Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed two bills Monday that would automatically reschedule psilocybin under state law once the FDA approves a formulation of the psychedelic for clinical use.
Under HB 1347 from Del. Laura Jane Cohen (D) and SB 379 from Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D), the Virginia Board of Pharmacy must reschedule any FDA-approved psilocybin formulation at its next quarterly meeting following the expiration of 30 days from publication in the Federal Register of a final or interim final order or rule. The legislation applies only to psilocybin formulations designed for administration by a health care professional in a health care setting.
At the federal level, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a February appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience that the Trump administration is "very anxious" to build a pathway for psychedelic therapy, with plans to allow patients with PTSD and depression to access psilocybin and MDMA in a controlled clinical setting. "Everybody in my agency…is very anxious to get a rule out there that will allow these kind of studies and will allow access under therapeutic settings, particularly [for] the military soldiers who have suffered these injuries to get access to these products," Kennedy said. "We're working through that process now. We're all working on it and trying to make it happen." Last June, Kennedy said his agency is "absolutely committed" to expanding psychedelic therapy research and, alongside the FDA head, aims to provide veterans legal access within 12 months.
Spanberger's approval of the psychedelics reform coincides with a Monday deadline she faces on several cannabis-related bills. Those measures would legalize recreational cannabis sales, provide resentencing relief for people with prior convictions, protect the parental rights of cannabis consumers, allow patients to use medical marijuana in hospitals, revise delivery and labeling rules, and strengthen enforcement against illegal cannabis product sales. Spanberger backed recreational marijuana legalization during her gubernatorial campaign last year, and Virginia's government jobs site has recently posted nearly a dozen cannabis regulatory positions in anticipation of a retail sales launch.
