Pennsylvania Democrats Hold Hearing On Psychedelic Therapy To Treat Depression

*“There’s a reason the FDA has awarded psilocybin multiple breakthrough
therapy designations for treatment-resistant depression and major
depressive disorder.”*

*By Christina Lengyel, The Center Square*

Mental health care providers are rediscovering new uses for old medicines.

Recent findings demonstrating the efficacy of psilocybin, the active
ingredient in magic mushrooms, have led some lawmakers to reconsider their
classification as drugs of abuse.

Among the drugs’ most stalwart supporters are military veterans who have
seen psychedelics benefit otherwise intractable cases of post-traumatic
stress disorder, or PTSD.

Marine Corps veteran and firefighter Ryan Gardill, president of the Manheim
Township Professional Firefighters Association and a peer support
coordinator, offered his perspective at a meeting of the House Democratic
Policy Committee. He said in his line of work, there are twice as many
suicide deaths to line-of-duty deaths annually.

“You know, everyone that I’ve seen go through this, they’re experiencing
the same problems,” said Gardill. “The therapy was OK, but the therapy
focused on the past and didn’t focus on the future, and that to me was what
was most important.”

Gardill offered his own experience as a suicide survivor, but he wasn’t
alone. Brett Waters, attorney and founder of advocacy group Reason for
Hope, recalled a positive college experience with psilocybin after losing
his mother to suicide and entering treatment himself.

“There’s a reason the FDA has awarded psilocybin multiple breakthrough
therapy designations for treatment-resistant depression and major
depressive disorder,” said Waters. “It may be significantly more effective
than existing treatments with potential to provide rapid, robust and
durable relief.”

Waters is referencing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Clinical research into the use of psychedelic drugs began decades ago,
though early adopters saw development stunted after the drugs became
associated with the counter-cultural movements of the 1960s.

In the 21st century, renewed interest has led to trials for conditions like
PTSD, anxiety, depression, smoking cessation, and even as palliative care
for patients nearing the end of their lives. The results have been
encouraging.

With 38 states legalizing medical marijuana use, legislatures have by and
large indicated a willingness to reexamine past policies in light of new
findings. For psychedelic use, it’s an issue with a fair amount of
bipartisan support.

In 2024 state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Red Hill, herself a veteran,
announced her intention to introduce a bill that would expand the state’s
Right-to-Try Act to veterans seeking 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine,
more commonly known as MDMA, or psilocybin therapy for PTSD. A bill never
followed.

Nevertheless, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Allentown, said that some of his
colleagues in the Democratic party lost primary elections due to their
support for the treatment. He asked how the issue could be destigmatized.

“When we respond to someone’s home for a call, we don’t look to see if
you’re a Republican or a Democrat,” said Gardill. “Because we are nonbiased
and we are bipartisan when we respond to calls, we would hope that the
search to cure our issues are also bipartisan.”

Ketamine, a commonly used anesthetic, has received FDA approval for
treatment-resistant depression and is administered in therapeutic offices
under the supervision of clinicians. Though psychiatrists caution that,
like most treatments, it’s an imperfect solution, it has proven to be
effective for stubborn mental health obstacles.

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Psychiatrist Dr. Michael Thase, who specialized in treatment-resistant
depression, noted that psychedelic drugs like ketamine and psilocybin
typically demonstrate if they’re effective within a few days of the initial
treatment. For ketamine, treatments may require regular visits while
psilocybin’s benefits may last up to six months.

Still, neither drug is considered a first-resort. Most patients have to go
through a litany of therapies and pharmaceuticals like selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors – known also as SSRIs – before doctors determine that
they have a resistant form of the disease.

Compass Pathways, a biotech company, has created a synthetic version of
psilocybin. They say when their drug is approved by the FDA, they want
people in Pennsylvania to have access. Pennsylvania is not among states
whose trigger laws reschedule drugs in light of federal changes. Echoing
Waters, they argued before the panel in favor of updating the state’s
regulatory systems to allow patients to utilize medicines as they become
available.

The doctors present also argued that expanded mental health care would have
an economic impact. Thase pointed to increased unemployment rates among
those with depression as well as higher rates of diseases like obesity,
diabetes, and heart disease.

“Treating depression and mental illness helps every other type of medical
illness. It saves on health care costs in the long run. Insurance companies
and governments, they don’t look at that,” said Orr. “They don’t look at
the long-term effects of increasing efficiency at the workplace, at the
home, less accidents, less divorces—none of this. It’s one of the most
important things in medicine to have a healthy mind so you can then have a
healthy body, not so much the reverse.”

*This story was first published by The Center Square.*

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