The House of Representatives in Missouri has approved a budget bill that allocates $10 million from the state’s opioid settlement funds for research grants. But not just any research grants. These are intended to explore the effectiveness of psilocybin in treating opioid use disorder, which is currently considered a public health crisis in the United States.

Originally, thanks to an addition to the bill that came up in a House committee last week, the bill, HB 2010, would have used the $10 million to actually study ibogaine for treating opioid use disorder. However, on Tuesday, that was modified to redirect the funds towards psilocybin research instead. Currently, the measure would allocate a one-time sum of $10 million from the state’s Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund to pay for grants for research universities. These grants are created to finance the study of the role of psilocybin in healing for substance use disorder.

Rep. Cody Smith (R), who introduced the original budget bill, noted that the shift in funding towards psilocybin research stemmed from a discussion he had with the state Department of Mental Health last week.

“They had concerns about the ibogaine research they had read, and there are concerns about the dangers involved in that research,” Smith said. “However, they are interested in the psilocybin piece. And we’ve seen many other states use their opioid settlement funds to that end.”

Smith isn’t the only Republican who backed the original ibogaine research plan. Rep. Chad Perkins (R), another supporter of the ibogaine research plan, told Marijuana Moment in an email: “I had several concerned individuals reach out and provide me with information regarding the potential benefits of ibogaine. After some research, I believed it was a worthy and prudent investment for the state to combat opiate addiction.”

Missouri is expected to get hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid-related settlement funds, which were collected through various lawsuits against the opioid industry and related entities, over the next several decades, And psychedelic advocates are working to allocate that money toward treatment models to help stop the opioid crisis through treatment.

Last year, Kentucky also considered putting money towards researching ibogaine for opiate use disorder. However, they ultimately also backed away from that plan, and advocates set their sights on other states, such as Missouri. Research indeed shows that ibogaine could be revolutionary for healing addiction. One study found that just a single ibogaine treatment not only reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms but “achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months.” However, ibogaine is still illegal in the U.S., and unlike psychedelics like psilocybin, it can lead to cardiac arrest and death, which is likely why the lawmakers opted for psilocybin. 

While many folks believe that the risks of a single ibogaine treatment are worth kicking a deadly opioid addiction, Perkins told Marijuana Moment that he’s satisfied with the shift towards psilocybin. “I’m not disappointed,” he said. “I believe that bringing more exposure to the benefits of psychedelics has been an ancillary effect of the pursuit of this budget item. This issue will hopefully raise the profile of psychedelics and provide a foundation on which we can base future policy decisions.”

Psilocybin is also indicated for opiate use disorder. As TIME reports, a 2022 study featured in Scientific Reports analyzed data from 214,505 U.S. adults whose information was gathered in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) spanning 2015 to 2019. This investigation uncovered a link between a history of psilocybin usage (at any point in a person’s life) and a diminished risk of developing opioid use disorder. 

The study examined 11 criteria used by scientists to identify opioid use disorder (such as dedicating considerable time to acquiring and consuming drugs) and discovered that previously taking psilocybin actually was significantly associated with a reduced chance for seven of these criteria, and slightly reduced odds for two additional criteria, giving folks a pretty awesome excuse to enjoy some magic mushrooms. 

Missouri sets a precedent for even more conservative governments embracing psychedelic therapies to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. In just a handful of examples, recently, the Governor of Indiana signed legislation that included measures to support clinical research trials investigating psilocybin. And in Utah, the Governor established a pilot program that allows hospitals to offer psilocybin and MDMA as alternative treatments. Furthermore, a committee in the Arizona House endorsed a bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers, where folks use the psychedelic under medical supervision.

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Massachusetts legislators held a joint legislative committee hearing last week to consider an initiative to legalize the therapeutic use of natural psychedelics. At the hearing, lawmakers heard from both supporters and opponents of the proposal, which can be approved by the legislature or referred to voters to decide the issue this November.

The proposed ballot measure is supported by Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO). The group is affiliated with New Approach, a political action committee that supported successful bids to legalize psychedelics in Oregon and Colorado. If passed, the proposed ballot measure would legalize “naturally occurring” psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms, peyote (mescaline), and ibogaine for consumption in “therapeutic settings through a regulated and taxed system.”

MMHO has already submitted nearly 100,000 signatures on petitions to support the ballot measure, sending it to the state legislature for consideration. If lawmakers do not approve the measure by May 1, supporters will be given until July 3 to collect an additional 12,429 valid signatures. If the signature drive is successful, the initiative will be placed on the ballot for the November general election.

