New Jersey Lawmakers Approve Medical Psilocybin Program

New Jersey lawmakers this week sent a bill to Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) desk
seeking to establish a two-year pilot program for medicinal psilocybin,
NorthJersey.com reports.

Sponsored by New Jersey state Senate President Nick Scutari (D), the
proposal would regulate the production and therapeutic use of psilocybin,
the compound found in psychedelic mushrooms. The New Jersey Senate and
Assembly passed the bill, dubbed the “Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access
and Services Act,” on January 12.

“I think it’s a real opportunity for New Jersey to lead an area of medicine
that is groundbreaking.” — Scutari, via NorthJersey.com

The bill would establish an 18-member Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access
and Services Advisory Board under the Department of Health. The board would
be tasked with both creating regulations and reporting to elected officials.

The bill would also expunge previous, psilocybin-related offenses.

If the bill becomes law, New Jersey would become the third state with a
medicinal psilocybin program, following in the footsteps of Oregon and
Colorado. Last year, advocates in Alaska were approved to begin collecting
signatures for a 2026 psychedelics legalization initiative, but the
campaign announced after several months that it would refocus its efforts
on the 2028 ballot.