Psychedelics Task Force in Vermont Calls for Education on Harm Reduction

A recently released report has determined that psilocybin possesses the potential to help manage mental health conditions like anxiety and depression in the context of end-of-life care and severe illness.

The report was compiled by a task force in Vermont established earlier this year under S.114 by Governor Phil Scott. The eight-person group was tasked with reviewing studies and evidence of public health risks and benefits of clinical psychedelic-assisted therapy and giving recommendations on how and whether the state of Vermont should regulate legal access to psychedelics like MDMA and psilocybin.

This is in addition to assessing the programs and laws of other states which have permitted psychedelic use in a therapeutic setting by healthcare providers.

The task force’s representative and co-founder of the Psychedelic Society of Vermont, Rick Barnett, alerted the public about the report’s release on social media. In their report, the investigators recommended that harm reduction training and education for the public as well as health practitioners be increased.

This comes as the use of psychedelics for both recreational and therapeutic purposes continues to grow. The group posits that increasing harm reduction training may lower risks for those that choose to use psychedelics outside of a regulated system.

They also recommended that legislators facilitate the ability to study psychedelic treatments in Vermont and add monitoring the evolution of programs and research across the country to the task force’s responsibilities.

Regarding major reforms, the report highlights that the working group had a hard time deciding what model needed to be implemented in the state. The options included facilitated-use models for therapeutic psychedelics, which have been adopted by Colorado and Oregon; and a decriminalization model paired with public education, safety and health initiatives.

The investigators explained that insufficient data from current programs made it difficult to inform the impact of legalizing the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs on public health.

The task force’s report was met with mixed reactions, especially since the objective of the bill behind it was to legalize the possession and use of psilocybin. This section of the legislation was eliminated, with the focus being placed on the working group.

Some amendments also saw the legislation lose a provision that would’ve given individuals with lived experience the opportunity to give their testimonies on the drugs. The legislation’s sponsor Senator Martine Larocque Gulick stated at the time that she was disappointed that the conversation on decriminalization was eliminated from the bill.

As these efforts to reform psychedelic laws register mixed results, the approach taken by enterprises like atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) to develop approved medications could be a surer way to get these substances in the mainstream.

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