Advocates Speak in Favor of Psychedelics Proposal

On March 26, the Massachusetts state legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions held a hearing on the psychedelics therapy legalization ballot measure (Bill H.255). Emily Oneschuk, a military veteran and MMHO’s grassroots campaign director, told lawmakers about the mental health challenges she faced while serving in the U.S. Navy, including sexual assault, bullying and sexual harassment. After Oneschuk left the Navy, she took psilocybin at a retreat in Jamaica, where the psychedelic compound is legal.

“The whole of my psychedelic experience and the community associated with it has profoundly improved my quality of life,” Oneschuk told the committee, according to a report from the Commonwealth Beacon. “It brought me exactly where I needed to be to become a healthier and happier person.”

Dr. Franklin King, the director of training and education at the Mass General Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, researches the effects of psychedelics. He told the joint committee that there is substantial evidence showing that psychedelics have therapeutic value for mental health conditions. He also noted that studies have repeatedly shown that the drugs can be taken by patients safely and effectively.

“The current legal status of psychedelics as dangerous drugs…is egregiously incorrect,” said King. “[For this] class of psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, the medical risks are extremely minimal and potential for abuse is close to zero. Millions of patients who need access to the benefits of psychedelics likely do not require the strict controls of the medical model.”

Franklin continued by saying that the current prohibition of psychedelics is hindering research and denying people with mental health challenges an alternative to less effective drugs.

“The criminalization of psychedelics not only impedes scientific progress, but also denies individuals access to potentially life changing treatments,” King told lawmakers, according to a report from New England Public Media. “We must adopt a more rational approach, one that prioritizes evidence based policies over outdated stigmas and prohibitions.”

Massachusetts Psychiatrists Urge Caution

Not everyone at the hearing, however, was there to support the psychedelics therapy legalization proposal. Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told lawmakers “We really don’t know what are the potential harms.”

Rosenbaum agreed with testimony from supporters about the potential benefits of psychedelics. But he also warned about the potential for people to misuse the powerful compounds.

“Psychedelics are not something people can use casually at full doses,” he said in testimony cited by Boston’s NBC News affiliate. “They really require being in a safe place with support for most people.”

The psychiatrist acknowledged similarities between the campaign to legalize marijuana, which succeeded in Massachusetts in 2016 with the passage of a ballot measure that received more than 63% of the vote. But he added that reforming policy governing psychedelic drugs should be approached with more caution.

“The psychedelics are used very intermittently, not continually the way marijuana can be. The effects are much more profound,” he said.

Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, a professor of psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center and the incoming president of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, also testified before the committee. He told lawmakers that there has not been enough research on the public health outcomes of legalizing psychedelics.

Democratic Senator Paul Feeney, a member of the legislative committee, noted that psychedelics are already being used recreationally by many people and asked Ghaemi if it would be better if lawmakers adopted regulations governing their use. The witness agreed, but only if the ballot measure is approved in November. Otherwise, he said the legislature should wait until additional research has been completed.

The joint committee will now review the testimony given at the hearing before voting on whether to advance the proposal.

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The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a 34-year-old nonprofit research and educational organization “that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana,” announced in a press release on Monday that it “has partnered with the City and County of Denver to provide comprehensive training on psychedelic crisis assessment and intervention to the city’s first responders.” 

The Psychedelic Crisis Assessment and Intervention training was “commissioned by the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel (DPMPRP), a first-of-its-kind panel that was formed after the passage of Ordinance 301 in May 2019, which effectively decriminalized the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms in Denver,” MAPS said in a statement. 

Per the press release, the training will cover topics including: “The history, usage, psychological and physiological response, and potential adverse effects of psilocybin ingestion”; “The legal considerations and implications of decriminalization and the role of first responders”; “The standards and protocols for effective psilocybin or psychedelic-related crisis response planning, training, and deployment”; and “The best practices and techniques for assessing, de-escalating, and managing psychedelic crises.”

According to the local publication Westworld,  the training program “became even more important in 2022, when Colorado became the second state (after Oregon) to legalize medical psilocybin use and the first state to decriminalize specific psychedelics, including psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline.”

“Created as part of the 2019 voter initiative decriminalizing psilocybin, the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel took a brief hiatus in 2023 after Prop 122 passed,” Westworld reported this week. “But the panel is meeting again and is expected to take a leading position in Denver’s approach to its medical psilocybin rules.”

After Prop 122 passed in 2022, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed the measure into law last year. The law directs “the department of revenue [to create] the natural medicine division for the purpose of regulating and licensing the cultivation, manufacturing, testing, storage, distribution, transport, transfer, and dispensation of natural medicine or natural medicine product between natural medicine licensees.”

