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By Roxy Benson
SACRAMENTO, CA – A bipartisan bill called “Heal Our Hero’s Act” died at the State Capitol Tuesday after it became clear, said the authors, there weren’t enough votes to move the measure.
In a press statement titled “Bipartisan Legislation Establishing 3-County Pilot Program for Facilitated Psilocybin Access for Vets & First Responders Dies in Assembly Public Health Committee,” Senators Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) and Brian Jones (R-San Diego) rescinded SB 803 after the Chair of the Assembly Public Health Committee believed there would not be enough votes for the bill to pass.
The Act would have created three different locations for the pilot program in California—San Francisco, San Diego and Santa Cruz physicians and surgeons would be able to provide a safe facilitation of psilocybin to those who are retired first responders or veterans who have been struggling with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other trauma-related mental illnesses
According to the original press statement, SB 803 “is the fourth legislative effort in recent years to create access to psychedelics for veterans and first responders, many of whom retire from active duty and experience grave mental health challenges. SB 803 was the most limited approach, and it had significant bipartisan support.”
This act, in particular, was sponsored by other organizations like Heroic Hearts Project and Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) which work to create access to psychedelics for veterans suffering from PTSD, as well as Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and advocacy group SIREN which represents and is run by retired law enforcement personnel and firefighters.
According to the press release, veteran groups are now looking into state-wide ballot measures that would facilitate access to psychedelics for those who fit the description and need them.
Jesse Gould, the founder of the Heroic Hearts Project, said, “The Legislature has again failed Veterans, first responders, and the 130,000 veteran families that have lost a loved one to suicide. We applaud the legislators that supported SB 803 and its previous iterations, and are undeterred in our fight to find effective solutions to reduce Veteran suicide and the Veteran mental health crisis.”
Amber Capone, CEO of VETS stated in the release, “SB 803 promised a new pathway to healing for those who have served our country. Voting down legislation that provides access to healing is a missed opportunity that denies hope to our veterans. We won’t give up.”
The concerns of retired law enforcement professional Carl Tennenbaum of LEAP noted, as Tennenbaum recalls, “This vote is more than disappointing—it disregards the well-being of our community’s public servants. Facilitated psilocybin access represents a forward-thinking solution to the mental health crisis among veterans and first responders, and we will continue to support efforts that prioritize our health and healing.”
Speaking for retired firefighters, Angela Graham-Houweling of the SIREN Project said, “The Assembly Public Health Committee’s decision to reject SB 803 is a disservice to all of us who have served with the hope of finding peace without the risk of persecution. The SIREN Project stands with our fellow first responders and veterans in expressing profound disappointment over this missed opportunity. We will continue to fight for access to every potential avenue of healing for our community.”
Roxy Benson is a third year student at the University of Vermont studying political science, with a minor in Gender Women and Sexuality Studies. While currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in Political Science, Roxy hopes to apply to law school in the future to further learn more about the American justice system, as well as aiding the system with the goal of eliminating instances of everyday injustices. She has had a continued passion form criminal justice reform, and finds her passions aligning with advocating for different social justice issues that face the system as a whole through her writing, as well as immersing herself in her studies.
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