Marijuana Moment reports
The Hawaii Senate has approved a bill to create an advisory council to look into possible regulations to provide access to federal “breakthrough therapies” like psilocybin and MDMA.
The legislation from Rep. Adrian Tam (D), which previously moved through the House and has since been amended by Senate committees, passed the full chamber without discussion as part of a package of measures on the consent calendar on Tuesday. It now goes back to the House for concurrence.
Psychedelics reform has been a hot topic in the Aloha State this session, with numerous proposals being taken up in committee as lawmakers and state agencies work to advance research into the policy and science of entheogenic substances.
The bill that passed the Senate on Tuesday was recently amended to require, rather than allow, the state Department of Health (DOH) to establish the Breakthrough Therapy Designation Advisory Council. The department supported an earlier version that gave it the option to create such a panel; it’s unclear if the mandate language will affect its position on the legislation.
DOH separately provided neutral testimony on other psychedelics policy research proposals last month, and a representative said that the department felt it would be a “more meaningful” step for lawmakers to simply legalize substances like psilocybin and MDMA to prepare for their potential federal approval as medicines.
Hawaii Senate Approves Bill To Create Psychedelics Advisory Council To Prepare For Federal Approval