The measure requires the natural medicine division to: “Regulate natural medicine, natural medicine product, and natural medicine businesses, including healing centers, cultivators, manufacturers, and testers, and issue licenses for such businesses; Promulgate rules necessary for the regulation of natural medicine, natural medicine product, and natural medicine businesses; and Perform duties necessary for the regulation of natural medicine, natural medicine product, and natural medicine businesses, including investigatory and disciplinary authority.”

Kevin Matthews, former President of the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel, celebrated the launch of the training program.

“I’m proud of my hometown for stepping into a national leadership role with this training. It represents a giant leap forward for public health and safety with psilocybin and natural medicines in Denver and is a perfect example of what cities can do to better integrate emerging psychedelic policies into their existing infrastructures. I’m looking forward to the city continuing its collaboration with MAPS to monitor outcomes and educate Denver residents on this exciting new issue,” Matthews said in a statement.

Sara Gael, a former MAPS Harm Reduction Officer, said the group is “honored and excited to collaborate with the City and County of Denver to provide this groundbreaking training program on psychedelic crisis assessment and intervention.”

“We believe that this program will equip first responders with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle psilocybin and psychedelic related crises in a safe and compassionate manner and ultimately improve the health and well-being of the community. This program is also a testament to the progressive and visionary leadership of Denver, which has taken a bold step to decriminalize psilocybin and create a model for other cities to follow,” Gael said.

MAPS said in the press release on Monday that its “training aims to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of first responders to quickly recognize and effectively respond to emotional and behavioral crisis incidents involving psilocybin and other psychedelics.” The group also said that the “Denver Harm Reduction training initiative has been well received by the City of Denver leadership, who recognize the importance and value of providing first responders with the necessary tools and skills to handle psychedelic-related crises in a safe and compassionate manner.”

“The program also seeks to enhance responder safety and reduce risk and liability in situations where individuals are experiencing a psychedelic-induced crisis,” the group explained. “After three years, a team of over 20 MAPS and subcontracted professionals with backgrounds in law, medicine, psychiatry, mental health, neuropsychopharmacology, law enforcement, crisis response, quality improvement, and education developed the curriculum. The final training is customized for law enforcement, mental health, and emergency medical service personnel and will be delivered through asynchronous videos and corresponding assessments.”

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The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) posted a notice on the Federal Register on Jan. 3, which includes the most recent breakdown of Schedule I Substances in its 2024 aggregate production quotas (APQ), as well as a wide variety of public comments and DEA responses.

According to a Federal Register article published in November 2023, delta-9 THC (referred to as “d-9-THC” on the list) included a proposed amount of 900,610 grams for 2024. Now, the 2024 APQ includes a delta-9 THC of 1,523,040 grams. In comparison to last year, the established quota for delta-9 THC in 2023 was listed at 384,460 grams, while the revised quota amount was increased to 628,460.

According to the same November 2023 Federal Register article, the proposed amount of “all other tetrahydrocannabinol” was listed at 790,010 grams. Now, the 2024 APQ lists the THC quota at 1,166,130 grams. In an October 2023 APQ adjustments report, the DEA listed general THC at 15,000 for 2023 established quotas, and 350,000 for proposed revised 2023 quotas.

The DEA also included a request for 20,000 grams of psilocybin (which was established in October at 8,000 grams but increased to 15,000 grams). DMT (5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) was also listed at 3,000 grams in October and November 2023, but was updated to reflect an increase to 11,000 grams in the most recent January 2024 report.

Production goals for other substances such as marijuana (6,675,000 grams), marijuana extract (1,000,000 grams), psilocin (24,000 grams), ibogaine (150 grams), MDMA (12,000 grams), and mescaline (1,200 grams) saw no changes between November 2023 and now. Over time, the DEA has gradually increased the quota for many of these substances due to increased interest.

In the November report, the DEA explained its expectation for this trend. “There has been a significant increase in the use of schedule I hallucinogenic controlled substances for research and clinical trial purposes,” the DEA wrote. “DEA has received and subsequently approved new registration applications for Schedule I researchers and new applications for registration from manufacturers to grow, synthesize, extract, and prepare dosage forms containing specific Schedule I hallucinogenic substances for research and clinical trial purposes.”

The public comment portion of the report was compiled of 4,699 public comments “from DEA registrants, people with chronic pain, patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), pain advocacy associations, U.S. professional associations, U.S. nurses, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, the Australian ADHD Professionals Association, the ADHD Foundation Australia, and others.” Those comments varied in topic, from opioid drug shortages, stimulant drug use in both the U.S. and Australia, and more.

