New Mexico could become only the third state to fully legalize supervised medical psilocybin, the main psychoactive component of magic mushrooms, to treat a variety of medical conditions.
, aiming to do just that, passed through a Senate committee Tuesday.
It would establish a medical psilocybin program initially aimed at and it sets up a $4 million annual allotment to pay for the program.
That would include $2 million to cover administrative costs and salaries for new staff, $1 million for an equity fund for those unable to afford treatment, and another million dollars for a research fund to support ongoing studies and investigations.
Similar to the , the bill would allow the Secretary of Health to add more disorders to the list of qualifying conditions the program is approved to treat. However, the bill鈥檚 sponsor, Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D - Do帽a Ana) was quick to point out this program would not result in any sort of psilocybin dispensaries.
鈥淚t's very different from cannabis. People would not have cards. It's not a recreation program,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey would not even use it under this program 鈥� unless it was a hospice situation 鈥� on their own, it would be under medical supervision.鈥�
The bill also shields participants from criminalization, but does penalize patients who use psilocybin outside of the program.
It passed through the with unanimous bipartisan support. (R-Sandoval) said this treatment has been proven effective.
鈥淚t's something the VA has actually looked at and continues to look at,鈥� Brandt said. 鈥淚t is something that hopefully can help people.鈥�
A was introduced in the 2023 legislative session, which stalled out after passing its first committee, but Steinborn told 91暗网 he thinks this year it will make it to the governor鈥檚 desk.
鈥淚 think we have a really good chance of passing this into law this session,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think the bill itself is really tight and well-written. We put a lot of time into creating that thoughtful approach鈥� So I hope we get it done, but you know, if things don't work out, of course, you just keep sticking with it. And many bills take several years to get done, but I'm not throwing in the towel, man.鈥�
If signed into law, it would go into effect June 20, but Steinborn said it will be a multiyear process of ensuring the program is set up to succeed before patients begin dosing by the deadline of December 31, 2027.
Oregon and Colorado are currently the only states to allow the medical use of psilocybin, though 14 states
The drug is still federally listed as a schedule 1 substance, but enough studies have shown it鈥檚 effectiveness that the
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
