Psilocybin Legalization Bill Introduced in Washington State

A bill introduced in the Washington state Senate would legalize the assisted adult use of psilocybin, the Bill of Health blog reports. Introduced by Democratic Senators Jesse Salomon and Liz Lovelett, the proposal has a social equity component, help for small businesses, and a provision to permit the use of psilocybin at home by patients with certain medical conditions.

Additionally, the bill would set up a licensing system through the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for production facilities, testing labs, service centers, and facilitators. The Washington Psilocybin Advisory Board would advise the DOH on system implementations, the report says.

“Though psilocybin is non-addictive, the bill’s sponsors recognize the benefits of supported adult use. In this model of regulation, trained and licensed professionals called facilitators to administer psilocybin under supportive conditions at licensed service centers,” Mason Marks, an attorney who helped draft Seattle’s psilocybin decriminalization resolution, wrote in the Bill of Health post. “Under supported adult use, psilocybin services are made available to people 21 and older for nearly any purpose — the Act specifies that clients need not have a medical condition to participate, and psilocybin services in Washington will not constitute medical diagnoses or treatment.”

Recognizing that people with disabilities may have difficultly accessing treatment outside the home due to a mobility issue or medical diagnosis, the legislation would permit trained facilitators to administer psilocybin at home. Other provisions set up intake and outtake protocols that prepare participants for a psilocybin experience and assist in experience integration.

“Fundamentally, SB 5660 is a novel approach to the supported adult use of psilocybin,” Marks wrote. “It will allow clients to receive safe psilocybin products from licensed professionals and create economic opportunities for people statewide.”