Iowa Governor Vetoes Bill To Let Doctors Prescribe Psilocybin After Federal Approval Of The Psychedelic

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has vetoed a bill that would have allowed
doctors in the state to immediately prescribe a form of psilocybin in the
event of federal approval of the psychedelic substance by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).

Reynolds, who announced her veto of a number of bills on Wednesday, said
the lawmaker-approved legislation “surrenders state authority to make an
informed determination about classification to federal officials at the
FDA.”

The measure, HF 383, passed the Senate in April on a 47–0 vote after
clearing the House 92–0 in February. If enacted, it would have reclassified
the a form of psilocybin known as “crystalline polymorph psilocybin”—also
known as COMP 360—in the event of FDA approval, allowing doctors and
pharmacists to prescribe and dispense it in the state.

Similar measures were considered by other states this year, including Colorado—where
Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed it into law—and Virginia, where it was vetoed
by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).

“I recognize and respect the growing body of research into the potential
therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for mental health conditions such as
depression and PTSD,” Reynolds’s veto statement of the Iowa measure said.
“However, this bill, in its current form, moves ahead of where our public
health systems, regulatory frameworks, and law enforcement infrastructure
are prepared to go at this time.”

“Psilocybin should first be FDA approved and rescheduled by the DEA before the
State of Iowa considers rescheduling,” the governor added. “The pathway
provided by this bill for legalization of psilocybin at the state level
before we have a chance to review federal action and prepare robust,
federally aligned guidelines and safeguards creates legal uncertainty,
poses risks for misuse, and could undermine broader efforts to ensure safe
and effective therapeutic use in the future.”

Reynolds framed the veto action as “not a dismissal of the emerging science
or the sincere advocacy behind this legislation” but instead as “a call for
a more deliberate and Iowa-centric approach—one that engages state and
federal partners, provides time to review any clinical studies and federal
changes, and builds a framework for any future therapeutic access that is
clear, safe, equitable, and medically sound.”

In addition to sending HF 383 to the governor’s desk this year, state
lawmakers also considered a more far-reaching psilocybin bill, HF 978. That
GOP-led proposal, which House lawmakers passed 84–6 in April, would have
legalized psilocybin use for up to 5,000 patients through a state
psychiatric treatment program. It has not moved in the Senate, however,
since April.


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Whether FDA moves forward with approving either substance is uncertain. The
agency faced criticism last year after it rejected an application to allow
MDMA-assisted therapy for people with PTSD.

However, some advocates and stakeholders are holding out hope that the
tides could shift under the Trump administration, as the president has
nominated several cabinet officials who back psychedelics reform, including
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) that oversees FDA.

Other states weighing reform around psilocybin this session included Maine,
Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Missouri.

In Iowa this year, meanwhile, lawmakers also considered legislation that could
have doubled the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the state.

As for adult-use cannabis legalization, Republican elected officials in the
state have been broadly opposed despite arguments from advocates that a
regulated market could bring in significant state tax revenue.

DEA Judge Denies Agency’s Request To Block Witnesses In Hearing Challenging
Proposed Psychedelics Ban

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