A year and a half after Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure that would have legalized psychedelic drugs, the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a five-year pilot program to permit the legal use of psychedelics in supervised settings.
As drafted, the bill would “establish a pilot program to allow for the monitored mental health care of clinically appropriate patients using naturally occurring psychedelic materials as defined by the department for on-site administration by a multi-disciplinary care team in a supervised licensed mental health clinic setting.” The pilot program would be limited to three facilities, which “shall not be subsidiaries, affiliates or members of cannabis industry organizations, psychedelic molecule development companies or pharmaceutical companies.”
The House’s support for this program is notable, given that 56% of Massachusetts voters rejected a psychedelics ballot measure in November 2024. That ballot measure, known as Question 4, would have legalized the supervised use of psilocybin (magic mushrooms), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, ibogaine, and psilocyn. Residents did not want a legal form of psychedelic drugs in the Bay State
The unpopularity of psychedelics in Massachusetts likely explains why the psychedelics program “was tucked into a large, policy-packed amendment to the House’s economic development package,” which passed 148–2, according to local reporting. The reporting added that there was not “so much as a speech” about it.
Concerns about public opinion and politics aside, this bill would threaten the health of Massachusetts residents, many of whom may already be struggling with mental health issues like depression and PTSD. Psychedelics, including ibogaine and psilocybin, have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of any disease or condition. They are also Schedule 1 substances, meaning that the federal government has determined that they have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Many users will experience a bad trip.
In 2023–2024, 4.29% of Massachusetts residents aged 12 or older, as well as 1.67% of those between the ages of 12 and 17, reported using a hallucinogen in the past year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
It remains unclear whether the program will come to fruition, as the bill still needs to be approved by the Massachusetts Senate and signed by Governor Maura Healey.