The snowballing of psilocybin legislation has begun in earnest, and just within the past week we are seeing some real action being taken on different levels.
NIDA
For one, studies continue to be conducted across the board. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a top federal agency, has approved a grant for researchers at Johns Hopkins University and NYU to study if psilocybin can help those with a cigarette addiction.
With the nature of psychedelics, which free up neural pathways and introduce fresh ways of thinking, we look forward to seeing the results of this study.
Florida
Next up is a bill in Republican-run Florida that would have the state research the vague notion of “medical benefits” from psychedelics including psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine. This bill has so far only been filed and not yet voted on.
Proud to work with @Mike_Grieco on this important piece of legislation; that will help individuals living with PTSD have a natural pathway to wellness. https://t.co/kqbocsF2Od
— Lauren Book (@LeaderBookFL) September 25, 2021
This mirrors a similar bill from Texas last month, although that bill’s focus was centered around PTSD and war veterans. There was also another bill studying psilocybin that was signed in Connecticut in June.
We will soon be in a flush of psychedelic studies coming out of numerous states and agencies.
Seattle
Finally, some actual policy could soon be enacted in Seattle. The city council heard arguments for the decriminalizing of psychedelics on Friday, and plan to vote on the measure within the coming weeks.
“Hopefully the city—as tends to be the case on many impactful progressive issues in the state of Washington—can lead the way on setting the table for an important conversation many communities around the country are having,” said Councilmember Andrew Lewis during the meeting.
Possessing psychedelics in the city already poses a very minor reaction from law enforcement. So, this policy would mainly affect the cultivation and sharing of the substances.
You can find the full resolution at the bottom of the story by Marijuana Moment.
Stories like this are coming out in handfuls each week, and will continue to ramp up once neighboring towns, cities, and states catch the drift. It seems at this rate, by the end of this decade we’ll start seeing Entheogen Therapy Centers at storefronts in many cities across the country.
