By Bob Katzen
Tucked into the House Economic Development bill approved by the House is a proposed new law that would establish a pilot program under the Department of Public Health, to explore the use of psychedelics in mental health care. The proposal authorizes a maximum of three specialized mental health clinics, excluding any tied to the cannabis industry, psychedelic development or pharmaceutical companies, to use psychedelics under strict supervision. Participating clinics are tasked with reporting patient outcomes to contribute to the development of refined treatment protocols and regulatory frameworks for psychedelic use in mental health care.
In 2024, voters rejected Question #4 (rejected 42.9 percent to 57.1 percent) asking voters if they approved of a proposed law that would allow persons aged 21 and older to grow, possess and use certain natural psychedelic substances for the treatment of PTSD, anxiety and depression. The substances could be purchased at an approved location for use under the supervision of a licensed facilitator.
“This is a triumph for a new kind of politics in the psychedelics movement, built on integrity, compromise and mutual, earned trust among grassroots advocates, lawmakers, scientific researchers, national organizations and philanthropists,” said Graham Moore, Educational Outreach Director of Mass Healing, an organization leading psychedelic reform in the Bay State.
“Mass Healing was born from the ashes of the failed 2024 psychedelic ballot question and fueled by my passion as a mother on a mission to keep fighting for legal access to psychedelic healing for my own family and others across Massachusetts,” said Jamie Morey, co-founder and Executive Director of Mass Healing. “The House’s passage of this bill is a victory for everyone affected by PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, addiction and other serious mental and physical health conditions who urgently need new treatment options.”
“This is a triumph for a new kind of politics in the psychedelics movement, built on integrity, compromise, and mutual, earned trust among grassroots advocates, lawmakers, scientific researchers, national organizations and philanthropists,” said Graham Moore, Educational Outreach Director of Mass Healing. “At the beginning of this legislative session, the psychedelic movement was operating with a trust deficit in Massachusetts because of catastrophic mismanagement. This victory was possible only through responsible leadership: unafraid to confront bad actors, admit mistakes and operate dynamically.”
The Senate will eventually draft and approve its own version of the Economic Development bill which may or may not include the proposed psychedelic law approved by the House.