In one of the comments, three manufacturers requested that the proposed APQ for “dexmethylphenidate (for conversion), lisdexamfetamine, and psilocybin be established at sufficient levels for manufacturers to meet medical and scientific needs.” Additionally, the DEA also received quota applications “for 4-Anilino-N-phenethyl-4piperidine (4-ANPP), all other tetrahydrocannabinol, delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol, dimethyltryptamine, fentanyl and pentobarbital.”

Another public comment referred to the religious use of Schedule I substances (specifically “psilocin, psilocybin, mescaline, ibogaine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 2-(4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl) ethanamine (2CI), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-NN dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT)”). In one case, the Native American Church requested that the APQ for mescaline (aka peyote) be increased for their use, and allow its planting in the wild due to shortages. The commenter claimed that the DEA “has disregarded their legal religious use of psychedelics as a factor when setting the production quotas of these substances,” and requested a hearing if the agency does not grant their requests. The DEA’s response didn’t address the statement, and only wrote that the DEA has worked with indigenous communities in the past.

Another request included listing the fruiting bodies that contain psilocybin and psilocin, as well as “peyote buttons containing mescaline,” in the quotas, rather than just the pure chemicals. However, the DEA responded by stating that the APQ listings are based on the Controlled Substances Act and it will continue to label them in accordance with the act. Also technically, peyote is categorized separately from mescaline.

The DEA recently issued a warning to the state of Georgia for independent pharmacies selling low-THC cannabis oil products. “All DEA registrants, including DEA-registered pharmacies, are required to abide by all relevant federal laws and regulations,” a letter sent to pharmacies in December 2023 stated. “A DEA-registered pharmacy may only dispense controlled substances in Schedules II-V of the Controlled Substances Act. Neither marijuana nor THC can lawfully be possessed, handled, or dispensed by any DEA-registered pharmacy.”

Georgia pharmacies officially began selling low-THC cannabis oil in October 2023. At the time, only three pharmacies received a license to sell cannabis with less than 5% THC, although there are more than 400 independent pharmacies that could be a part of the program throughout the state.

With substances like fentanyl rising as one of the most common sources of overdose death last year, it’s imperative that research on the benefits of cannabis, psilocybin, DMT, continue to progress.

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Kentucky will be hosting a summit in La Grange on November 30 to offer state residents the chance to learn about ibogaine, a psychedelic substance suspected to have potential in helping patients with treatment-resistant substance abuse disorder. 

Kentucky has a big problem with opiate abuse. A 2019 study predicted that  5.9% of the state’s population was afflicted with opiate use disorder. Settlement money from lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies responsible for exacerbating the opiate crisis has used to create the ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, a regulatory body responsible for distributing over $842 million from opiate lawsuits. 

Forty-two million dollars of that money is being considered for ibogaine research, and the Kentucky Summit on Exploring Breakthrough Therapeutic Potential for Opioid Use Disorder is to help the public learn about the drug. Cost of attending the summit ranges from $99-$149 and will include keynote speeches from some notable names including but not limited to the following:

• Dr. Deborah Mash, ibogaine researcher

• Professor Dr. Nolan Williams, Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab

• Doc Askins, author and podcaster 

• Rick Doblin, founder of MAPS

• Brett Waters, founder of Reason for Hope

• Kerry Rhodes, former NFL player 

• Srinivas Rao, Atai Life Sciences co-founder

“We recognize that there is likely a large learning gap among the people of Appalachia and the surrounding communities to understand what ibogaine is, what it can do, and how it can possibly help them or a loved one,” said Ben Greenzweig to Forbes. Greenzweig is the founder and CEO of Momentum Events which is organizing the summit. “We want to provide free and low-cost education for the community, so they can begin understanding what ibogaine is, how it works, how it can help, and who it can help by sharing scientific, clinical, policy, and patient perspectives.”

Ibogaine is is an extract taken from a rainforest shrub found in Central Africa called Tabernanthe iboga. It’s a very powerful psychedelic with varying user experiences but can generally be described as much more intense than a typical, lower dose mushroom trip. Many users report cessation of opiate use immediately after one session.

However, ibogaine use is not as cleanly-cut of an issue as one might hope. No deaths have occurred during medical trials (because there haven’t been many trials, if any) but there have been anecdotal reports of adverse cardiovascular events and seizures occasionally resulting in death. Greenzweig told Forbes he hopes the summit will help educate Kentucky residents about the potential of ibogaine but he stressed that it’s not a cure-all, and it comes with its own risks. 

“I hope individuals who have a closed mind to this therapy have the door opened just a crack to want to learn more. It’s important to know that psychedelic therapy is not for everyone. It’s not a magic bullet. It’s a tool that can be part of someone’s healing journey,” Greenzweig said to Forbes. “For those who are already open, I hope they come away with a greater understanding of how these medicines can work, why they should be accessible, and how to use them responsibly.”

