Utah Lawmakers Pass Bill To Support Clinical Trials On Psychedelics For Veterans’ Mental Health

Utah lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor that would promote clinical
trials into the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for military
veterans with serious mental health conditions.

After advancing through the House last month, the Senate passed the
legislation from Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost (D) and Senate Majority
Leader Kirk Cullimore (R) on Wednesday, sending it to Gov. Spencer Cox (R)
for final approval.

The proposal would authorize the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the
University of Utah to conduct a clinical trial investigating the “safety
and feasibility” of psychedelics—including psilocybin, MDMA and DMT—among
veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The trial would be able to go forward if Huntsman received funding through
legislative appropriations and donations that match or exceed the amount
required for the study. Results from the trail would need to be reported to
the legislature’s Health and Human Services Interim Committee.

Participants in the study would need to receive the psychedelic treatment
in a controlled clinical setting with a qualified therapist who can
deliver “trauma-informed preparatory and integrative psychotherapy to the
individual before and after administration of the psychedelic drug,” the
text of the bill, HB 390, says.

If enacted into law, the study would be expected to begin by January 1,
2027. However, the Huntsman Institute could continue to accept donations
after that point if they were unable to reach the funding goal in time.

Researchers would have to ensure compliance with both state and federal
law, including conducting the trial under a Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) investigational new drug application and maintaining Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) authorization to study Schedule I drugs under federal
law.

The bill’s advancement comes about two years after the governor allowed a
bill to become law without his signature that authorizes a pilot program
for hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA as an alternative treatment
option.


*— Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug
policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon
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Meanwhile, last year, a federal judge ruled against Utah state and county
officials in a lawsuit challenging their prosecution of a Provo City-based
religious group that uses the psychedelic fungi as sacrament. That
came after U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parrish granted Singularism’s motion
for a temporary injunction and ordered police to return psilocybin that was
seized last year as part of a raid at its spiritual center.

Separately, a Utah lawmaker in January filed a bill for the 2026 session
that would decriminalize marijuana and make it so that people caught
possessing small amounts of cannabis would not face the threat of jail time
for first-time offenses.

Utah does have legal medical cannabis under a law the legislature passed in
2018. And that program has significantly grown in the years since, with the
state confirming last year that more than 100,000 patients were registered
to participate.

*Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.*

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Psychedelics For Veterans’ Mental Health appeared first on Marijuana Moment.