JEFFERSON CITY – This week Missouri State Representative Tony Lovasco (R-St. Charles) filed House Bill 869 creating legal access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
“House Bill 869 is a first step to addressing pervasive mental health crises that affect every sector of our society and economy by creating access to clinically validated therapies,” said Representative Lovasco. “I am especially encouraged at clinical research suggesting psilocybin may be a tool to address our opiate addiction crisis.”
Johns Hopkins Medical School-affiliated researchers have published over 150 peer-reviewed studies demonstrating the effectiveness of psilocybin, a naturally occurring compound in certain types of fungi, in ameliorating a wide variety of serious mental illnesses, and Missouri-based scientists are doing cutting-edge research in the field. “Significant findings from clinical trials have shown efficacy for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in depression and addiction and for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in PTSD”, reported Dr. Josh Siegel (M.D./Ph.D.), a Washington University neuropsychopharmacologist leading psilocybin clinical trials.
“We anticipate regulatory approvals from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in the next two years; Missouri should build out its capacity to provide access and regulate as appropriate.”
Numerous veterans such as Tim Jensen, Grunt Style Foundation Board President and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, offered support for the proposal. “Our country has done many of our veterans a grave disservice,” said Jensen, referencing reports revealing hundreds of previously-covered up incidents of botched surgeries, inhumane medical treatment, and multi-year wait times in the Veterans Administration. “We ask the Missouri General Assembly to consider psychedelics as a form of therapy for veterans and others who have sustained immense psychological and physical trauma.”
Law enforcement leaders joined their brothers in uniform to support Rep. Lovasco’s proposal. “Like our heroes who fight abroad to keep us safe, law enforcement and first responders routinely experience traumatic events in the line of duty,” said New Haven (MO) Police Chief Chris Hammann. “As a result, we face multiple expanding crises including personnel retention, alcoholism, and suicide. Creating legal access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy would be a first step to breaking that cycle.”
Elaine Brewer, founder of the Humble Warrior Wellness Center, lamented the lengths that wounded veterans must currently go to seek effective treatment.
“Missouri leads the nation in suicide among veterans – and yet those seeking psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy must leave the United States for legal access,” said Brewer. “While we are encouraged that these therapies will soon be accessible in Oregon, Colorado, and Connecticut, Missourians should not have to leave their state to access lifesaving therapy.”
“Missouri is in an ongoing mental health crisis and this legislation provides real hope for stemming our suicide and addiction epidemics,” said Alina Robinson, an organizer with grassroots organization Psychedelic Missouri. “Lawmakers should seriously consider Rep. Lovasco’s proposal this session.”