As a House committee takes steps to broadly improve patient access to healthcare, one congressman is taking the opportunity to call for a conversation about the therapeutic role of psychedelics like psilocybin, which he says have “real potential” as alternative mental health therapies with “less impact” than traditional pharmaceuticals.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) spoke about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics on Wednesday during a House Ways & Means Committee markup of several bills related to worker and family health support that aren’t directly related to drug policy reform.
The congressman, who has long championed marijuana legalization and become one of the most outspoken members on Capitol Hill advocating for psychedelics reform, said he’s “encouraged with the spirit with which we’re moving forward being able to integrate a variety of areas for reform” as the panel works to address issues like outpatient care.
“We’re overwhelmed, in community after community, with the stresses that we’ve seen,” particularly amid the coronavirus pandemic, Blumenauer said, adding that “we need to continue moving forward.”
He suggested that psychedelics policy should be part of the larger conversation about health care improvements, noting his interest in giving terminally ill patients access to investigative drugs like psilocybin, for
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