What little research there is on ibogaine does show promise in treating symptoms of addiction. A peer-reviewed study from New Zealand in 2018 followed 14 people over 12 months after an ibogaine experience and found that almost all the participants had reduction in withdrawal symptoms or full cessation of use, with the exception of one participant who died during the study. 

“A single ibogaine treatment reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms and achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months.” the study said. “Ibogaine’s legal availability in New Zealand may offer improved outcomes where legislation supports treatment providers to work closely with other health professionals.”

Anecdotally, I have a small bit of testimony from a friend I’d like to share here. I’ll keep his name out of it because he has a job and a life and what not but this friend of mine has struggled with heroin and fentanyl addiction for years and years and I am pleased to report he is over 12 months clean after one experience with ibogaine in Mexico. He had the following to tell me about his experience:

“It changed my life, I think about it every day,” he said. “Ibogaine is a mixture of very unpleasant and breathtaking with a sprinkle of weird peppered across about 16 hours of intense hallucinations.” he said. “I plan on doing it again next year, however next time my mind will be stronger. There’s something in there that I want to see more of. It doesn’t show you what you want but what you need to see.”

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Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear spoke at a news conference on Oct. 7 and provided an update on the ongoing progress of the state’s medical cannabis program.

“We have established the Medical Cannabis Program, which is the office that is going to do this work, as part of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services,” said Beshear. “The office is preparing to communicate the implementation of this law with a new website that went live today. So, moving forward, you can get updates on the implementation through kymedcan.ky.gov.”

Beshear explained that the website offers “Guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions, for providers, growers, physicians, APRNs, and others with an interest in the program,” as well as information for the public to follow on X and LinkedIn as well. He also announced Sam Flynn as executive director for the medical cannabis program.

In March, Beshear signed a medical cannabis bill, Senate Bill 47, that made it the 38th state to do so. It legalizes cannabis use for patients suffering from cancer, ALS, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, and many more conditions. 

The bill also called for the creation of the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Workgroup. “This workgroup’s purpose is to study evolving medical cannabis industry policy and the state of medical cannabis policy in our Commonwealth and around the country,” Beshear explained. “This group will include individuals from state and local government, as well as the private sector, with relevant experience in law enforcement, agriculture, healthcare, workforce and economic development.”

Beshear originally named the members of the workgroup back in June 2022, with 15 individuals in varying fields of expertise. The workgroup met for the first time on Oct. 4. Beshear’s push for cannabis goes back to November 2022, when he signed an executive order allowing patients to use medical cannabis as a treatment for specific conditions.

“Kentuckians with qualified medical conditions can continue to seek relief with medical cannabis by going out of state and following all those conditions that you need to carefully read in the executive order,” Beshear concluded at the news event. “All Kentuckians with qualifying medical conditions deserve a chance at a brighter, pain-free future, without ever having to turn to opioids. We know what those did to our state.”

According to recent data from the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, presented by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, more than 300,000 people in the state have been charged with a cannabis-related crime in the last 20 years. That amounts to an estimated two people every hour, every day. Through a wide scope, that means that during the data timeframe (between June 2022-July 2022), 3.1 million people were charged with crimes in Kentucky, and one out of every 10 of those were charged with a cannabis crime. 

“Still, as much of the country has moved to more permissive policies, Kentucky continues to subject people to incarceration, burdensome fines, community supervision, and criminal charges for cannabis crimes. These consequences have lasting, harmful effects on people’s economic security, employment, health, housing, and ability to fully participate in community life. And these consequences often fall disproportionately on low-income and Black and Brown Kentuckians.”

Cannabis possession is the most common charge in the state, which could lead offenders to spend up to 45 days in jail and fined up to $250.

Like many other states, Kentucky is also looking into the potential of other substances to combat the harmful effects of opioids. In June, Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) chairman and executive director, Bryan Hubbard, announced that $42 million will go toward funding psychedelic research. “Kentucky must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all means necessary,” Hubbard said. “As we begin the next phase in our fight against this crisis, we must explore any treatment option that demonstrates breakthrough therapeutic potential. Our goal is to investigate the creation of a new standard for treating opioid dependence, so we can finally end this cycle of pain in the Commonwealth.” The funds come from a $26 billion settlement from February 2022 2022 between large pharmaceutical companies and their part in the opioid epidemic.

Last month, the KYOAAC held a five-hour hearing to allow ibogaine patients to speak about their positive experiences using the substance. Twenty-three individuals presented their personal experiences, including former Kentucky Attorney General Ben Chandler, who is now the President and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. “We have not been able to solve the problem, in my judgment,” said Chandler. “It continues to be intractable, and we need as many tools as we can get. And I believe that a drug like ibogaine, from what I’ve read, it has the potential to make the difference that we need to have made—or at least a big difference.”

