Psychedelics Bills Around The Country: 9 New Proposals, Several Passes, Several Fails

This 2023 session has heard numerous discussions and considered various measures around the country on the legalization of psychedelics.

Let’s go over the latest proposed regulations.

• Maryland: Newly filed HB0927 would decriminalize the possession of specified levels of certain controlled substances including cocaine, heroin, MDMA, LSD and methadone, proposing to take it from a misdemeanor to a civil fine of $100 and, in cases of people under 21, referral to a state-approved drug education program, first reported Marijuana Moment.

• New Mexico: A newly introduced bill would establish a psilocybin advisory group to study and make recommendations towards the establishment of a psilocybin therapy program for the treatment of certain mental health conditions, with interim reports due to legislative committees by the end of 2023 and 2024, and a final report by Dec. 1, 2025.

• Vermont: H371 would decriminalize psilocybin possession, dispensing and sales plus establish a psychedelic therapy advisory working group to study the therapeutic potential of several substances which would report to the legislature by the end of 2024.

• Minnesota: The new HF1884, together with Senate companion bill SF1954, aims to establish a task force to study and advise on the potential legalization of psychedelics as medicine, the list including psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, mescaline, DMT, ibogaine and ketamine. The advisory council would have to submit two reports to the legislative committees, one by Feb. 1, 2024, and the other by Jan. 1, 2025.

See also: Is Minnesota Approaching Psychedelics Decriminalization? Medical Association Votes Yes

• Connecticut: HB6734 would decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin -specifically, up to one-half ounce- as of Oct. 1, 2023, punishing the first offense with a $150 civil penalty and subsequent offenses between $200-$500.

• Illinois: Apart from the CURE Act, recently introduced SB2353 would authorize the distribution and public availability of psilocybin for medical, psychological and scientific studies and research, through an amendment to the state’s drug code that would legalize it. 

• Missouri: Recently filed HB1154 joins HB869 and points at establishing a research partnership between the state’s HHS Dept. and a US Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital to study the efficacy of psychedelics as alternative medicine and therapies. It would do so through a psilocybin clinical trial plus reviewing the existing scientific literature and assessing patients’ access to MDMA, psilocybin and ketamine.

• New York: The state has several filed psychedelic reform bills, the latest being a measure, which aims to broadly decriminalize drug possession by eliminating both criminal and civil penalties and create a task force to study and make recommendations on additional reforms.

• Washington: The recently amended SB5263 advanced out of the Senate Ways and Means committee with further additional changes, reported Marijuana Moment. Originally aimed at the statewide regulation of psilocybin services by Sept. 2025, its first round of modifications set the proposal to merely study the issue. The latest changes on the bill appealed to smoothing its language and fixing errors, including strapping the establishment of a state registry of adults who express interest in using psilocybin. The remaining version of the bill now calls for the creation of a psilocybin task force, with several advocates arguing to return to the original proposal.

• Utah: New SB200 legalizing psilocybin therapy for adults over 21 within a clinical setting and a proven diagnosis of depression, treatment-resistant anxiety, PTSD or currently at hospice care. has been stalled as the Senate’s HHS committee unanimously voted to not take action on the bill after a hearing including testimonies from patients and medical professionals.

• Virginia: SB932 calling for the state-level rescheduling of psilocybin and establishing an advisory board for its use has been laid on the table by the Rules committee. After receiving a favorable vote in a Senate subcommittee, the measure appears to be set to follow the other state proposal, HB1513, which was finally left in the Courts of Justice on Feb. 7.

Hawaii: The successful approval of bills SB1531 and SB1454 as well as companion bill HB1340 is joined by a deferral recommendation for the second companion bill, HB1337, while other two psychedelics measures recently introduced, SR3 and SCR5, are yet to be treated in the HHS committee.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Alexander_Volkov and canbedone on Shutterstock.