Psychedelic legalization efforts continue, with more narrowed focus

Psychedelics, such as psilocybin and psilocin, have long been touted as an antidote to some of the worst symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. But legalizing them — even for medical use only — hasn’t been a smooth journey, on the state or national level.

Ketamine, for instance, is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and it’s become an increasingly popular way to stave off symptoms of depression and anxiety. An FDA advisory body recently announced that it doesn’t consider MDMA an effective treatment for PTSD, but its mere consideration at the federal level marks a changing tide in societal acceptance of certain substances, especially as MDMA has historically been exclusively considered a party drug.

Such drug approvals, or even serious reviews, could also reflect the growing demand for better mental health solutions. According to the bill, an average of 17 veterans die of suicide every day, and many others, including police officers, suffer from PTSD.

“I’ve seen veterans come up and testify a number of times, anywhere between five and 10 times, talking about the importance of this, about what it’s meant to them and even for some folks who’ve left to get treatment outside the U.S.,” said Becker, adding there is an increasing number of scientific studies attesting to psilocybin’s benefits for certain mental health conditions.

SB 508 piggybacks off efforts from state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, who has introduced a couple of related bills since last year, albeit with a broader scope, and to no avail. If passed, SB 508 would kick off the first-of-their-kind pilots in the state.

Becker said the intention was to keep the scope narrow, not only for strategic reasons, but to focus on those who may reap the benefits the most. He said places such as San Francisco and Santa Cruz are currently home to leaders and facilities that have expressed ongoing interest in such a pilot, and he believes his own district on the Peninsula could eventually be open to something similar.

Some leaders have pointed to more pressing matters, such as the pandemic, or more recently, steep budget deficits, as a reason not to take up the issue. And there are also groups that have traditionally been directly opposed to such legalization, such as the California District Attorneys Association and numerous police officer associations, citing concerns around crime.

But Becker said the anticipated negative reactions haven’t come yet, adding they’ve even received support from parent-led groups who were opposed to prior psychedelic legalization efforts.

“Because of the approach we’ve taken and the careful analysis that’s gone into who can do this, who can authorize the treatments, and that there’s a lot of local control … we’ve just not gotten a lot of pushback so far,” Becker said.

The bill is currently on the Assembly floor and is awaiting committee referral.