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The House Rules Committee recently cleared two cannabis and psychedelic-related amendments on Sept. 23 to be discussed on the floor. Days later on Sept. 27, the House approved the two amendments—Amendment No. 48 and Amendment No. 137—to be included in H.R. 4365, or the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2024.

Amendment No. 48, supported by Texas Reps. Dan Crenshaw and Morgan Luttrell, would provide $15 million Department of Defense funding for psychedelic medical clinical trials. Through a voice vote, it passed with 240 in favor and 191 opposed.

The second amendment, Amendment No. 137, was sponsored by only Crenshaw and would ask the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to submit a congressional report on how to provide options for active-duty service members who suffer from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD. It would also allow them to participate in clinical trials through the Department of Veteran Affairs to study psychedelics.

Luttrell spoke ahead of the vote on Amendment No. 48, explaining how he “personally attest[s] to the benefits in treating post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy through the use of psychedelic substances.”

Luttrell served as a SEAL for 14 years, and endured through a nearly fatal helicopter crash that left him with a broken back and a TBI. In June, Luttrell spoke openly about using ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT as treatment for his injuries at a press event at the capitol with the introduction of a federal grant bill for psychedelic research. “If you find yourself in a place that you were lost, and no other modalities have worked, this could possibly be that tool,” Luttrell said. “And I can honestly stand in front of all of you and the American public and say I was reborn. This changed my life. It saved my marriage. It is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me.”

At the most recent hearing, Luttrell explained why the amendment should be passed. “There’s a stigma that exists within the [House] that I believe stems from a lack of education experience around the clinical use of plant-based, or psychedelic, medications,” Luttrell said. “I understand that when many of my colleagues hear the word ‘psychedelics,’ they think of mushrooms and so on. This isn’t what we are talking about today.”

“Unfortunately, the stigma has led to the slow or no adoption of medical procedures that may have saved countless lives, and our service members, veterans and first responders,” Luttrell continued. “It is our duty to explore all options when the lives of our nation’s most precious resources our sons, our daughters, our mothers, our fathers, brothers and sisters are at stake.”

Rep. Betty McCollum spoke to oppose Amendment No. 48, claiming that the DHA can’t realistically implement these measures because of current “clearances, legal hurdles, and logistics,” and “reluctantly” denied support. 

Crenshaw later spoke to congress for Amendment No. 137 in defense of psychedelic clinical trials, describing it as an important step forward. “…there’s no reason that we should not be looking into the benefits of this research for our men and women that are already currently serving our country actively,” Crenshaw explained. “This is not about legalization. This is not about recreational use. It’s about honoring our promise to our military families and confronting the high incidence of suicide in the military and veteran community.”

“We should be listening to the stories. They have come up on Capitol Hill multiple times,” Crenshaw added. “For the members who say, ‘Well, we need to learn more. We don’t know enough’—well then why would you get in the way of more research?” he asked. “We shouldn’t make them come up here and spill their guts anymore. We should listen to them and we should act on it.”

The SAFER Banking Act was passed in the Senate Banking Committee on the same day that these amendments were approved in the House. Seven previous iterations of the bill (formerly called the “SAFE” Banking Act”) have progressed to varying levels of congress before, the most recent of which was in December 2022 was it was left out of the Defense Spending Bill.

Many legislators support passing the SAFER Banking Act to protect both financial institutions and cannabis businesses. A joint statement from senators Jeff Merkley, Steve Daines, Kyrsten Sinema, Cynthia Lummis, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer collectively spoke in favor of the bill and its necessity. “This legislation will help make our communities and small businesses safer by giving legal cannabis businesses access to traditional financial institutions, including bank accounts and small business loans,” the joint statement said. “It also prevents federal bank regulators from ordering a bank or credit union to close an account based on reputational risk.”

On Sept. 28, Schumer spoke about the next steps for the SAFER Banking Act. “The next step is to bring SAFER Banking to the floor for a vote, which I will do soon,” he said. “I worked long and hard for years to get us to this point, and now the Senate is one step—one crucial step—closer to helping cannabis businesses operate more efficiently, more safely and more transparently in the states that allow cannabis to be sold.”

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The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission held a public hearing on Sept. 15, inviting a wide variety of people to speak about a plan that involves using ibogaine to treat addiction.

Personal testimonies were presented by 23 individuals over a five-hour period, including military veterans, parents, professors, and many others who have witnessed the use of ibogaine in some way.

