HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, we have the opportunity to kickstart the first natural psychedelic-assisted therapy services on the East Coast by approving ballot question number 4 in the fall. Similar to the ballot questions that passed in Oregon and Colorado, this initiative aims to establish a regulated, therapeutic framework for natural psychedelic-assisted therapy in Massachusetts.
Our mental health crisis is in dire need of solutions. Overdose deaths from substance abuse are shockingly high and millions of Americans are debilitated by post-traumatic stress disorder without effective treatment options. Natural psychedelics provide a promising, necessary, and research-backed opportunity for healing where traditional therapies have fallen short. We can all get behind treatments to alleviate these profound problems, and in Massachusetts we can create access to life-saving healthcare by voting yes on ballot question four.
Current mental health treatment options such as cognitive processing therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing have been beneficial for some patients; however, many continue to be debilitated by symptoms following treatment. A 2021 study on the effectiveness of treatments for military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder found that two-thirds of participants still fit the diagnostic criteria for PTSD following treatment. Even the third of participants who were classified as in remission following treatment continued to experience PTSD symptoms. After exhausting traditional treatment options and without access to psychedelic therapy, many patients have nowhere to turn, leading to an increased sense of hopelessness and desperation.
Within the past five years, psychedelic assisted therapy has gained momentum as a source of relief for Americans suffering with extreme mental health challenges such as PTSD, severe anxiety, major depression, and substance use disorders.
Studies conducted by leading institutions such as Johns Hopkins, New York University, and Dana Farber Cancer Center demonstrate the efficacy of psilocybin in mental health treatment, particularly for alcohol abuse, major depression, and severe anxiety. Empirical research alongside the anecdotal evidence from individuals who have found relief through psychedelics speaks for itself. We have the responsibility to alleviate suffering in this country, and the research shows we have that ability. We must reduce barriers to psychedelic treatment in order to maximize healing.
Following the Food and Drug Administration’s designation of psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for severe depression, Oregon and Colorado have gotten the ball rolling with psychedelic-related legislation in the US. Their ballot referenda decriminalized and created access to certain natural psychedelic therapies, passing in 2020 in Oregon and 2022 in Colorado. After two and a half years drafting rules and regulations for psilocybin therapy programs, Oregon’s facilitation centers opened in June 2023. Since then, over 3,500 clients have been served in the state and 27 licensed service centers have been operating.
Though still in the process of drafting regulations for its program, Colorado’s ballot measure will remove criminal penalties for limited personal use of natural psychedelics and create the regulated natural medicine access program for licensed healing centers to administer natural medicine services. The program is estimated to launch in 2025.
More recently, in March 2024, Utah legislators unanimously approved a Republican-led Senate bill establishing a pilot program for psilocybin and MDMA (ecstasy) treatment options at two facilities: the University of Utah and Intermountain Health. The program took effect on May 1 and is set to end in three years, collecting data all the while to inform future programs.
The enthusiasm from the Utah legislature in a largely Republican state, in contrast to the mainly democratic legislatures in Colorado and Oregon, speaks to the bipartisan support that psychedelic-assisted therapy garners.
Beyond the recent action in Oregon, Colorado, and Utah, psychedelic-related legislation is gaining momentum on a national scale. Legislators throughout the country have unified in the effort to create access to psychedelic-assisted therapy for Americans. Currently, there are 29 states that either have active legislation, or already passed psychedelic-related legislation. Pending and approved bills range from supporting psychedelic research, to establishing advisory groups, to decriminalization, to legalization for therapeutic treatments. With varying degrees of legislative support, Americans have expressed widespread interest and enthusiasm for psychedelic-assisted therapy access.
Mental illness knows no boundaries when it comes to geographic location, political party, or socioeconomic status. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, there has been a reported 38 percent increase in mental healthcare patients in the country. People with serious mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder have a shocking 20 to 25 year reduction in life expectancy; they are clearly not receiving sufficient lifesaving care to support their recovery.
Over 6,000 veterans commit suicide every year, 107,941 drug overdose deaths occurred in 2022, and 32.3 percent of US adults have anxiety or depression symptoms. There is an emergent need for more effective therapeutic interventions in the US and psychedelic-assisted therapy is a powerful tool to add to the arsenal when traditional forms of treatment have proven ineffective. Yes on question four this November is the crucial next step in addressing the mental health crisis in Massachusetts.
Lindsay Sabadosa is a state representative from Northampton and Jamie Eldridge is a state senator from Acton.
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