Indiana Senate advances bill to fund psilocybin research
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS) -- Lawmakers in Indiana are moving forward with a bill that could someday allow funding for therapeutic psilocybin research.
Psilocybin is the key molecule in psychedelic mushrooms.
While psilocybin remains illegal in most of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration in 2018 designated it a "breakthrough therapy." Last summer, the FDA published draft guidance for researchers designing clinical trials for psychedelic drugs.
Experts say the psilocybin can help people more easily to address traumatic experiences – and help the brain make new connections.
Indiana Senate Bill 139 – authored by state Sens. Ed Charbonneau (R-Valparaiso) and Tyler Johnson (R-Leo-Cedarville) – sets up a therapeutic psilocybin research fund to be administered by the Indiana Department of Health. The fund will provide assistance to Indiana research institutions to study the use of psilocybin to treat mental health and other medical conditions.
Any study that receives a grant will need to conduct a clinical study and submit a report on it to multiple state agencies.
On Wednesday, the Indiana Senate committee on Public Health overwhelmingly approved the measure. It now heads to the state Senate Ways and Means committee for approval.