Maine Bill To Make Psilocybin A Medical Treatment Killed In The House, For Now

This week, the Maine Senate approved a bill for adults over 21 to access medical psilocybin, but the House of Representatives killed it, Marijuana Moment reported.

Sen. Donna Bailey’s (D) bill would have allowed adults 21 and over, with a doctor’s recommendation, to access psilocybin, but did not specify qualifying conditions. The proposal would have also required regulators to create a “psilocybin service facilitator license”, and the Maine Psilocybin Advisory Board would have been established.

The Senate passed the amended measure last Tuesday with a 20-13 vote, but the House did not go the same way, and the bill was killed for the session. However, Bailey stated that she plans to bring the project back up next year or put the issue on the ballot for voters to decide.

“I am thankful to my colleagues in the Senate for recognizing the urgent need for psilocybin therapy to be legally available to our veterans and others suffering from PTSD, those struggling with substance use disorder, and those in need of end of life palliative care,” the sponsor of the bill commented. “I am disappointed the House voted against helping folks who may benefit from the ‘reset’ value shown in numerous studies over many years.”

Before the body’s vote, Bailey stood in front of the Senate and declared that “we owe it to survivors to keep an open mind and explore all the possible means of easing their pain and helping them live full, satisfying lives in the wake of their traumatic experiences.” She then highlighted the therapeutical potential of the drug and the possible benefits it could bring to distressed patients.

Rep. Michele Meyer (D), chair of the legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, where the bill was previously rejected, did not reject entirely the possibility of psilocybin being a viable medicine. Instead, she said that her concern lies in the fact that the substance was not yet approved by the FDA.

“This is a breakthrough therapy and it shows promise, but the science is not there yet,” she explained.

Photo: Courtesy of Marco Allegretti on Unsplash.