BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana is one step away from creating a state-backed psychedelic-assisted therapy initiative focused on clinical research into treatments for mental health and substance use disorders.
Senate Bill 43, sponsored by Sen. Pat McMath, passed both chambers without opposition. The bill passed the Senate 37-0 and the House 97-0. It now heads to the governor.
The bill would establish the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Initiative within the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health. The initiative would help identify academic health centers conducting clinical studies and clinical trial-enabling studies involving psychedelic-assisted therapy.
The proposal focuses on treatment for opioid use disorders, co-occurring substance use disorders and treatment-resistant neurological or mental health conditions.
