MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont Governor Phil Scott on Wednesday signed into law a bill that could put Vermont on the path to decriminalizing the use of psychedelic mushrooms.
The law sets up a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to determine if Vermont should allow individuals to have access to so-called “magic mushrooms.”
The Department of Mental Health, the Vermont Psychological Association, and other community partners will be working together to determine how the use of psilocybin and other psychedelics can improve mental health treatment in the state. The group will review the latest research and evidence of the public health benefits and risks of psychedelic treatments and will have until November 15th to submit their final report.
Rick Barnett with the Vermont Psychological Association says he hopes the state can find a way to come up with a hybrid model of decriminalization so more people have access to mushrooms. “We need innovation in mental health treatment. A lot of people are suffering with addictions, with trauma, with depression, with anxiety. There haven’t been any real new treatment modalities in many many years,” he said.
Oregon and Colorado are among the states that have decriminalized psilocybin.
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What does passage of Vt. psychedelic mushroom law mean? – WCAX
