New Michigan Bill Would Legalize Psilocybin For People With PTSD

Michigan Democratic lawmakers havw introduced legislation that would exempt adults with PTSD from state laws against the possession, cultivation and use of psilocybin and psilocin, the two primary active components of psychedelic mushrooms.

If approved, HB 4686, from Rep. Mike McFall and six cosponsors, would effectively legalize the personal use and cultivation of the psychedelic substances by people with the diagnosis. The two-page bill would not create a regulated psychedelics system or change the legal status of the drugs more broadly.

McFall held a press conference on Wednesday about the measure, saying it “will help protect those suffering from PTSD so they can use their medicine without fear of the unnecessary legal risks that veterans seeking this treatment currently must navigate.”

“Our understanding of medicine is constantly evolving, and there has been a shift in treating PTSD with psychedelics over the last decade,” he said. “Preliminary research is promising that psilocybin has potentially life-changing effects for extended periods of time after treatment.”

Appearing with McFall was Michael G. Smith Jr., a retired U.S. Army sergeant who said he’d “had more success in the mitigation of my PTSD symptoms with microdosing psilocybin than all the talk therapy offered by the VA Healthcare System,” adding that he’d tried “all their therapies available” at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

“As a veteran with PTSD, I am encouraged by the legislative efforts to decriminalize psilocybin since it has been clinically proven to mitigate and eliminate the symptomatology related to PTSD,” Smith said. “This is important considering the vast field of studies over 25 years that identify that PTSD can lead to coronary vascular diseases, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, which means there is an awesome opportunity to prevent veterans from developing life threatening heart conditions with the treatment of psilocyn.”

A  press release from McFall notes that VA “has started research on veterans and treating their PTSD with psychedelics, including psilocybin,” and, citing the advocacy group Heroic Hearts Project, says that 80 percent of veterans experienced improvements in PTSD symptoms after a single psilocybin session.

The bill was officially introduced on Wednesday and has been referred to the House Committee on Families and Veterans.

Last year, Michigan lawmakers sent a letter to Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) urging them to prioritize research and investment in psychedelics and other “non-technology treatment options” to address psychological trauma from military service.

Several cities in Michigan have enacted local psychedelics decriminalization policies.

Separately in Michigan, a second Bigfoot and marijuana news story recently broke in the state during the span of a single month.

Previously, an alleged Bigfoot sighting in Monroe County last month sparked some creativity within the marijuana community when, earlier this month, the dispensary Uniq Cannabis started offering a free pre-roll to anyone who brought in photographic proof of the mythological creature.

More recently, a Sasquatch statue outside the separate retailer Higher Love, located in Menominee, is at the center of controversy. The exhibit became a talking point at the city planning commission’s meeting this month, where certain community members argued that the faux beast could attract the attention of youth—with one resident advising the panel to “think about what mascots they see in our community and how they are impacting children.”

Meanwhile, state officials earlier this year announced that the disbursement of nearly $100 million in marijuana tax revenue to over 300 cities and tribes across the state thanks to the state’s adult-use legalization law. That’s part of the overall $331 million in tax dollars Michigan is distributing across various initiatives.

The tax dollars will support various local infrastructure, education and other needed services, the state Treasury Department said.

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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Mushroom Observer.