Psilocybin Bill Update: What’s Happening in New York, New Jersey, and Colorado

New York, New Jersey, and Colorado each have psilocybin legalization efforts underway this summer. What is happening in each state? What are the differences? How can you help? What does this mean for the people living in each state?

Join us next week to discuss these state level initiatives! SoundMind is hosting the country’s most influential minds who are engaged in creating safe, responsible and legal access to psilocybin. This free webinar is on July 11th from 7-9 p.m. EST / 5-7 p.m.  MDT. Register for the webinar below.

Here is a quick overview:

New York State Assemblymember Amy Paulin has filed Assembly Bill 10375 with the New York legislature that would provide a legal framework for adult cultivation and use of psilocybin. You can read the text of the bill here.

New Jersey is considering the bill S2283. This bill would create a service center model that is more similar to Oregon than to Colorado. Notable features of this bill include no decriminalization and an emphasis on medical clearance prior to psilocybin administration. It would also create training programs and licensed psilocybin facilitators.

Colorado is publishing its rules of legal psilocybin access this summer. The first schools and manufacturers will be certified by the state this summer, and the first psilocybin practitioner licenses may be granted by the end of 2024. The Colorado agency in charge of this implementation is the Department of Natural Medicine.

To discuss these developments further, SoundMind has put together an incredible panel of experts from each state hosted by Dr. Hannah McLane. Our panelists include Allison Hoots, Esq., Tasia Poinsatte, Joshua Kappel, Esq., the Honorable Jeannine LaRue, Joseph Shapiro, Esq., Lisa Gora, Esq., and Sara Price, BSN, RN.

Dr. Hannah McLane is a physician, psychoanalyst, and entrepreneur. She is the Founder of SoundMind, a rigorous facilitator training program and research initiative aimed at bringing ethics, equity, and innovation to the psychedelic ecosystem. She grew up in rural New Hampshire and spent several years in South America and East Asia. Dr. McLane conducts research on cognitive diversity, psychedelic science, ethics, PTSD, and emerging alternative therapies for mental health issues. She identifies as neurodiverse, having both dyslexia and ADHD.

Dr. Hannah attended McGill University and holds graduate degrees from Temple University (MA, Communication Sciences, Spanish Language), Brown University (MD, Doctor of Medicine, Contemplative Studies Concentration), and Harvard School of Public Health (MPH, Global health and Bioethics). She attended residencies in neurology and Occupational and Environmental medicine (University of Pennsylvania) and completed a fellowship in Patient Safety at the VA Hospital in Philadelphia. She also completed a 5-year psychoanalytic training program and considers herself a relational psychoanalyst.

Allison Hoots, founder and principal attorney of Hoots Law Practice PLLC, is considered one of the leading psychedelic attorneys in the US. She has unique experience advising in all areas of the psychedelics space, including practitioners as psychedelic assisted therapy providers, risk reduction support service providers, ketamine practitioners, and therapists, as well as other harm reduction and psychedelic endeavors. She advises churches on liability issues and defensibility of the ceremonial use of psychedelic sacraments, pursuant to the right to religious exercise and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 

Joshua Kappel, founding partner of Vicente LLC, co-authored the Natural Medicine Health Act and co-chaired the campaign committee for Natural Medicine Colorado. In addition to policy work, Joshua helps companies of all shapes and sizes—from nonprofits and start-ups to multinational corporations and public companies—navigate the ever-changing psychedelic field with a focus on corporate structuring and business practices, the intersection of state and federal law, state licensing and regulatory compliance, and general corporate law.

Jeannine LaRue is Senior Vice President of The Zita Group and a living legend in New Jersey’s political scene. She has spent most of her professional life in the fields of labor, health, and education serving in roles that dealt with public and governmental affairs. This is reflected in the more than 70 organizations that have officially honored her service. She has served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Rutgers University, was a member of New Jersey’s Congressional Redistricting Commission, and has assisted mayors in Trenton and Newark successfully transition into their terms. 

Joseph Shapiro represent clients in cannabis and psychedelics regulatory, licensing, and corporate matters. He is a founding member and co-chair of the Psychedelic Law Subcommittee, a member of the Executive Committee of the Cannabis and Psychedelic Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA), and the co-founder New Jersey Psychedelic League. He lends his legal expertise to the development of sound policy that creates pathways for the responsible access to cannabis and psilocybin. 

Lisa Gora serves as the co-chair of the psychedelic subcommittee of the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is the past Chair of the Health Law Section and the past co-chair of the Cannabis Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Lisa is also a leader in Epstein Becker Green's psychedelic and cannabis practices, providing legal guidance to these highly regulated businesses in the evolving legal framework. She is frequently featured on the health law podcast, Diagnosing Health Care, discussing developments in psychedelics and cannabis across the United States, and she tracks the shifting regulatory landscape on psychedelics across the United States. She was Editor-in-Chief of the first edition of Health Care and the Business of Cannabis: Legal Questions and Answers. She also co-authored “Medical Marijuana: State and Federal Law Thickets and Practical Implications” in the Health Law Handbook, published by Thomson Reuters in May 2020. 

Sara Price spent fifteen years as a neonatal nurse before her education in functional medicine and personal explorations led her to a serious consideration of what psychedelics can do for those in need. For the last few years, she has turned more seriously into advocacy and education around psychedelics. She is now the co-founder of the New Jersey Psychedelic League, where she uses her medical knowledge and experience to educate on the healing benefits of psychedelics. Additionally, she continues to provide her nursing services and medical expertise to private clients.

Tasia Poinsatte is the Colorado State Director for the Healing Advocacy Fund. In this role she works to protect and expand safe, affordable state-regulated access to psychedelic healing within the state of Colorado. She coordinates activity between the numerous stakeholders who will be part of the legal psychedelic ecosystem that will be managed by the Department of Regulatory Agencies, as well as helping these stakeholders understand the nuances of the Natural Medicine Act.