Governor Wes Moore signed Maryland Senate Bill 1009 into law, enacting a Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances.
The Task Force will study naturally derived substances such as psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine, and mescaline and is tasked with making recommendations on use, permitting, education and safety, access to treatment, and regulated support to enable equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances.
Key areas of study include:
- Review of current laws, policies, and practices related to natural psychedelic substances
- Identifying opportunities to enhance public benefits of responsible access and use
- Analyzing data on potential risks and ways to mitigate them
- Addressing barriers faced by healthcare practitioners and facilitators, including issues with insurance, licensing, zoning, advertising, and financial services
Additionally, the Task Force will propose a transition from criminalizing nonviolent conduct involving natural psychedelic substances to implementing civil penalties and expunging records for such offenses.
The passage of this bill indicates a strong desire to allow for the use of certain psychedelic medications in the state of Maryland, albeit with a comprehensive framework.
Ongoing clinical research of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental health conditions has shown positive results, with 13 states in 2024 proposing legislation in support of psychedelics.
In related news, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1677 into law, which will require employers to provide workers’ comp coverage of MDMA-assisted therapy for first responders with PTSD. The bill provides for one course of MDMA therapy for certain first responders, and it dependent upon the FDA approving an MDMA drug before MDMA could be utilized by the Arizona workers’ comp system.
While it may take time to see states enact more of the psychedelic bills that continue to be proposed, it is clear there is more and more support behind the psychedelic initiative.
