A pair of bills filed in the Washington State legislature seeks to legalize psychedelics, particularly psilocin and psilocybin, for medicinal purposes in clinical settings. One bill was filed in the state senate while the other was filed in the assembly. Both bills seek to legalize these hallucinogens for adults aged 21 or older.
Alex Ramel, a state Representative who co-sponsored the house bill (HB 1433), says he has tracked some research on the subject and it is clear that the combination of talk therapy and psychedelics administered in a medical setting can be a powerful way to treat individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He adds that this medical potential would be of special benefit to veterans, law enforcement and firefighters.
Currently, the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) categorizes psilocybin and psilocin under Schedule I. This categorization makes those substances illegal and they are regarded as having no demonstrable medical value.
The pair of bills filed in Washington State include a window through which other psychedelics, such as ibogaine, DMT, mescaline, MDMA, and bufotenin could be added to the medicinal psychedelics program of the state after December 31, 2029.
Theresa Garland, an officer serving local veterans in the state, says the tabling of those bills can be regarded as a needed first step on the journey of seeking to understand the options of medical psychedelics regulation for purposes of leveraging those substances as tools in the treatment of patients in need. She adds that it is worthwhile to explore this option as a way to wean veterans off the strong drugs they are prescribed.
Garland also revealed that she had come across anecdotal accounts from veterans who have used psychedelics in their fight against PTSD. They report experiencing a reduction in their symptoms over the long term. They are relieved from having to live with anxiety on a daily basis, and they put their lives back on track. In such situations, this relief is often the difference between life and suicidal tendencies.
Depression, anxiety and PTSD often render these veterans non-functional members of society. This stagnation triggers their symptoms to get worse and many take their own lives because they see no reason to keep living in that tortured state. According to statistics, approximately 17.6 members of the U.S. veteran community end their lives each day through suicide. If psychedelics can help to make these individuals more functional, this would be a big help.
The work that startups like Compass Pathways PLC (NASDAQ: CMPS) are doing is in part motivated by the desire to give people, such as veterans, an effective way to treat the mental health conditions they are afflicted by and haven’t been sufficiently helped by the existing treatments.
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