New Hampshire lawmakers on Wednesday took up a pair of bipartisan bills to legalize the regulated use of psilocybin for medical purposes.

At a hearing before the House Health, Human Services and Aging Committee, members heard public testimony on the proposals: HB 1809 by Rep. Buzz Scherr (D) and HB 1796 by Rep. Michael Moffett (R).

Both measures seek to create a regulatory pathway for patients with certain conditions to access psychedelics for therapeutic use through a program overseen by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). But Moffett’s legislation has more mandates about the regulatory framework.

“I’m hardly a major supporter of a measure like this,” Moffett told lawmakers at the hearing, saying he’s “always been very wary and skeptical” of psychedelics and has “always been averse to marijuana for many reasons, including the fact that I was constantly drug tested over many years in the Marine Corps and developed zero tolerance for illegal drug use.”

He said he changed his mind after seeing a presentation on psychedelic therapies at a national veterans conference last summer, where he learned that “a psilocybin treatment option can work for almost anyone, beyond military or ex-military.”

Scher, for his part, said that “a large amount of research is currently being done on the therapeutic uses of psilocybin.”

“Research to help those with treatment-resistant depression is pretty important right now,” he said. “Research is being developed on its broader use for those suffering from other types of PTSD. Research is also being developed on its use with people with other types of substance abuse.”

Jenny O’Higgins of the state Department of Health and Human Services said officials have some concerns about the lack of matching funds in Moffett’s legislation, saying the department “wouldn’t be able to absorb” the program under its current budget.

A representative of Smart Approaches to Marijuana’s New Hampshire affiliate testified against the proposals, saying psilocybin is an illegal Schedule I drug. He also argued that there is insufficient evidence to support the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.

Here are the main provisions HB 1809:

• DHHS would be responsible for approving licensed medical professionals who are able to act as psilocybin providers for patients.
• To qualify for the program, patients must be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, or another condition approved by an advisory board and DHHS.
• The legislation specifically states that only natural psilocybin could be administered, excluding synthetic versions of the psychedelic.
• Suppliers would also have to be approved by the department to grow and harvest their psilocybin products.
• The process of treating qualifying patients with psychedelics should include a preparation session, an administration session, and an integration session.
• A Medical Psilocybin Advisory Committee would be established, consisting of a DHHS representative, a qualified patient, a veterans advocate, and eight medical professionals.
  • Those medical experts should include a psychedelic researcher, two regulators overseeing existing medical psilocybin programs, and specialists in addiction treatment, palliative care, veterans affairs, naturopathy, nursing and mental health counseling.
• The commission would look at DHHS’ data on patient outcomes, add requirements for participation in the program and decide whether to expand the law.
• The program would be implemented if the advisory committee, within two years of the bill’s passage, notifies lawmakers, regulators and the governor that it can be effectively administered.

“The medical community has always recognized that patients have serious conditions that are highly resistant to effective treatments,” reads a statement of purpose for the measure. “Recently, studies have begun to show that some of these patients have had positive outcomes with closely supervised use of psilocybin for treatment.”

“Patients with significant post-traumatic stress disorder, treatment-resistant clinical depression, and severe substance use disorder have been shown to benefit from controlled, therapeutic use of psilocybin in a supervised setting,” he says. “The purpose of this action is to create a carefully controlled and closely supervised environment in which an approved medical provider can treat a carefully selected patient with appropriate doses of psilocybin produced by the same provider for a medical intervention.”

Here are the main details HB 1796:

• The bill would allow for the regulated use of psilocybin in a medically supervised setting, and DHHS would be responsible for overseeing the program.
• To be eligible for psilocybin treatment, a patient 21 years of age or older must be diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, substance abuse disorder, a terminal illness requiring end-of-life care, or any other condition authorized by DHHS.
• A Psilocybin Licensing Board under the department will be responsible for licensing independent medical psilocybin suppliers, therapy providers, cultivation and testing laboratories.
• There would be specific guidelines for facilities where psychedelics can be administered, including safety requirements and other safety protocols, such as ensuring that rescue medication is on site in case a patient experiences an adverse event.
• The legislation would also establish a Psilocybin Therapeutic Treatment Fund, which would be funded by revenue from licensing taxes and fees. The funds would go towards studies on the possibility of expanding the program to include additional psychedelics in the program.
• If the law is approved, it would take effect on January 1, 2027.

“The purpose of the Therapeutic Psilocybin Act is to allow the beneficial use of psilocybin for the relief of qualified medical conditions in a regulated system,” the bill’s purpose statement reads.

The chances of the bill moving forward this session are unclear, but lawmakers have become increasingly active in recent years in support of psychedelic reform.

Last June, the New Hampshire Senate voted to repeal the compromise legislation It would lower the state’s criminal penalty for first-time possession of psilocybin also creating mandatory minimum sentences for fentanyl.

As originally introduced, the legislation would completely remove the penalties for obtaining, purchasing, transporting, possessing or using psilocybin, effectively legalizing it on an off-trade basis. However a The House Committee amended the bill before it could advance unanimously last march

Meanwhile in New Hampshire, the House last week passed a bill to legalize marijuana in the state– Although his chances of passing to the Senate remain doubtful, and the governor has expressed a clear position against the reform.

Also last week, the chamber approved a proposal to make medical cannabis dispensaries into non-profit businesses.

The legalization bill sponsored by Rep. Jared Sullivan (D) is one of several cannabis proposals filed for the 2026 session, including legislation by Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D) that seeks to put a constitutional amendment on the state ballot. let voters decide whether they want to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older“having a modest amount of cannabis for their personal use.”

Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has already threatened to veto the legalization bill that reaches his desk, even though the proposal to amend the Constitution would not require gubernatorial action.

The governor said in August his position on the reform it would not change, even if the federal government moved forward with reorganizing the plant. Since then, President Donald Trump has ordered the attorney general to complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

At a committee meeting last year, Sullivan ultimately made a persuasive argument for moving forward with his legalization bill, pointing out. The House has repeatedly passed similar legislation and that the House should stand its ground, forcing the Senate and the governor to once again oppose a policy that is popular with voters.

“We know where it’s going. Let’s send a virtue signal,” Sullivan said. “Let them be the ones to piss off the voters who care about this.”

Meanwhile, the House also passed a bill by Rep. Wendy Thomas (D) last week allow medical marijuana dispensaries (known in the state as “alternative treatment centers” or ATCs) to convert their dispensary licenses into nonprofit entities.. HB 54, which adopted a concurrence schedule with other laws, had previously advanced unanimously out of the House Finance Committee.

Part of the motivation behind the legislation is the fact that medical marijuana dispensaries are not for-profit federal states. But in the state, they are considered non-profit organizations, which has disproportionately increased their operating costs.

Other bills introduced in 2026 include two proposals to protect the gun rights of medical cannabis patients.

There’s also some legislation aimed at regulating the sale of hemp, an issue that’s getting a lot of attention since Congress passed and Trump signed an appropriations bill that would effectively re-criminalize most consumable hemp products.

Meanwhile, after the House added provisions to a bill passed by the Senate last year that would have allowed medical marijuana patients to grow cannabis at home, those measures were removed in the conference.

user photo CostaPPR.