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New Hampshire Lawmakers Take Up Bipartisan Bills To Legalize Psilocybin For Medical Use

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5 months ago

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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.

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We don’t really deal with a lot of mites because of our IPM program

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19 hours ago

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June 9, 2026

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Flora Farms Pest Management Program it is built to reduce to nothing depending on the harvestso the plant ends up clean. Luke Allenbrand, Flora Farms’ crop leader, leads an integrated pest management program that focuses on prevention. “We don’t honestly deal with a lot of mites because of the IPM program, because of the predatory mites that we’ve put down as a precaution,” says Luke. “It allows us to have a much cleaner garden in the back half.” Preventative work keeps spray volumes relatively low because the curative side of the program rarely needs to be heavy.

“Actually, we are at the lowest number of these sprays that we have. The milliliters that we are using are numbers that do not exist to be a prevention,” says Luke. “But as soon as you see an uptick of those mites or anything, we bring it up to a therapeutic amount, which is still a small milliliter. And as long as you’re on a fast track with it, you see them disappear within 10 days.” The targets are spider mites, which feed on the plant’s THC and terpene production and degrade the flower.

© Flora Farms

Tested solutions
The three products used by the company are derived from agricultural and food use. “We actually apply about three insecticides that are very common around the agricultural and food grade of these products, using a suite of IPM, Venerate and Grandevo, insecticides that will deal with these mites,” says Luke. The application is intermittent rather than constant. “We usually use a 5-day spray cycle so we can have rest periods in between, so it’s not just a consistent density of that spray,” says Luke. He sees progress against mites in the gaps between the successions.

However, at some point, the spraying stops. “We finish the spray cycle by day 40. We usually don’t want to spray anywhere after day 40. At that point, you’re going to damage the product,” says Luke. “And at that point, we’ll put predatory mites in. It really helps us get to that final push point by day 59, 60 of that harvest. So we actually have a lot less of our spray in that late period. So it’s a much better tasting product.” Predatory mites take over the job of spraying, leaving nothing on the flower.

Biological control
Biological control has two forms. “We usually use them, they’re called crazy mites, and honestly, it’s crazy to see,” says Luke. “Actually, I’ve seen some of the ones in a close-up photo kill a bug, some of the cocoons actually drive away, and even attack the spider mites themselves. Very beneficial. Callias are also slow. They’re little bags that we hang on plants and they’re very beneficial to us.” Different predators work at different speeds, which is why the program runs more than one.

Missouri’s testing regime is the context in which growers operate. Each plant is tested for pest control chemicals and must pass before the product goes ahead. “Other crops and other black market shops or smoke shops in Missouri don’t have to worry about the testing we have to do,” Luke says. “Everything we use here is natural. Each of our pest management is a lot of essential oils that fight these mites. Everything we would put on a plant is food grade.” The test covers foreign chemicals, heavy metals, and anything else that an unregulated supply should never consider.

The whole arc is from biology to chemistry and back to biology. “We go from predatory mites to a food-grade spray regimen, and then back to predatory mites at the end. That way, these plants will have time to finish with no chemicals, nothing,” says Luke. “The rest of that life cycle, about 15 to 20 days, is the most natural it will have. No spraying at all during that, just to push predatory mites off that end, so there’s no residual mite damage on those plants.”

For more information:
Flower Farms
florafarmsmo.com

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California Bill To Legalize Marijuana Dispensary Drive-Thru Windows Advances In Senate After Clearing Full Assembly

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19 hours ago

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June 9, 2026

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It has been passed by a California Senate committee and passed by the Assembly bill that would allow marijuana dealers to offer car windows to serve customers.

The measure, which cleared the Senate Business, Careers and Economic Development Committee on a 7-3 vote Monday, says licensed cannabis retailers and micro-businesses with storefronts can sell marijuana products “in a motor vehicle to a customer in a drive-through located on the premises.”

Under Assemblywoman Gail Peller’s (D) AB 2697, cannabis businesses would need permission from the local jurisdictions in which they operate to add a drive-thru.

The sponsor told committee members before the final vote that the bill will “expand access to legal cannabis products while strengthening our ability to compete with the illegal market.”

Annie Aubrey of Chuck’s Wellness Center, a retailer in Placerville, testified that the legislation is “about improving access.”

