The Connecticut Senate passed SB 191 in a 35-0 vote Wednesday, advancing legislation to expand the state’s psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program. The bill, sponsored by the Joint Committee on Public Health, now moves to the House of Representatives.
The measure would repeal and replace the existing statute, which currently restricts participation to military veterans and first responders enrolled in clinical trials, opening eligibility to any adult 18 or older who meets criteria set by the institutional review board of the medical school selected to administer the program. Under SB 191, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services must “establish, within available appropriations, a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program, to be administered by a medical school in the state,” and the program “shall provide qualified patients with MDMA-assisted or psilocybin-assisted therapy as part of a research program approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.”
The bill also removes a provision requiring the program to end upon DEA approval of psilocybin or MDMA, and strikes outdated language mandating program creation by January 2023.
Sen. Saud Anwar (D), chair of the Public Health Committee, spoke before the vote: “For far too long, the people in our state who are going through refractory depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, they have tried various treatments to be able to help them. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options that are available in those situations, and we have seen a lot of individuals hurt themselves and then commit suicide.” He added: “This is not legalization of psychedelics. These medicines are only used under specific controlled environment under the guidance of experienced individuals at an institution which has experience in dealing with it. This is going to save lives and help individuals.”
Sen. Heather Somers (R) said the bill is about “reclaiming who they were before they experienced the trauma,” and said the state owes veterans and first responders an exploration of every promising treatment.
The Connecticut House passed a psilocybin decriminalization bill last session — the third consecutive session in which lawmakers advanced such a measure — though the Senate did not act on the 2023 version and the Judiciary Committee approved a version in 2024. Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a 2022 budget bill that included provisions for psychedelic-assisted treatment using MDMA and psilocybin. Connecticut lawmakers are also considering a bill this session to allow medical marijuana use in hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices.
