Lawmakers in more than one dozen states are actively pushing for psychedelics policy reform.

Lawmakers in many states are actively pushing for psychedelic reform legislation for the 2023 session. This is together with a range of proposals seeking to legalize the use of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes and decriminalize fungi and natural plants.

From California to Connecticut, it’s becoming more obvious within the first few weeks of the year that psychedelic policies will constitute a major legislative issue in the country. It started as a local decriminalization movement but is now quickly advancing to state levels and even in Congress.

There are currently different reforms underway in Virginia, Oregon, New York, New Jersey, Colorado, California, Missouri, Illinois, Montana, Connecticut, and Minnesota. It is expected that this will soon expand, especially considering that bipartisan lawmakers are becoming more comfortable taking on the issue.

This article will take you through an overview of some of the psychedelic legislation that different states are working on. Continue reading to find out more.

California

Sen. Scott Wiener refilled a bill to legalize the possession of some psychedelics, and this was after his last attempt that failed in 2022. The aim of the measure is to legalize the possession, obtaining, preparation, and transportation of specified amounts of ibogaine, mescaline, DMT, psilocin, and psilocybin for facilitated or personal use. It’s worth noting that, unlike the previous legislation, this new legislation will not legalize synthetic psychedelics like MDMA and LSD.

The legislation will also repeal laws that prohibit any mycelium or spores that can produce mushrooms or materials that contain psilocin or psilocybin.

Colorado

Colorado has been widely known for psychedelic reforms which Denver leads. It was the first city to decriminalize psilocybin in 2019, with voters approving the legalization of some entheogens. The state also moved on to seek people to join the advisory board for the implementation of the legislation. Gov. Jared Polis highlighted the need for additional enable legislation to prevent negative consequences.

It’s still uncertain the exact policy the governor has, but the emphasis on the negative is glaring, considering the previous remarks he used like promising and exciting treatment options for some mental health conditions.

Connecticut

Rep. David Michel introduced a psychedelic bill on Monday and highlighted intent to file legislation to legalize the use of psilocybin for therapeutic and medicinal purposes. This includes use for mental, behavioral, and physical health care.

The legislation is currently at the joint Public Health Committee, and it’s one of the reform bills that are already being worked on. Michel also highlighted to the Marijuana Moment that he would champion another psychedelic decriminalization measure together with Josh Elliott.

This decriminalization will target some communities and authorize the use of psilocybin for therapeutic and medicinal use.

Illinois

Illinois lawmakers also recently pre-filed a bill with the title “Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act.” The aim of the bill is to legalize psilocybin by removing it from the list of controlled substances and also recommend it for therapeutic services.

Missouri

A lawmaker in Missouri also recently filed a revised bill seeking to provide therapeutic access to psilocybin to people who have serious mental health conditions. The bill also includes provisions to be made available to different patients when even at the federal level. Some of the people the bill seeks to cover include people suffering from depression and treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.

Minnesota

Andy Smith also highlights that he’s currently working on a bill to create a psychedelic task force to access these treatment options among Minnesotans. He cited the results from different clinical trials that show that MDMA and a range of other psychedelics show potential for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Montana

There are two psychedelics reform pieces that are currently drafted for introduction during the 2023 session. The first one seeks to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin, especially for treating PTSD and a range of mental health conditions. On the other hand, the second reform is incremental and mandates an interim study for the provision of access to psychedelics.

New Jersey

Senate President Nicholas Scutari filed a bill in 2022, and it was brought into 2023. This bill seeks to legalize the possession, gifting, and home cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms for adults aged 21 and above. The bill will establish a system that allows licensed businesses to offer psilocybin services.

This bill also expands the legislation introduced in 2020 that seeks to reduce penalties for possessing psilocybin.

New York

A bill was recently pre-filed by New York lawmakers, and this was a move to legalize psychedelics like ibogaine and psilocybin. Linda Rosenthal is the sponsor of the legislation; it seeks to make the use, possession, production, cultivation, analysis, creation, exchange, sharing, and gifting of fungus-based or natural plant hallucinogens.

Mescaline, ibogaine, psilocin, psilocybin, and DMT are all fungus-based or natural plant hallucinogens that the bill will legalize. The bill also seeks to legalize psychedelic services with or without remuneration, including the use of entheogens for religious activities.

Oregon

In 2020, voters in Oregon approved ballot measures for the legalization of psilocybin and decriminalizing drug possession. Lawmakers have also filed legislation for the 2023 session that seeks to implement tweaks to accept license applications. One of these bills will require psilocybin facilitators and businesses to report and collect information. This includes client demographics and data about some of the services they offer.

Virginia

There are many psychedelic proposals in Virginia, all of which are for the 2023 session. These proposals seek to provide access to psychedelics like psilocybin for therapeutic use. Del. Dawn Adams initiated the legislation, and it seeks to allow the possession of psilocybin on a prescription basis. This also includes the use of the substance for treating PTSD or depression.

Conclusion

This is just an overview of the legislation and bills filed across different parts of the United States. It all shows that 2023 holds great promises for psychedelics, and it wouldn’t be long before these substances become acceptable for use in various places. What’s certain is that other parts of the world will follow suit on this development.

There’s a lot more waiting for you to explore at Microdose Bros online blog, where we have covered different topics on psilocybin and microdosing. Visit our online store to buy your magic truffles and start microdosing for its benefits.