was not pleased with the changes made by the House members as the bill would not change the legal status of any substances, reported Marijuana Moment.

"Personally, I'm very disappointed that they took out the conversation about decriminalization," Sen. Larocque Gulick said on Friday. "I mean, this is literally a group that's just going to be talking and looking at data and researching."

The bill is now heading to the Gov. Phil Scott's (R) desk.

Meanwhile, in Alaska, the state Senate members on Friday approved a House-passed measure to set up a task force with the goal of studying how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy. That is if substances like MDMA and psilocybin are approved on the federal level

Following an 18-1 vote by the chamber's members, the measure is up for review by Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R).

Sponsored by Jennie Armstrong (D), HB 228, like Vermont's measure, would not affect the legal status of drugs in Alaska, reported Marijuana Moment.

The deadline for the group to submit the report is on or before January 31, 2025.