An Alaska Senate panel took testimony on Monday on a plan that would create a state task force to explore how to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use of psychedelics in the state. The legislation would not immediately change the legal status of the substances under Alaska law but is instead aimed at preparing the state for eventual federal legalization.
Members of the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee heard from the bill’s sponsor at the hearing and took public testimony, but did not vote on the measure
Versions of the bill were introduced in both the House and Senate last month by Rep. Jennie Armstrong (D) and Sen. Forrest Dunbar (D), respectively.
“Crucially, this bill does not legalize anything,” Dunbar, a member of the Senate panel, told colleagues at the hearing. “Rather, it creates a problem-solving task force in anticipation of federal legalization of certain substances in controlled medical settings.”
The legislation would establish the Alaska Mental Health and Psychedelic Medicine Task Force under the state Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. The body would comprise government representatives and experts in mental health, psychiatry and more.
Members would be charged with assessing the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelics for
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