US States Consider Legalizing Psychedelic Mushrooms for Therapeutic Use

Sean Blymiller spent 10 years feeling almost numb while being prescribed traditional antidepressants, wading through the daily life of a suburban Salt Lake father-of-two, balancing family responsibilities and work, selling technology software.

When his son was diagnosed with special needs a few years later, the stress became increasingly difficult to bear. So, like many people with treatment-resistant depression, Bliemiller, 39, looked for alternatives and found one that he said worked: psychedelic mushrooms.

Under the supervision of a therapist, Blimiller took psilocybin – the most popular of the hallucinogens commonly known as “magic mushrooms” – and within hours was able to confront past trauma, cope with mental illness, and ultimately become a better father, husband, and friend. He said.

“It’s almost revealing. Those curtains in your psyche open and you feel, “Oh my gosh, this is how I operate; this is how I imagine myself,” he said after sunrise in the mountains of Salt Lake City. suburb where he lives.

A group of patients like Blymiller will be able to legally use them to treat their illnesses under a new Utah proposal that would create a pilot program for the medical and therapeutic use of magic mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are now banned by federal law, and therapists who accompany patients like Blimiller on trips typically require them to find them themselves for fear of losing their license. Blimiller declined to say how he acquired them. He said that, like many herbal remedies, it was not hard to find.

ILLINOIS LEGISLATOR WANTS LEGALIZATION OF PSYCHODELIC MUSHROOMS

Amid growing acceptance of psychedelics, advocates in blue states such as Colorado and Oregon have begun their efforts by voting to decriminalize psychedelics like magic mushrooms. Lawyers in red states like Utah and Missouri are starting the other way, suggesting they study them or make them legal for medical use first, a strategy that reflects how many states, including Utah, have been legalizing marijuana.

Last year, lawmakers in Republican-majority Utah commissioned a study into the benefits and drawbacks associated with psychedelic mushrooms. And this year, State Senator Luz Escamilla, a Democrat from Salt Lake City, wants to create a path to legalize and allow patients to use hallucinogenic mushrooms for therapeutic purposes. Her primary motivation, she says, is to confront the growing mental health epidemic.

“This is an opportunity to add to the toolbox for our major mental health crisis,” Escamilla said. “A political question as a legislator: do we have another 10 years to wait for people to have access to mental health care when they need it?”

Utah, a conservative state dominated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in culture and politics, has become a global hotspot for psychedelics, attracting spirituality seekers who have abandoned traditional religion, as well as outdoor enthusiasts who want to use hallucinogens for recreational purposes. places like the red stone deserts of Moab.

Sean Bliemiller poses for a photo in front of the Utah State Capitol on February 15, 2023 in Salt Lake City. Blimiller said he began magic mushroom therapy to treat resistant depression after becoming disillusioned with traditional antidepressants. Legislators across the US are weighing proposals to legalize psychedelic mushrooms. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

As psychedelics become less countercultural and more popular, they are also gaining interest from suburban fathers like Blymiller, who struggle with mental health and have become disillusioned after years of taking antidepressants.

A series of studies by Johns Hopkins University’s Psychedelic Research Unit have shown that hallucinogenic mushroom therapy can reduce symptoms of depression for up to a year and be effective for people who have not been helped by other treatments.

COLORADO WILL VOTE TO DECRIMINALIZE PSYCHODELIC MUSHROOMS

In Utah, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the US, all 29 counties lack mental health professionals. Blimiller hopes lawmakers will consider legalizing magic mushrooms for therapeutic use this year so that more people like him—whether they struggle with PTSD, anxiety, or depression—can be treated without fear of violating health laws. drugs.

This push would follow successful efforts in Oregon, but would make Utah one of the first states to establish a legal framework for medical hallucinogenic mushrooms. Following the successful decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms, Oregon voters approved measures to decriminalize all drugs and legalize psilocybin for use in controlled circumstances. Oregon will soon be issuing licenses for professionals to facilitate therapeutic use.

“I don’t think Republican legislators will ever support a decriminalization model that says, ‘Live and let live, have fun and you won’t go to jail,'” said Connor Boyak, a lobbyist for the Libertarian Institute Libertas. comparing Utah to Oregon and Colorado. “The arguments that work in the Republican Legislature are oversight, control and regulation – to ensure safety and to ensure that the youth and the wrong people do not understand.”

Sen. Evan Vickers, a Republican pharmacist, said that based on the research, he was intrigued by the prospect of legalizing psychedelic mushrooms for medical use and believes many feel confident about how Utah regulates medical marijuana.

“The problem always with a substance like this is that you have a positive nature, but you also have offensive potential,” he said.

Legislation to allow research into the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin is being considered this year in states across the political spectrum, including Arizona, Hawaii and Oklahoma. Legislation to legalize therapeutic use or create pilot programs is under consideration in states including California, Connecticut, New York, Utah, and Washington. In Virginia, two bills related to magic mushrooms failed to move this year in a politically divided General Assembly.

In most states, legalization efforts are facing opponents who argue that the potential opening of the door to widespread and debilitating drug use outweighs the benefits of therapy for the few who can afford it. Physician lobbies, including the Utah Medical Association, generally oppose legalization efforts.

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“While there may be some limited benefit from the use of properly controlled and properly administered psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental illness that have gone through the FDA approval process, we do not believe that Utah should establish a program for growing, processing, manufacturing and distributing psychedelics. psychoactive substances that cause hallucinations,” Michelle McOmber, director general of the association, said in a statement.

Desiree Hennessy, executive director of the Utah Patients Coalition, understands that the idea of ​​magic mushrooms may not be something many, including lawmakers, want to pursue personally. But she hopes that, regardless of their party leanings, most people’s close ties to someone who struggles with mental health will cause them to seriously consider legalizing therapeutic use.

“You talk to legislators or families or anyone on the street and they will tell you they know someone who has committed suicide or is struggling with anxiety, depression or PTSD so badly that they can’t live their own lives. Everyone can find someone. what they know or how close they are to them who have had the experience,” she said.