Ben Chandler, who served as Kentucky Attorney General between 1995-2003, and also held a position as a House Representative between 2004-2013. Now he’s the President and CEO of Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, and was the first to speak at the hearing. He explained his close relationship with the harms of the opioid crisis whose cousin had committed suicide at age 30 due to drug addiction. He also spoke about his brother who died from a fentanyl overdose earlier this year. “We have not been able to solve the problem, in my judgment,” Chandler said about the opioid crisis. “It continues to be intractable, and we need as many tools as we can get. And I believe that a drug like ibogaine, from what I’ve read, it has the potential to make the difference that we need to have made—or at least a big difference.”

Jerry Catlett, who is a parent of an ibogaine patient, explained his initial thoughts about ibogaine—describing it as “another gimmick”—until he saw how it began to help his son recover from opioid use disorder. “My wife and I had already come to the conclusion that our son was a dead man walking,” Catlett said. “[My son] tells me that within a few minutes of taking the treatment, he was no longer addicted to opioids. Six months later, he did take another treatment. Today he’s still opioid addiction free.”

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was also in attendance, explaining the positive effect of ibogaine for combat veterans, including Texas Rep. Morgan Luttrell, as well as his own brother. “Why wouldn’t we explore clearly these breakthrough treatments given their potential to produce curative results not attainable with existing pharmacology?” Perry said. “You have the opportunity for Kentucky to lead the nation on exploring this potentially revolutionary new treatment. I’m before you today not as a political figure, but as a fellow human being asking you to consider the stunningly positive potential of ibogaine research.”

Many more personal testimonies were shared, as seen in the full video here. In a closing statement, commission chair and executive director W. Bryan Hubbard thanked everyone for attending, especially military veterans “…who were willing to lay it all on the line for us, and who have done so again today with visceral candor.”

The commission first announced its plans to consider treatments for opioid use disorder back in May. “Kentucky must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all means necessary,” Hubbard said in a press release at the time. “As we begin the next phase in our fight against this crisis, we must explore any treatment option that demonstrates breakthrough therapeutic potential. Our goal is to investigate the creation of a new standard for treating opioid dependence, so we can finally end this cycle of pain in the Commonwealth.” The press release shared that overdose-related deaths fell by 5% in 2022, but are still up 60% since 2019. Since 2020, 7,665 Kentuckians have died due to overdosing.

At the time, Hubbard announced that the commission plans to “explore the possibility of devoting no less than $42 million over the next six years to the creation of public-private partnerships which can incubate, support and drive the development of ibogaine all the way through the FDA approval process.” The funds come from a $26 billion settlement between multiple states and local governments, and large pharmaceutical companies who had their hand in creating the opioid crisis.

These public hearings will help the commission make a decision on how to invest the $42 million and is set to make a decision in November.

In May, the University of Kentucky (UK) launched a Cannabis Center dedicated to studying cannabis. The University awarded its “first set of faculty pilot grants to support innovative and collaborative cannabis research.”

Shanna Babalonis, the director of the Cannabis Center, is hopeful that the research will help residents in the state. “We are excited for this opportunity to expand and accelerate cannabis science at UK and conduct studies focused on the public health impacts of cannabis that can directly affect the lives of Kentuckians,” said Babalonis. “We have talented and dedicated researchers across a range of disciplines right here on campus who can contribute meaningful science to the center from multiple perspectives.”

In June, legislators introduced HR-3684, also called “Douglas Mike Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act of 2023.” The bill honors an advocate and military veteran who passed away earlier this year. If passed, it would fund studies on psilocybin, ibogaine, MDMA, and 5-MeO-DMT and their efficacy in treating a variety of medical conditions.

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On the heels of his state’s landmark new law that legalizes psychedelic drugs, the governor of Colorado wants to go even further. 

Jared Polis, the Democrat who was elected to his second term as the state’s governor last year, said Wednesday that he wants Colorado lawmakers to empower him with the ability to issue pardons to individuals who have been busted for crimes related to psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms. 

“So anybody who has something on their criminal record that is now legal can have that expunged and doesn’t hold them back from future employment opportunities,” Polis said at the Psychedelic Science conference, which is being held in Denver this week, as quoted by Axios.

“It is still ridiculous that in this day and age somebody suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD can get medical coverage for very costly prescription drugs but cannot get coverage for a treatment in a healing center that will address some of the underlying causes of the issue,” the governor added.

Polis’s comments come less than a month after he signed a bill that will establish a regulatory framework for psychedelic drugs. The bill was the byproduct of last year’s voter-passed initiative, Proposition 122, and it will officially take effect on July 1.

The measure “legalized therapeutic psilocybin and decriminalized the personal cultivation, use and sharing of psilocybin mushrooms and three other natural psychedelics (DMT, ibogaine and mescaline that is not from peyote),” according to the local outlet Westworld.

