The governor of Massachusetts is promoting the testimony of activists who spoke in favor of her veterans-focused bill that would, in part, create a psychedelics work group to study the therapeutic potential of substances such as psilocybin.
During a hearing before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs on Tuesday, psychedelics reform advocates urged members to pass the Honoring, Empowering, and Recognizing our Servicemembers and Veterans (HERO Act) that Gov. Maura Healey (D) introduced last month.
This comes as lawmakers are also being asked to consider a separate proposal to legalize substances such as psilocybin and ayahuasca for adults. If legislators decline to enact that reform, activists will have a chance to collect additional signatures to place it on the state’s November ballot.
The psychedelics-related provisions of the governor’s veterans bill, meanwhile, are more limited in scope. The proposal wouldn’t immediately create a framework for legal access, but it would require the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services (EOVS) to convene a working group to study “alternative therapies for mental health treatments for veterans” and exploring “whether psychedelic therapy is associated with improved outcomes among veterans with diagnosed mental health disorders.”
At Tuesday’s hearing, Emily Oneschuk—a Navy veteran and
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