Marijuana Moment reports
A Hawaii psychedelics task force that was recently established under the governor’s office has held its first meeting as experts work to prepare the state to potentially allow regulated access to novel therapies like psilocybin and MDMA.
The Office of Wellness and Resilience said that the Breakthrough Therapies Task Force—comprised of lawmakers, health professionals, law enforcement and drug policy reform advocates—met on Tuesday to “assist the state in expanding therapeutic access” to psychedelics that are pending approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Legislators have advanced bills and resolutions to encourage investigations into psychedelic therapy in recent sessions, but the legislation was not ultimately enacted. Nonetheless, the Office of Wellness and Resilience said last month that it was moving ahead and establishing the task force anyway, with plans to hold listening sessions as they create a final report with findings and recommendations that is expected to be completed by the year’s end.
“We are now on the precipice of an exciting movement in health care and consciousness,” Sean Munnelly, a member of the task force who also works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), said in a press release. “The FDA designation of MDMA and psilocybin as breakthrough therapies ushers in a potentially paradigm-shifting moment. For this to be done safely, it is crucial to create a multidisciplinary task force of experts. These individuals will be responsible for creating guidelines for safe and responsible practices here in Hawai‘i.”
The 11-member task force will also be studying the experiences of Oregon and Colorado, which have already enacted laws creating regulatory pathways for certain psychedelics.
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Hawaii Psychedelics Task Force Holds First Meeting As Experts Plan For Legalization
