California Assembly Bill 1103 was signed into law, which will allow the Research Advisory Panel of California (RAPC) to review research projects to be conducted in this state that require the administration of Schedule I or Schedule II controlled substances.

Furthermore, the RAPC’s chair may assign two or more individual panel members to conduct an expedited review of eligible research applications and deputize those panel members to approve those applications on behalf of the panel without the need for a full panel vote at a regularly scheduled meeting of the panel.

Essentially, this bill will expedite the review and approval of federally authorized, peer-reviewed clinical research for drugs such as psilocybin, MDMA, and marijuana. While no specific conditions or substances were listed in the bill, AB 1103 received heavy support from Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), an organization that advocates for the exploration of novel treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), treatment-resistant depression, generalized anxiety disorder, opioid and substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions driving the veteran suicide crisis.