Virginia House Republicans voted against a bill that would have allowed doctors to prescribe psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” for the treatment of a small set of mental health conditions.
A Republican-led House Judiciary subcommittee voted 5-2 on Wednesday to defeat the legislation in a way that leaves open the possibility of reviewing it later, television station WRIC reported.
The measure was sponsored by Del. Dawn Adams, a nurse practitioner who tried unsuccessfully last year to decriminalize psilocybin. The bill would have allowed doctors to prescribe the hallucinogen for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life anxiety. Adams told the television station that a growing body of research supports the use of psilocybin in such cases.
Adams said his bill took the same approach as a 2015 law that won Republican approval and opened the door for CBD use.
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“We are not trying to make it legal. We’re just trying to make it not illegal for certain people,” Adams said.
No one spoke out against the bill during public comment, according to the station, but some Republicans said they weren’t ready to support it.
The Republican-led Virginia House panel voted against a bill allowing doctors to prescribe “magic mushrooms.”
Del. Rob Bell, who chairs the House Committee on the Courts of Justice, said the issue was too complex for this year’s short legislative session.
A Senate bill that has yet to receive a hearing would establish an advisory board to develop a plan to “establish therapeutic access to psilocybin services” and monitor federal laws and regulations.
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Other states have recently taken steps to open the door to the legal use of psilocybin.
In November 2020, Oregon became the first state to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin mushrooms. Colorado voters last year approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms for people 21 and older and to create state-regulated “healing centers” where participants can experience the drug under supervision.
