State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — February 2025

This post is part of an ongoing series summarizing state-based psychedelic reforms intended for policy professionals.

Legislative action

The 2025 legislative season opened with a wide variety of psychedelic-related proposals across many states.

Connecticut

• Connecticut House Bill 5456 (multiple sponsors) would allow for psilocybin to be used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, although the full bill language is not yet available.

Massachusetts

After the failure of Ballot Question 4 last year, Massachusetts lawmakers filed several bills:

• House Docket 188, from state Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-22nd Middlesex), would decriminalize psilocybin by making possession of less than one gram subject to a $100 fine. It also tasks the department to oversee a harm reduction grants program

• House Docket 4017, from state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-1st Hampshire), would establish a pilot program with nonprofit therapeutic centers offering psilocybin treatment for mental and physical health needs.

• House Docket 4196, from state Rep. Marjorie Decker (D-25th Middlesex), would task the Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a pilot psilocybin therapy program.

• Senate Docket 1624, from state Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-4th Middlesex). Under this bill, DPH would establish a pilot program for clinical psilocybin therapy. It prohibits these programs from being owned by “cannabis industry organizations, psychedelic molecule development companies or pharmaceutical companies”.

• House Docket 1003, from state Rep. Patrick Joseph Kearney (D-4th Plymouth) calls for regulated a psilocybin market, although the full text of the bill is not yet available.

• House Docket 4243, from Rep. Mike Connolly (D-26th Middlesex), would establish a psychedelics task force focused on equity in psychedelic access.

• Senate Docket 323, from state Sen. Dylan Fernandes (D-Plymouth and Barnstable), would order a study on “breakthrough” treatments for veterans but does not specifically mention psychedelics.

• House Docket 3368, from state Rep. Steven Owens (D-29th Middlesex), would decriminalize the personal possession of up to 50 grams of dried psilocybin mushrooms

• House Docket 3895, from state Rep. Homar Gómez (D-2nd Hampshire), would dismiss “any complaint for simple possession of psilocybin (i.e., not with the intent to distribute), may, in the absence of any indication that the offense caused any visible harm to the health and safety of any other person, be dismissed upon a finding by the court that at the time of the alleged offense.”

Missouri

• Missouri House Bill 829, from state Rep. Richard West (R-102), would permit anyone with a “terminal condition or illness, a life-threatening condition or illness, or a severely debilitating condition” to access professionally facilitated psilocybin treatment. Notably, the bill does not require participants to enroll in a federally approved clinical study, only to have “considered” other treatment options with a medical professional.

Illinois

• Illinois House Bill 1143, from state Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8), would establish a regulated market of psilocybin services similar to those in Oregon and Colorado. The bill tasks multiple state agencies with developing regulations over a two-year period. The bill explicitly allows services for those without a mental illness diagnosis.

• Illinois House Bill 1166, from state Rep. Jake Teshka (R-7), would allocate $300,000 for psilocybin research

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire House Bill 528 from state Rep. Kevin Verville (R-Rockingham) would permit the possession and sale of psilocybin. Last Year, Verville introduced a bill with language that was very similar to Reason Foundation’s proposed framework for personal licensure. The bill would have authorized a regulated market similar to that used for medical cannabis to allow for retail sales of psilocybin and LSD. The 2025 pared-down bill focuses on psilocybin and possession without creating a sophisticated regulatory system.

New Jersey

• New Jersey S2283, from Senate President Nicholas P. Scutari (D-22), would establish a regulated system of psilocybin services similar to that in Oregon. The bill tasks the Department of Health to create regulations within 18 months. As in Oregon, a patient would not be required to be diagnosed with a mental illness to access treatment.

New York

• New York A02142 from state Rep. Amy Paulin (D-88) would license individuals to purchase psilocybin from authorized cultivators. A person could receive a license to purchase psilocybin only upon completion of a health screening and an educational training course. This proposal closely mirrors Reason Foundation’s proposed framework for personal licensure of psychedelic therapy.

• New York S01801, sponsored by state Senator Nathalia Fernandez (D-34) tasks a state health “department” to create a psilocybin pilot program, focused on providing clinical services to first responders and veterans.

• New York Bill S00495, from state Senator Nathalia Fernandez (D-34), would establish a regulated market for medical use. The bill specifies that a psychedelic session must occur in a clinical setting. Notably, the full bill language is not yet available, so many details, including departmental obligations and patient eligibility, are unknown.

• New York A00628, from state Rep. Linda Rosenthal (D-67), would legalize the possession and gifting of psilocybin. Notably, it does not specify any restrictions on remuneration for gifting, which would technically allow a largely unregulated market of professional services.

Oregon

• Oregon House Bill 2387 from state Rep. Dacia Grayber (D-28) makes technical modifications to the state’s existing psilocybin laws, such as protecting medical license holders from being disciplined by certain medical boards for providing psilocybin services. 

Washington

• Washington Senate Bill 5201 from state Sen. Jesse Salomon (D-32) would create a regulated market of professional psilocybin services. It is similar to Colorado’s model that allows both clinical and non-clinical practitioners

• Washington Senate Bill 5204 (multiple sponsors) states that the “University of Washington must conduct a prospective, randomized study” on the psychedelic ibogaine for opioid use disorder. It amends a state law governing the university.

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island H.5186, from state Rep. Brandon Potter (D-16), would legalize the possession of psilocybin if the federal government reschedules the substance.

Colorado opens for business

Colorado is set to open commercial operations of regulated psilocybin services sometime later this year. The Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) is accepting applications for training centers, and the Department of Revenue (DOR) oversees licenses for all other businesses, including manufacturers and service centers.

DOR has begun receiving applications, including five applications for service centers, which will be the sanctioned locations where psychedelic services can be administered.

The final rules for Colorado’s regulated market closely mirror those of Oregon, the first state to commercialize regulated psilocybin services. But there are a few key differences. First, Colorado will allow a “clinical” license, where medical practitioners can administer psilocybin services to treat issues within their scope of practice. In Oregon, psychedelic facilitators cannot officially treat anyone for depression, for example, but a practitioner with a clinical license in Colorado could treat depression and a range of other mental illnesses.

Second, Colorado permits services in people’s homes under strict conditions. Customers must be residents of the dwelling and consent to a video recording of the session.

It will take at least a few months before anyone can legally receive licensed commercial psychedelic services because facilitators must complete at least 190 hours of curricular instruction and additional supervised facilitation.

The post State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — February 2025 appeared first on Reason Foundation.

Source: https://reason.org/commentary/state-psychedelics-legalization-and-policy-roundup-february-2025/