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Psychedelics Bills Filed In Four More States As 2023 Reform Efforts Heat Up

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Another series of psychedelics reform bills have been introduced in states from New Hampshire to Hawaii, building on the movement that’s seen exceptional activity in the 2023 session.

The proposed legislation ranges in scope, but legislators across the aisle are making their interest in the issue clear this year.

More than a dozen psychedelics bills have been filed in legislatures throughout the U.S. in recent weeks—from modest proposals to establish advisory boards that would study the issue to broader ones that would legalize substances like psilocybin for therapeutic use.

Here’s a rundown of the latest proposals since Marijuana Moment’s last roundup of psychedelics legislation: 

Hawaii

Numerous psychedelics bills have been introduced in the Aloha State.

Sen. Ron Kouchi (D) filed a bill to create a “therapeutic psilocybin working group” that would be tasked with studying the “medicinal and therapeutic effects of psilocybin or psilocybin-based products” for conditions such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The body would also need to look into the efficacy of therapeutic psilocybin programs that are being implemented in Colorado and Oregon.

Members would have to “determine and develop a long-term strategic plan to ensure the safe availability and accessibility of affordable, therapeutic psilocybin

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Senators Push VA To Create Medical Marijuana ‘Standard Of Care’ As Rescheduling Process Finishes

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A group of nine U.S. senators is calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to “expeditiously” develop a standard of care for veterans using medical marijuana and allow the department’s doctors to recommend cannabis to patients in light of the Biden administration’s proposal to reclassify the drug.

In a letter led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) that was sent to VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Friday, the coalition said that the Justice Department’s proposal to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) necessitates a reevaluation of the department’s own marijuana policies.

This comes just a week after a Senate committee approved a relevant amendment to a large-scale spending bill sponsored by Merkley that would allow VA doctors to discuss and recommend medical marijuana to patients living in legal states.

Given that the administration is moving to reschedule cannabis, “we urge the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to expeditiously produce a VA-approved standard of care for medical cannabis,” the senators wrote. “We also strongly recommend issuing clear guidance allowing and preparing Veterans Health Administration (VHA) providers to discuss, recommend, and assist patients in qualifying for enrollment in state-legal medical cannabis programs following

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Bipartisan Lawmakers Seek To Remove Marijuana Rescheduling Ban From Key Spending Bill

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Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are seeking to remove a controversial section of a spending bill that would block the Justice Department from rescheduling marijuana—one of several cannabis- and psychedelics-related amendments to appropriations legislation that have been filed in recent days.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced on Wednesday that she introduced the amendment to strike the rescheduling restriction that’s currently included in the 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) spending bill.

In a video filmed with cannabis lobbyist Don Murphy at the Republican National Committee (RNC) convention, Mace said that “we want to make sure rescheduling happens,” even if her preference would be to fully deschedule marijuana as would be accomplished under her States Reform Act.

“We’re doing all we can,” the congresswoman said.

If you think #cannabis (Schedule 3) isn’t being discussed on the floor of the RNC convention, you’d be wrong. @RepNancyMace pic.twitter.com/qAiaU3226e

— Don Murphy (@donmurphy12a) July 18, 2024

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) also introduced an amendment to the CJS measure that would similarly strike the scheduling restriction section, which was adopted by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this month. That GOP-led panel also rejected a separate amendment to remove the section.

GOP senators have separately tried

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DeSantis’s Marijuana Opposition Campaign In Florida Raises Just $10,000 As Pro-Legalization Committee Rakes In Tens Of Millions

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) recently launched political action committee opposing a marijuana legalization ballot initiative has so far raised only $10,000—just 1/6,000th of the amount of money that’s poured into the effort to pass the cannabis measure.

As of last week, the DeSantis “Florida Freedom Fund” has only raised $10,000 in contributions—all coming from a former Republican congressman representing Pennsylvania, campaign finance records from the Division of Elections records show. By contrast, the Smart & Safe Florida campaign behind the marijuana initiative has raised over $60 million.

Of course, the PAC founded by the governor only launched in May, whereas the cannabis campaign has been active since late 2022. Even so, the early numbers seem to signal a lack of enthusiasm among prospective donors about supporting the effort to derail marijuana legalization, as well as an abortion rights proposal that the DeSantis committee is also seeking to defeat.

Former U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA), the DeSantis committee’s sole donor—voted against numerous amendment in Congress to shield state marijuana laws from federal interference. He also opposed measures on cannabis banking and to allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana.

The campaign finance data was first reported by

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