“While licensed psilocybin therapy centers could open by late 2024, Prop 122 did not allow for the establishment of retail operations, only healing centers, so there won’t be mushroom stores popping up like the hundreds of cannabis dispensaries currently in Colorado,” Westworld reported last month.

Westworld, reporting this week at the Psychedelic Science conference, noted that Polis [who] “never publicly supported Prop 122 but has praised it since the measure passed, told the crowd that he has ‘no personal connection’ to psychedelic medicine,” but his support of psychedelic use is “values based” and about “body autonomy.”

“We are facing very difficult challenges in mental and behavioral health and are very excited about the opportunities,” Polis said, as quoted by Westworld. “In many of these areas, including cannabis, the people of our state, and not the politicians, led the way.”

The governor said at the conference that he envisions a significant expansion of the state’s psychedelic laws, including changes that would enable psychedelic therapy to be covered by insurance in Colorado.

“Yes, that’s right. People will no longer need to go to Mexico or Colombia. They can come right here to Colorado,” Polis said, as quoted by Westworld.

“Once it’s federally scheduled to be a pharmaceutical, it will immediately be rescheduled in Colorado,” the governor added. “We want people to say…Colorado got this right. Look, I’m sure we’ll get a few things wrong, but we can learn from them and build upon them.”

After a majority of Colorado voters approved Prop 122 in November, parts of the initiative took effect in December of last year. 

“Coloradans voted last November and participated in our democracy,” Polis said at the time. “Officially validating the results of the citizen and referred initiatives is the next formal step in our work to follow the will of the voters and implement these voter-approved measures.”

About 53% of voters in Colorado approved Proposition 122 in last year’s election.

Following Polis’s certification of the measure in December, psychedelics were officially decriminalized in Colorado. 

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Kentucky will devote tens of millions of dollars in support of psychedelic research as part of its fight against opioid addiction, the state announced on Wednesday. 

At a news conference held by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, state Attorney General Daniel Cameron detailed the commission’s plans to explore new treatments for individuals suffering from those affected by opioid use disorder, a commitment that will include the allocation of more than $40 million for psychedelic research. 

“We cannot continue to lose over two-thousand Kentuckians [to addictions] each year,” Cameron said, as quoted by Psychedelic Alpha. 

In the announcement, the commission said that its proposal includes “investigating new treatments to reverse the chemical effects of opioid addiction, including opioid withdrawal.”

“Kentucky must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all means necessary,” said Bryan Hubbard, Chairman and Executive Director of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC).  “As we begin the next phase in our fight against this crisis, we must explore any treatment option that demonstrates breakthrough therapeutic potential. Our goal is to investigate the creation of a new standard for treating opioid dependence, so we can finally end this cycle of pain in the Commonwealth.”

At Wednesday’s news conference, Hubbard said that “over the coming months, the commission will explore the possibility of devoting no less than $42 million over the next six years to the creation of public-private partnerships which can incubate, support and drive the development of ibogaine all the way through the FDA approval process,” according to Psychedelic Alpha. 

The money will come from a $26 billion settlement reached last year between multiple state and local governments and some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies over their role in creating the opioid epidemic.

The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission was created last year and charged with the task of distributing the more than $842 million that was awarded to the Commonwealth in last year’s settlements.

“The Commission is comprised of nine voting and two non-voting members and includes stakeholders from, among others, the prevention and treatment community, law enforcement, and victims of the opioid crisis,” the commission’s website explains.

The settlement resolved “more than 4,000 claims of state and local governments across the country,” according to Cameron’s website, and it was “the second-largest multistate agreement in U.S. history, second only to the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.”

“Tentative settlement details were initially announced on July 21, 2021, and, after careful review, Attorney General Cameron signed the settlement on behalf of the Commonwealth. He was joined by a broad coalition of states and subdivisions in joining both settlement agreements, one with opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and another with the three pharmaceutical distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson,” the website explains. 

“The two settlement agreements require the distributors and J&J to pay billions of dollars to abate the opioid epidemic, totaling $26 billion over 18 years, with approximately $22.7 billion available for opioid abatement.”

Cameron appointed Hubbard to oversee the commission last year.

At Wednesday’s news conference, Hubbard expressed urgency to stem the tide of the epidemic.

“We must overcome the opioid epidemic by any and all humanitarian means necessary,” Hubbard said, as quoted by Psychedelic Alpha. “Our history demands it.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the “number of drug overdose deaths increased by nearly 30% from 2019 to 2020 and has quintupled since 1999.” 

“Nearly 75% of the 91,799 drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid. From 2019 to 2020, there were significant changes in opioid-involved death rates,” according to the CDC.

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