Washington State Psilocybin Bill goes to the Governor’s desk

Washington State Senate Bill 5263 was introduced on January 11th and was sent to the House of Representatives on March 9th. On April 14, it received final passage from the Senate on April 14. There was previously some concern that the House and Senate might agree on specific amendments for SB-5263, but ultimately the new legislation was approved by the Senate on Friday and now goes to the governor for final consideration.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jesse Salomon and Sen. Liz Lovelett, would have originally allowed people ages 21 and older to obtain and use psilocybin with the help of licensed intermediaries. Now the bill simply implements a dedicated Psilocybin Advisory Board, Interagency Psilocybin Work Group and Psilocybin Task Force, and a pilot program through the University of Washington.

The Psilocybin Advisory Board would consist of a variety of people including the Secretary of Health, policy experts, a military veteran with knowledge of psilocybin, a social worker, a mental health counselor or marriage/family therapist, a representative of a family tribe, a psychologist and an individual specializing in mycology, ethnobotany, psychopharmacology, harm reduction, or scientific research related to psychedelic therapy, among others. These individuals serve four-year terms and are required to meet five times a year.

An inter-agency psilocybin working group would be formed to “provide advice and recommendations” covering everything from regulatory frameworks, reviewing native practices, studying various research findings on the “possible use and abuse of psilocybin therapy” and development a program for social opportunities.

Finally, the Psilocybin Task Force will fulfill many of the same requirements as the Psilocybin Advisory Board to create a comprehensive panel of experts that will discuss gaps in scientific research, clinical trials and more. SB-5263 requires the task force to submit a final report to both the governor and the legislature by December 1, 2023.

Additionally, SB-5263 was expanded with the help of Rep. Nicole Macri. If Inslee signs the bill, it would also create a University of Washington clinical pilot program that would give military veterans access to psilocybin treatments if they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or mood/substance disorders, and would “offer psilocybin therapy services through avenues of.” approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” The program is scheduled to establish and administer its program by January 1, 2025.

In 2019, Governor Inslee expressed support for the legalization of cannabis, followed by positive support for the decriminalization and/or legalization of psilocybin. “I would consider it. I didn’t have a chance to think about it [legalization] so I can’t give you a ‘yes’ or ‘no’,” Inslee said. “I believe our war on drugs has had all sorts of undesirable effects, and that’s one of the reasons we’ve not only legalized marijuana in Washington, for example, but I’ve offered pardons — I’m the first governor to offer.” pardons several thousand people convicted of misdemeanor.”

According to The Seattle Times, Samantha Pskowski, Inslee’s public health policy adviser, told Senator Salomon in February, “The proposed legislation would create a system for regulating and using psilocybin that is not supported by the available scientific and medical evidence. Now that the bill is more focused on the pilot program, there is hope that Inslee will agree.

dr Anthony Back, a University of Washington researcher who is currently researching psychedelic therapies, told the Seattle Times that this legislation should be passed to help patients in the state. “I think waiting three years or waiting even more years doesn’t do justice to the mental health crisis that I’m seeing now,” Back said.