The Maine Senate has voted to pass a bill to legalize possession of up to one ounce of psilocybin by people 21 and older—one day after the House of Representatives also approved the measure.
Both votes were narrow, with the Senate clearing the legislation 17-16 on Tuesday and the House passing it 70–69 on Monday.
Each chamber must now take an additional enactment vote before the measure can go to Gov. Janet Mills (D) to be potentially signed into law or vetoed.
The bill, LD 1034 from Rep. Grayson Lookner (D), would not authorize or regulate production, distribution or commercial sales of the psychedelic substance.
Earlier this session, a committee had moved to significantly amend the proposal to instead simply require the creation of a “Commission to Study Pathways for Creating a Psilocybin Services Program,” but the legislation has now been approved by both chambers in its initial, as-introduced form.
Ahead of Monday’s House vote, Lookner called the bill “a matter of compassion, common sense and justice.”
“We have before us an opportunity to alleviate profound suffering, particularly among our veterans who have borne the invisible wounds of war, while correcting an unjust and irrational law that persists only because of outdated stigma,” he said.
“This bill would simply decriminalize possession of psilocybin for adults 21 years of age and older. It does not legalize sales. It does not create recreational markets,” the sponsor added. “It simply says that if an adult chooses to possess this substance for personal use, they should not face arrest, jail time nor criminal record.”
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The proposal as originally filed had support from advocacy groups such as ACLU of Maine and the Reason Foundation, which both submitted testimony in favor of LD 1034 at an initial hearing.
Under the now-abandoned committee amendment to the bill, the study commission would have needed to submit a report to the legislature by November 4, 2026 that outlined its findings and recommendations, “including suggested legislation, for presentation to the joint standing committees” on criminal justice, public safety, veterans and legal affairs and health and human services.
The advancement of the measure follows a separate effort in Maine last year to legalize psilocybin and allow adults to access the psychedelic at state-licensed facilities. But lawmakers watered down that bill—amending it to create a commission to further explore the reform instead—and it ultimately did not pass.
Meanwhile, Maine lawmakers in February voted to investigate possible conflicts of interest by a top marijuana official.
And last year, a law took effect allowing people to apply to have records of now-legal marijuana crimes sealed.
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