NJ Senate panel OKs bill to make legal medicinal mushrooms
By: Katie Sobko
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... A bill that would legalize the production and usage of psilyocybin for therapeutic purpose in New Jersey is on its way to the full Senate for consideration. Psilocybin is the drug found in psychedelic mushrooms.
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The state Senate Budget and Appropriation Committee cleared the bill on Monday [10/07/2024] afternoon, and multiple members stressed that they voted in favor because it is strictly for clinical sue.
..... While state Senator Doug Steinhardt abstained and colleagues - state Senators Carmen Amato and Mike Testa - both cited the testimony as a reason for their votes in favor.
..... "This is not a recreational. This is here to help those who are really struggling and don't want to get addicted to something," said state Senator Paul Sarlo, the Bergen County Democrat who chairs the committee.
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Lauren Dayton, a resident who suffers from cluster headaches and has receive treatment in other states, testified that the condition she has causes excruciating pain akin to childbirth without an epidural and that traditional pain relief treatments don't help. She said treatment can transform the lives of patients like her.
..... "I do not want to get arrested. I do not want to take something laced with something,: she said. "I want to know that it is grown in New Jersey, regulated by New Jersey given in New Jersey under this regulatory scheme."
..... Hannah McLane, a doctor and the founder of the SoundMind Institute, who testified before the committee, highlighted the fact that psilocuybin is not addictive.
..... Another cluster headache sufferer, Joe McKay, said he was a firefighter on September 11 [2001] and has his first attack six months later.
..... "The pain was so intense, I thought I was going to die," he said. "I got diagnosed weeks later with cluster headaches., otherwise known as the suicide headache. Over 70% of us have suicidal ideation."
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After more than a year of looking for medical leave, McKay said, he turned to prescription painkillers and fell into depression. He said he found information on psilocybin Online and now has sued small doses to keep the attack away.
..... The Journal of the American Medical Association published a report last year [2023] saying a single does of treatment provide a "signification sustained reduction" in symptoms of depression without serious "adverse events." similar findings have been published for treatment of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and cluster headaches.
What would the legislation do?
..... The bill, sponsor din the upper chamber by Senator President Nick Scutari and state Senator Joseph Vitale, both Democrats, was first introduced by Scurtari during the last legislative session. It has undergone multiple rounds of reviews and amendments.
..... In the from headed to the Senate floor, the bill would allow for those suffering from certain conditions to have access to the drug in regulated settings.
..... It would first cerate a 15-membr advisory board within the Heath Department to issue recommendation on the roll-out of the program. There would be none members on the board, appointed by the governor, and they would be required to have experience in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
..... Over an 18-month period, the board would be tasked with crating the licensing process, including the qualifications, cost and exam, as well as defining the requirement and guidelines for providing psilocybin to eligible individuals, for tracking products and for access.
..... No licenses would be issued until after the 18-month board process, but they would have to be issued within two years of the date the bill becomes effective. Then it's up to the state health Department to oversee the program.
..... People interested in working in the psilocybin industry will have to be at least 21 and undergo a background check. The bill calls for a social opportunity program, in which applicants must have had a primary residence in a "distressed area" for five of the last 10 years, hire a workforce of whom half reside in a distressed area, or demonstrate an economic need.
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Psilocybin would have to be consumed at a service center and could not be taken home. those receiving treatment or working within the industry would be immune from state drug laws.
..... People getting treatment would need a written certificate signed by a health care professional that says they have a qualifying medical condition.
..... Treatment would come in three parts. The first part would be a "preparation session," where information and treatment plans are verified, as well as consent and safety disclosures. The second part is an "administration session," where the patient receives psilocybin from a service facilitator. That facilitator stays with the patient throughout the session. That is followed by the mandatory "integration session," where a patient receives a therapy session to discuss the treatment and access to follow-up services.
..... If the bill passes, New Jersey would join Oregon and Colorado as the only states with legal, regulated psilocuybin services. The process in Oregon was lengthy as well. Licensing and regulation was passed after being included on the ballot in November 2020, but applications weren't accepted until January 2023.
..... There have since been hundreds of licenses issued, and
psilocybin service centers are open.
..... A companion bill is still in committee in the Assembly.
..... Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com.