“A large portion of our customers use cannabis as medicine, including seniors, veterans and people living with chronic conditions that affect mobility, the population that this regulated system seeks to serve,” he said. “For many, even simple tasks like getting out of a vehicle or navigating a retail space can be physically difficult or prohibitive…A drive-thru option removes that barrier, giving patients and consumers access to what they need in a way that’s dignified and consistent with their healthcare needs.”

Amy O’Gorman Jenkins of the California Cannabis Operators Association said the legislation will provide “operational flexibility” in a highly regulated system.

“It doesn’t expand who can access cannabis,” he said. “It allows retailers, with local approval, to serve existing patients and customers more efficiently.”

Jenkins also argued that this measure could improve security.

“Currently, road traction transactions are already allowed. This means that workers regularly have to leave a safe premises while transporting the product, and sometimes they have to deposit cash in parking lots,” he said. “AB 2697 provides an additional mechanism for obtaining product, but requires a fixed and secure transaction point, keeping employees inside and reducing exposure to theft.”

Pellerin, the bill’s sponsor, previously said that “California cannabis retailers lack a common and accessible transaction channel for consumers that so many other retailers in California offer, including fast food, pharmacies, banks and even liquor stores.”

“Cannabis consumers with mobility issues or other disabilities have limited options for obtaining cannabis without having to get out of their vehicles. And while home delivery is legal, there are restrictions on service areas,” he said. “Allowing cannabis sellers to add a secure ride option, if allowed by their local jurisdiction, will improve the consumer experience, increase the security of cannabis sellers and help expand California’s legal cannabis market.”

The California Association of Narcotics Officers opposes the proposal, however, as a representative, Ryan Sherman, testified that it would make it more difficult for dispensary workers to check the IDs of customers who are of legal age or to spot signs of current intoxication at drive-thru windows.

“This bill prioritizes speed of sale over public safety while undermining existing protections designed to prevent illegal sales and protect public safety,” he argued.

Under current policy during the COVID pandemic, dispensaries can already offer street pickup.

The invoice that moving forward in the legislature would mandate that auto sales “be made through a fixed panel security window with a security drawer or similar secure transfer mechanism that is part of a building located within the premises.”

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
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California regulators recently approved emergency rule changes to the state’s marijuana licensing process. to make it easier for companies to receive benefits In line with the Trump administration’s latest move to federally regulate medical cannabis.

While Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently He took credit for helping lead the state’s push to legalize marijuana and discussed his limited experience with cannabis use.

In October, however, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have It allowed micro-marijuana companies to ship medicinal cannabis directly to patients Through common carriers like FedEx and UPS, he said the proposal would be “too burdensome and complex to manage.”

Newsom signed a bill earlier this month streamlining research into marijuana and psychedelics.

In September, the governor also signed a measure pause on the recent tax increase on marijuana products.

Separately, the state attorney general says Indian tribes cannot independently participate in the marijuana trade with licensed cannabis businesses without obtaining their own commercial license from state officials.

California officials have recently been rewarded nearly $30 million in grants for marijuana-focused academic research projects.

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Concert Series Specials launched for state medical cannabis patients

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2 days ago

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June 8, 2026

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Post Dispensary, Kentucky’s first medical cannabis dispensary, is connecting with patients in Owensboro, Henderson, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Madisonville, Hopkinsville and surrounding areas by aligning unique specials with the region’s summer concert calendar. Located at 300 N Main St. in Beaver Dam, minutes from major highways connecting these vibrant cities.

This summer, The Post Dispensary is offering special pricing and incentives for Concert Series Events at the Beaver Dam Amphitheater, SPARKS in the Park 4th of July celebration and surrounding events, such as Owensboro’s ROMP Festival (June 24-27, 2026). Patients can stop by before or after shows for big savings.

“We’re more than just a booty,” said a dispensary representative. “From Owensboro’s world-class ROMP Festival to Beaver Dam’s Amphitheater events, we’re making it convenient and budget-friendly for patients in Owensboro, Henderson, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Hartford and beyond to combine our love of music with compassionate care and an affordable product.”

The Post Dispensary hosts regular Patient Guidance events on the second Saturday of every month. These units have professionals on hand to assess patients and issue written certificates at low cost, application support and expert consultations in a welcoming environment. The next Patient Drive aligns perfectly with summer travel patterns, making it easy for patients from Owensboro, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown, Madisonville, Henderson, Madisonville and surrounding towns to plan a trip to Beaver Dam that combines care with community and entertainment.

For more information:
Post-Dispensary
thepostdispensary.com/










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