Dr. Hannah McLane Testifies to New Jersey Senate Budget Committee — Psilocybin Bill Passes in Bipartisan Vote!
A psilocybin legalization bill was approved by the NJ Senate Budget Committee on Monday, October 7th. This is a crucial step in the process of creating a legal and regulated psilocybin therapy industry in New Jersey.
Dr. Hannah was called upon during the Committee meeting to provide expert testimony into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin therapy. As the founder of the first psychedelic therapy clinic on the East Coast, as well as the CEO of one of the country’s longest running psychedelic training programs, Dr. Hannah’s perspective was a crucial element in garnering support from the Committee Members. This is the third time Dr. Hannah’s expertise has been called upon, and each time it has helped this bill reach its next critical step.
The bill, officially named S2283 Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act, was last brought up by the Senate in June by the Senate Health Committee where it was discussed then passed. You can read more about that here. Now that it has been approved by the Senate Health Committee, there are a few more steps to complete.
Dr. Hannah McLane with Lawyer Lauren Dayton and Joe Mckay
The Path to Legalization
In order for the bill to become law, a version must also pass in the NJ Assembly. In June, the Assembly Health Committee also held a hearing. Dr McLane attended that hearing as well. She testified to the Committee for the better part of an hour – read more about that here. However, the Assembly Health Committee decided to delay the vote until a future meeting. That meeting is now hotly anticipated and should take place this November.
Once the bill passes the Assembly Health Committee, it will advance to being read on the Senate floor. From there, the bill will be voted on by the entire Senate. If it passes, and there is good reason to believe it will, then it goes to the Governor’s desk to be signed.
Make no mistake about it, if New Jersey legalizes psilocybin therapy, that’s a big deal. Doing so would mean this is the first state to legalize psilocybin access through the traditional legislative process and not a ballot initiative (as in Oregon and Colorado and perhaps Massachusetts). It may also become the first state on the East Coast to legalize psilocybin. New Jersey would be the largest state population to have access to legal psilocybin. The dense urban megalopolis that New Jersey is in the center of would put nearly 20 million people within an hours’ drive or train ride away from being able to access legal psilocybin services.
Similar to previous psilocybin legalization bills, S2283 would create a statewide agency that would in turn develop a thorough regulatory framework. This framework would be specific to New Jersey and include things like the specific rules for how and where facilitators conduct sessions, how they are trained through groups like SoundMind Institute, and how psilocybin is produced.
The approval of this bill will bring psilocybin therapy to those who need it most, under professional supervision. Dr. Hannah explained that psilocybin sessions are about more than just administering a drug—they involve intensive, supervised therapy.
"It’s not a dispensary where you just buy mushrooms. Patients are guided through 5-6 hour sessions with trained facilitators. This is enhanced psychotherapy." -Dr. Hannah
This bill ensures that only trained facilitators, like those from SoundMind’s rigorous programs, will be leading these therapeutic experiences.
A New Era for Mental Health
The "Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act" outlines a framework for using psilocybin, a non-addictive compound derived from mushrooms, to treat mental health conditions like severe depression, PTSD, substance use disorder, anxiety, anorexia, and chronic pain. Recognized as a "breakthrough therapy" by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, psilocybin has shown incredible promise in clinical trials and research.
Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union/Somerset), one of the bill’s primary sponsors, noted:
"Scientific research is showing that psilocybin can be a safe and effective treatment for severe depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. This bill will create a framework that offers professionally-supervised services to qualified patients who would benefit from psilocybin treatment."
Key Provisions of the Psilocybin Bill
The legislation includes several important measures:
Establishment of a 15-Member Advisory Board: The Department of Health will oversee the program and form a board responsible for developing standards, safety protocols, and training guidelines. These recommendations will be submitted within 18 months before the program becomes operational.
Three-Step Treatment Process:
A preparatory session to screen patients and define treatment goals.
A supervised administration session where psilocybin is consumed under the guidance of a qualified professional.
A follow-up therapy session to discuss the patient's experiences and plan additional care.
Regulated Psilocybin Production and Treatment Centers:
Licensed centers will produce and administer psilocybin therapy, with local officials approving each center’s location. Production centers and treatment facilities cannot be established within 500 feet of an elementary or secondary school.Eligibility Requirements:
Patients must be at least 21 years old and referred by a licensed professional (physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, or clinical social worker). The advisory board will create a list of health conditions that qualify for psilocybin treatment.
What was Discussed: Dr. Hannah McLane's Answers to Senators’ Questions
NJ Senate Chairman: “Are there any provisions in this bill? My biggest concern would be if there are any provisions or loopholes that will allow this to be [used on a] recreational basis, or issuance of one of those medical ID cards and not having to continue to be care of the prescribers.”
Dr. Hannah: “No. So it's the prescribers who will refer. They're not really prescribing. They're referring saying that a person has a qualifying condition like cannabis, but they have to be supervised. You can't take it home. Even if you're getting even if someone with a cluster headache wanted treatment, they'd still have to come in and be supervised.
NJ Senate Chairman: “Do you strongly believe that this should be legalized in New Jersey, but at the same time, under the care of supervision of professionals"?”
Dr. Hannah: “Having this there will be a requirement of training for people that are doing the sitting so the facilitators that are sitting with someone that does require a lot of training, and once someone's done our year long training program, they are qualified to understand if a person's like a good fit, and if they don't know, we get prescribers on board.”
NJ Senate Chairman: “Is it addictive?”
Hannah: "It's not, not addictive. I can get you a paper on that, if you'd like. But yeah, not, not addictive. And that's different than most things that help with pain and mental health. I would just add that that cluster headache is one specific area that psilocybin can help with, but the a lot of the other ways it can help is the behavioral health side. So what I work with is people with PTSD, treatment, resistant depression, suicidal ideation sitting with them and talking through what brought them to that place, and then see incredible remission from that as well.”
With the bill advancing, the New Jersey Department of Health will begin developing the infrastructure needed to implement the program. This includes collecting data on patient experiences and treatment outcomes to ensure the program’s long-term success.
As Dr. Hannah continues to lead the charge for psychedelic-assisted therapies, today’s progress marks a significant leap forward in offering innovative solutions for those struggling with mental health disorders. This new era of mental health care, driven by scientific research and expert advocacy, promises to bring life-changing relief to countless individuals.
Thank You to Those in the Movement
For now, SoundMind would like to celebrate this important step! Thank you to those who have also been helping a tremendous amount to support New Jersey in this effort — Joe McKay, Lauren Dayton, Clusterbusters, the Hon. Jeannine Larue, Jared Moffat, Amit Grappa, and Dan Seeman.
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SoundMind Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2010 with a focus on integrative medicine and psychedelics for health and wellness. We have a particular focus on underserved and marginalized populations in the US and abroad. SoundMind Project is a nonprofit affiliate of SoundMind Institute, which provides facilitator training and psychedelic treatment. In 2018 SoundMind Project began focusing more exclusively on psychedelic medicine to heal wounds of intergenerational trauma, with an emphasis on indigenous reciprocity and populations holding the highest burdens of trauma and marginalization.
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