Hawaii's House Finance Committee passed SB 3199, sponsored by Sen. Chris Lee (D), 15-0 on Tuesday, advancing a bill to create a Mental Health Emerging Therapies Task Force to study psilocybin and MDMA. The Senate approved it unanimously, 24-0, last month; the bill now goes to the House floor and may return to the Senate for concurrence on recent amendments.
The task force would spend two years reviewing scientific literature, supporting clinical research, and developing policy recommendations for a psychedelics therapy program. The bill cites urgent mental health needs among veterans, first responders, and trauma survivors, noting that suicide is a leading cause of preventable death, and points to the FDA's breakthrough therapy designations for psilocybin and MDMA as grounds for Hawaii to prepare public health and clinical systems ahead of potential federal rescheduling under the Controlled Substances Act.
The state Department of Health supported the bill in testimony, saying it is prudent to evaluate "research readiness, regulatory implications, workforce development, and culturally informed implementation pathways" before any federal rescheduling. The governor's Office of Wellness and Resilience also expressed support.
Task force members would include representatives from the Department of Health, the attorney general's office, the Office of Wellness and Resilience, and the University of Hawaii's medical school. An amendment by the House Health Committee shifted oversight from the Department of Health to the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), with JABSOM's appointee as chair. The Department of Law Enforcement secured amendments designating its Narcotics Enforcement Division—rather than the Board of Pharmacy—to handle state scheduling changes after federal reclassification, and cutting the deadline from 90 to 30 days. The bill report notes the State Health Planning & Development Agency's concern that psychedelics remain federally illegal. The bill builds on a prior task force that first met in 2023.
On marijuana, a Senate-passed bill to legalize low-dose, low-potency cannabis missed a key deadline and is dead for 2026. SB 2421, conditioning legalization on federal or state constitutional changes, was deferred, as was a hemp-derived cannabinoid products bill; key House lawmakers cited insufficient support. A Senate committee passed legislation granting medical cannabis patients immediate access upon registration submission, and Senate resolutions urge Congress to federally legalize marijuana and call on the attorney general and health department to seek a DEA exemption for Hawaii's medical cannabis program.