Missouri Lawmakers Approve Bill To Let Military Veterans Legally Use Psilocybin

A legislative panel in Missouri has voted to advance a bill that would legalize the medical use of psilocybin by military veterans in the state who are enrolled in clinical trials of the drug.

The House Committee on Veterans and Armed Forces voted 20–0 to report the bill favorably, with little discussion before the vote.

If enacted, the proposal—HB 829, from Rep. Richard West (R)—would allow military veterans who are at least 21 and are diagnosed with a qualifying condition such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance use disorders to legally access laboratory-tested psilocybin.

The bill is a repeat of last legislative year’s HB 1830, which was passed by two House committees before lawmakers ran out of time in the session.

The legislation was itself modeled off a separate bill that advanced to the House floor a year earlier but was not ultimately enacted.

Prior to Monday’s vote, committee chair Rep. Dave Griffith (R) noted that in a past legislative session, he and other members of a committee on veteran suicide and mental health held a hearing on alternative therapies.

“We learned about psilocybin, we learned about ketamine, we learned about ayahuasca, we learned about LSD,” he recalled. “And I’m a child of the ’60s; a lot of those things we’re talking about were very prevalent during my time, and they were used recreationally. When we started talking about what these can do for veterans that are suffering from PTSD and [traumatic brain injury] and depression and those that might be contemplating suicide, I thought it was important enough for me to put my thoughts behind me and to listen to what the witnesses had to say.”

“My friends, it changed their lives,” he continued, referring to veterans who have traveled to Mexico and other countries to access psychedelic therapies. “Those that went down there—that suffered from depression and suffered in so many ways—came back changed people.”

Griffith said he personally asked West to reintroduce HB 1830, which was previously sponsored by Rep. Aaron McMullen (R).

Members of the panel took testimony on the bill last week, including from military veterans.

“For many of those we heard last week,” Griffith said at Monday’s hearing, “they no longer drink, they don’t do smoke, they no longer do drugs, but they are now productive citizens in our community.”

Prior to passing the bill, lawmakers on the committee adopted a substitute that made minor, technical changes.

In addition to being 21 or older, a military veteran and enrolled in a clinical trial, participants in the proposed program would need to have PTSD, major depressive disorder, a substance use disorder or be in end-of-life care. They would also need to provide documentation to the state Department of Mental Health about the treating physician, facilitator and location and time of use.

Further, use of psilocybin would be limited to 150 mg during a 12-month period.

The bill also authorizes the state Department of Health to provide up to $2 million worth of grants to support research on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin.

A separate measure being sponsored by Rep. Matt Overcast (R) would legalize and regulate psilocybin therapy for people with certain mental health conditions.

Missouri’s Republican attorney general said late last month that it’s “absolutely appropriate” to make psychedelic therapy available as an alternative treatment option, particularly for military veterans. Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) said on a recent podcast that plans to be involved with any program that may be approved by the legislature as it takes up various reform proposals.

“I think it’s absolutely appropriate that different options be made available and that everyone be able to make their own decisions about which option for treatment best suits their needs and produces the best results,” he said, adding that he expects psychedelics legislation to “move again this session to accomplish exactly that.”

Bailey, an Army veteran himself who served in Iraq, said that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) “has let warriors down, and there have been too many warriors that have not received the treatment they are owed because of bureaucracy and bad decision making and apathy. And we owe those who have served in the global war on terror and any other conflict—those who have served—we owe them more.”

He also said he’s “encouraged” that President Donald Trump has “put a renewed emphasis on” VA care, and he’s “hopeful that they will make available a spectrum of different treatment options to folks so that again people can make good individual decisions for themselves.”

Trump, however, has not specifically weighed in on psychedelics access.

Separately, Missouri officials are considering whether and how to regulate intoxicating hemp products, which are widely available in the state. Lawmakers are contemplating multiple approaches, with different details on what kinds of products would be allowed and what limits would be set on THC levels in the products.

Late last month, legislation allowing low-dose intoxicating hemp beverages to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores was reported favorably by committees in both the House and Senate.

Skeptics of reining in intoxicating hemp products, however, have raised worries about costs to both businesses and the state. They say regulation could cost between $20 million and $95 million annually, depending on the approach taken, and could also shutter hundreds or thousands of small businesses.

“The governor is looking for a compromise and a set of rules and regulations that will keep businesses open, employees working and most of all protect Missouri residents and keep the consumer safe,” Republican state Rep. Dave Hinman said of a bill he’s sponsoring during a General Laws Committee hearing last month.

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