A Florida lawmaker is hoping to legalize medical mushrooms as early as 2022.
A bill introduced by Rep. Michael Grieco aims to legalize the use of psilocybin, a hallucinogenic substance found in magic mushrooms, to treat mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.
The Florida Psilocybin Mental Health Care Act would create state-sponsored clinics where patients could be administered microdoses of psilocybin by a licensed medical professional. The patient would go through the experience, or "trip," with the professional present and then be offered a post-trip counseling session.
The F.D.A. designated psilocybin treatment as a breakthrough therapy for major depressive disorder, indicating that mushrooms may be more effective than existing means of treatment.
A number of cities have decriminalized the use of psychedelics, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filed legislation to make it easier for scientists to study psychedelics, although Ocasio-Cortez's legislation ultimately failed.
If Grieco's bill passes as written, there would be a trial year during which only the state would have the right to administer psilocybin treatment. The bill would also create a "Psilocybin Advisory Board" of governor-appointed experts to study the results of the drug treatment.
The bill would not allow people under 21 to buy or be prescribed psilocybin, and patients could only take the drug at a treatment center while under supervision.
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