Dr. Hannah Testifies to New Jersey Senate Health Committee
On June 6, 2024, Dr. Hannah McLane testified to the NJ Senate Health Committee to support New Jersey’s ongoing efforts at legalizing psilocybin access. You can read the current version of the bill here on New Jersey’s legislative website.
The committee room was packed and the entire 2-hour meeting was devoted to the psilocybin bill. The Committee heard from a number of individuals, and not all of them were supportive of these legalization efforts. Fortunately, Dr. Hannah was able to tell the Committee about the safe, ethical, and beneficial effects of psilocybin and the work that SoundMind has been doing to create responsible and professional psilocybin facilitators. Listen to Dr. Hannah’s testimony here (her portion starts at 50:20, but the time on the right hand of the slider will show -1:00:24).
Shortly after her testimony, Committee Chair Senator Vitale moved the bill to a vote. The bill passed 6-2! This is great news! From here, the bill goes to the NJ Senate Appropriations Committee.
Simultaneously, the New Jersey Assembly (kind of like the New Jersey version of the House of Representatives) is debating an identical version of the psilocybin bill. It must go through a parallel process, including a vote from the Assembly Health Committee. SoundMind will be there to support its passage.
Dr. Hannah with the fellow supporters of New Jersey’s psilocybin legalization effort, including Jeannine Larue, Lisa Gora, and Joseph Shapiro.
Keep checking our blog to stay up to date as more states continue the effort at creating equitable, legal, and responsible access to psychedelics.
