Legislators consider bill to legalize psilocybin

Adults could legally purchase and consume psilocybin products as soon as 2024 under legislation heard by the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 5660 would direct the Department of Health to provide a system for administering psilocybin to adults 21 or older. If the legislation is enacted, the administration will begin on Jan. 1, 2024.

Psilocybin is unlike other drugs, such as heroin or meth, said Sen. Jesse Saloman, R-Shoreline. It provides life-changing experiences that native populations have taken advantage of for thousands of years, she said, and there are therapeutic benefits that could help a range of Washingtonians.

"It's not addictive and generally not dangerous when there's a set and setting," Saloman said, "which this bill does."

Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said she supports legalizing the medicinal use of drugs, but not recreational. Senate Bill 5660 could provide valuable treatment to Washingtonians, she said, but there is potential for people to abuse the system with a lack of required diagnosis or prescription.

Like marijuana, the addition of a psilocybin industry could bring more jobs and tax dollars to the state, but also other associated issues, Warnick said. Taking a step back from the war on drugs could provide gateways for addiction-prone individuals to begin a downward spiral, she said.

“If it truly does provide a benefit, I would be in favor,” Warnick said, “under very strict control and circumstances.”

Psilocybin delivers changes in perception, mood and other cognitive abilities; the bill compares the effects to drugs such as LSD, MDMA, DMT and mescaline.

Senate Bill 5660 defines psilocybin as "a naturally occurring, psychoactive chemical compound produced by over 200 species of mushrooms, many of which grow natively in the Pacific Northwest."

If enacted, the legislation would allow individuals of legal age to purchase psilocybin products in a designated service center and undergo preparation, administration, integration sessions with a trained facilitator.

Interested individuals are not required to have any prescription, diagnosis or medical condition to qualify. However, they must consume the psilocybin at the facility and remain there until the effects have worn off. The bill does not decriminalize street sales or home use.

PROSECUTION

Saloman said the federal government relaxed regulations regarding psilocybin studies in the past 10 years. Terminally ill patients struggling with the thought of death have had positive experiences after taking the substance, as well as veterans suffering from PTSD.

A panel of veterans testified in support of the bill during the public hearing on Wednesday. They said the legislation provides an alternative to treatments found out-of-state or country.

In 2019, a Food and Drug Administration study designated psilocybin therapy as a potential breakthrough treatment for major depressive disorder. Saloman said other studies show potential for treating addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, nicotine dependence and other conditions.

Both federal and state laws prohibit the possession, manufacture and delivery of psilocybin. SB 5660 would change this for the state of Washington like similar legislation around the U.S.

Dr. Mason Marks, Oregon Psilocybin Advisory Board member, said Senate Bill 5660 is modeled after Oregon's Ballot Measure 109. Science shows psilocybin is non-toxic and non-addictive, he said.

Marks said there is great promise for people to use the substance to treat drug and alcohol addictions, including cigarettes, heroin, and others. The state should see this bill as a tool to treat mental health as suicide rates rise, he said.

"If you pass this bill," he said, "you'll be doing something that can help veterans, mothers, anyone who is part of this worsening mental health crisis.”

Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, questioned whether now is the time to push the legal administration of a Schedule 1 drug. She said she wants to see more clinical studies and research before providing an avenue for anyone to consume the substance legally.

"Are we not putting the cart before the horse?," Rivers asked.

Several other doctors and researchers testified in support of legislation during the public hearing on Wednesday. They shared feelings the bill would provide a safe, local and affordable method of treatment which their work has focused on for years.