Maine Senate Passes Psilocybin Bill That Would Legalize Possession, But Not Sales, Of The Psychedelic

The Maine Senate has voted to pass a bill to legalize possession of up to
one ounce of psilocybin by people 21 and older—one day after the House of
Representatives also approved the measure.

Both votes were narrow, with the Senate clearing the legislation 17-16 on
Tuesday and the House passing it 70–69 on Monday.

Each chamber must now take an additional enactment vote before the measure
can go to Gov. Janet Mills (D) to be potentially signed into law or vetoed.

The bill, LD 1034 from Rep. Grayson Lookner (D), would not authorize or
regulate production, distribution or commercial sales of the psychedelic
substance.

Earlier this session, a committee had moved to significantly amend the
proposal to instead simply require the creation of a “Commission to Study
Pathways for Creating a Psilocybin Services Program,” but the legislation
has now been approved by both chambers in its initial, as-introduced form.

Ahead of Monday’s House vote, Lookner called the bill “a matter of
compassion, common sense and justice.”

“We have before us an opportunity to alleviate profound suffering,
particularly among our veterans who have borne the invisible wounds of war,
while correcting an unjust and irrational law that persists only because of
outdated stigma,” he said.

“This bill would simply decriminalize possession of psilocybin for adults
21 years of age and older. It does not legalize sales. It does not create
recreational markets,” the sponsor added. “It simply says that if an adult
chooses to possess this substance for personal use, they should not face
arrest, jail time nor criminal record.”


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The proposal as originally filed had support from advocacy groups such as
ACLU of Maine and the Reason Foundation, which both submitted testimony in
favor of LD 1034 at an initial hearing.

Under the now-abandoned committee amendment to the bill, the study
commission would have needed to submit a report to the legislature by
November 4, 2026 that outlined its findings and recommendations, “including
suggested legislation, for presentation to the joint standing committees”
on criminal justice, public safety, veterans and legal affairs and health
and human services.

The advancement of the measure follows a separate effort in Maine last year
to legalize psilocybin and allow adults to access the psychedelic at
state-licensed facilities. But lawmakers watered down that bill—amending it
to create a commission to further explore the reform instead—and it
ultimately did not pass.

Meanwhile, Maine lawmakers in February voted to investigate possible
conflicts of interest by a top marijuana official.

And last year, a law took effect allowing people to apply to have records
of now-legal marijuana crimes sealed.

Pennsylvania Governor Is ‘Hopeful’ Lawmakers Will Send Marijuana
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Possession, But Not Sales, Of The Psychedelic appeared first on Marijuana
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