Missouri Patients With Life-Threatening Illnesses Can Seek Psychedelic Treatments Under 'Right To Try' Law

Rep. Michael Davis (R) on Wednesday filed a bill to give residents with serious illnesses legal access to a range of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, ibogaine and LSD through an expanded version of the state’s existing right-to-try law, reported Marijuana Moment.
“There is emerging interest and significant clinical research supporting the safety and efficacy of psychedelic drugs for PTSD, traumatic injury therapy and numerous other conditions,” Davis said in a press release. “Because the [Food and Drug Administration] has not taken action to reschedule these drugs and make them generally available, I am working to make these drugs available through Missouri’s investigational drug access statute.”

Right To Try

The bill builds on the state’s 2014 right-to-try law, legislation that allows patients with terminal illnesses to access “investigational drugs and devices” that are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Missouri law prohibits specifically the use of Schedule I controlled substances. However, the new bill removes that provision and expands eligibility to include patients with “debilitating” or “life-threatening” illnesses.

Under the new bill, it would not be considered an offense for patients participating in the right-to-try policy to possess Schedule I drugs such as MDMA, DMT, ibogaine, LSD, mescaline, peyote and psilocybin. A patient with a doctor’s recommendation who “has considered all other treatment options” would be exempt from the state’s laws against possessing the substances.

Manufacturers would also be able to produce the substances under state law and physicians and pharmacies could lawfully distribute them.

Photo by Brittney Butler on Unsplash