The NJ Senate Budget Committee approved a bill legalizing psilocybin or magic mushrooms or shrooms for medical mental health treatment.
The bill establishes a framework for the regulated production and use of psilocybin or shrooms for behavioral health treatment.
The legislation is S-2283, the “Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act.” It would establish a 15-member advisory board in the Department of Health to create requirements and standards before the program is operational.
Medical Psilocybin Legalizing Hearing Held
Committee Chair Paul Sarlo (D-36) explained that they wanted to approve amendments that would allow healthcare practitioners to sign a written certificate that they qualify for treatment. Fewer practitioners would be allowed to sign a certificate than initially envisioned. Patients will need a certificate to receive treatment. It would be difficult to get a certificate.
They also don’t want to make it too easy to manufacture it.
Dr. Hanna McLane of the SoundMind Institute testified in favor of the bill.
“This provides much-needed treatment,” she argued. “Psilocybin has been found to be more effective… for … treatment-resistant depression, alcohol use disorder, chronic pain. I see people healing from these types of therapies.”
McLane explained she has trained healthcare practitioners in Oregon and Colorado.
“Patients are given psilocybin, and then they’re being sat with for 5 or 6 hours. It’s not a dispensary,” she noted.
McLane said it takes 250 hours to train in the unique program.
She explained pharmaceutical corporations making synthetic psilocybin will control the prices.
“It will be wildly out of control of the State,” McLane said.
She did not seem to mind Big Pharma controlling shrooms.
“This bill will allow taxes to be created. Facilitators have to pay a licensing fee. It leaves a lot for the State to control and manage in access,” McLane added.
Legalizing Magic Mushrooms to Treat Severe Cluster Headaches
Lauren Dayton said she is a councilperson who gets cluster headaches. Morphine drips don’t help.
“The only thing that works is psilocybin. But if I have or take psilocybin, I could be arrested,” she said. “I haven’t even smoked pot. This is beyond my comfort zone.”
Dayton thinks the amount of Big Pharma Corporations based in Jersey could be an advantage.
“We can be the lead in studying and developing psilocybin as a potential medicine for the future,” she argued.
Dayton was concerned about getting a quality product.
Given Big Pharma’s track record with poisonous talcum powder and opioids, she might not reach her goal.
Helping A 9/11 First Responder
Joe McKay, a 9/11 first responder who testified, again spoke about why he needed medical shrooms. He described “unimaginable pain” from cluster headaches.
“Anyone injured in the line of duty deserves psilocybin if it can help them,” he argued. “Be thoughtful on how you calculate the costs and the benefits of this program.”
Sarlo noted the bill heavily regulates it.
“Are there any provisions in this bill or loopholes that will allow this to be done on a recreational basis?” he asked.
McLane said a doctor would refer patients.
“You can’t take it home,” she argued. “They’re coming in, and they’re crying and they’re going through processing. It’s not a ton of fun.”
State Senator Carmen Amato (R-29) said he had gotten severe headaches and was intrigued by the potential of psilocybin.
“Is it addictive?” he asked.
“It’s not addictive,” McLane replied.
Labor Union Testimony In Favor
Eric Richards of the AFL-CIO labor union coalition then testified. He wanted to ensure there were good jobs in the medical psilocybin industry. Richards wanted them to be able to join a labor union by making it easy to form and join one.
Mike Burry of the UFCW labor union also testified in favor of it.
“Legalizing psilocybin is an important step in ending the failed War on Drugs,” he declared.
“Every worker in this new industry deserves decent wages and affordable healthcare as part of a long-lasting career,” he added.
Burry argued for automatic expungement of criminal records related to shrooms and the release of prisoners.
“We should not allow rich folk to profit off of psilocybin sales while continuing to jail working people for the same thing,” he argued. “It would be a bold-faced hypocrisy.”
“Home grow is an absolute necessity for the people who rely on this medicine. There are people here right now who need affordable psilocybin. If the home grow provision is removed… you make the same mistake you made with cannabis.”
Homegrowing was eliminated from the NJ Assembly version of the bill in June.
However, it is even easier to grow shrooms than cannabis, which remains a felony despite many dispensaries and brands earning millions of dollars.
“I’ve always had concerns with the rollout of the recreational marijuana. I still have concerns with how it’s impacting some of our employers,” Sarlo explained. “There is a lot of protection here. This is not recreational. This is here to help those who are really struggling.”
He was in favor of many restrictions.
The NJ Senate Budget Committee approved it 12 – 0 – 1 with bipartisan support.
NJ Medical Psilocybin Legalization Bill Progress
Medical psilocybin legalization in the NJ Senate was sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22) of Union County and Senator Joe Vitale (D-19) of Middlesex County.
“Psilocybin can be a safe and effective treatment for severe depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders,” said Scutari in a press release. “This bill will create a framework for a program that offers professionally supervised services to qualified patients who would benefit from psilocybin treatment. This has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of those who suffer adverse behavioral health conditions.”
Clinical trials and research show psilocybin is an effective treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, anorexia, and chronic pain, as well as depression and anxiety.
“We are only just beginning to grasp the true breadth of the number of New Jerseyans facing daily struggles with debilitating issues such as severe depression, chronic pain, and addiction, as well as other health disorders. We also know that finding effective treatment for such ailments can be difficult,” said Vitale.
Vitale is Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee.
“Meantime, recent studies and continuing research show psilocybin, taken under proper medical supervision, can bring relief to those suffering and improve quality of life. Mental health disorders are not a one-size-fits-all-all category. Psilocybin might be the one treatment that works for thousands of people in our State,” he added.
Medical Shrooms Legalization Details
The measure would allow for the establishment of licensed psilocybin production facilities, treatment centers, and testing operations in New Jersey. Local officials would have to approve any production facility or service center in their community.
Treatment centers would not be allowed within 500 feet of a school.
The legislation specifies that qualifying patients would have to be at least 21 years old and obtain a referral from a qualified professional, such as a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker.
The advisory board would develop a defined list of eligible health conditions before prospective patients could receive treatment.
Treatment Process
The bill mandates a three-step treatment process:
- A preparatory session to screen the patients and determine their treatment goals
- An administration session when the psilocybin is consumed under the supervision of a qualified “service administrator,”
- An after-treatment therapy session to discuss the experiences of the session, assess its outcome and determine follow-up care.
The advisory board would also be responsible for developing specific standards for training the service administrators, licensing requirements, and safety protocols, including a requirement for an on-site medical director or a contract with an EMS service. The board would be required to develop its recommendations within 18 months and submit them to the Health Department to adopt its regulations.
After the program is operational, the Health Department would be required to collect data from the providers on patient experiences and treatment outcomes. The information would be used to assess the success of the program’s services.
The bipartisan bill was previously approved by the NJ Senate Health Committee in June.
It is co-sponsored by Senators Holly Schepisi (R-27), Andrew Zwicker (D-16), Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D-5), Declan O’Scanlon (R-13), and Rennee Burgess (D-28).
In the Assembly, the companion bill is A3852, “Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act.” It is sponsored by Herb Conaway (D-7), Clinton (D-36) Calabrese, and Anthony Verrelli (D-15). In addition, Shanique Spaight (D-29) and Shama Haider (D-37) are co-sponsoring it.
Most of New Jersey supports legalizing psilocybin or shrooms for medical purposes.
A New Jersey legislative hearing was held on medical shrooms legalization last year. But little progress was made.