New Hampshire lawmakers take a pass on legalizing psychedelics

A New Hampshire legislative committee on Wednesday tabled a bill that would have legalized certain psychedelics for medical reasons, saying that not enough research into medical efficacy of such drugs is available.

The bill in question, House Bill 1693, would have established six “alternative treatment centers” at which patients could have purchased and consumed certain psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, mescaline and LSD, to treat mental health disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, Marijuana Moment reported.

The measure drew bipartisan opposition from lawmakers on the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee, who decided the time is not yet right for such a move and voted to kill the proposal, despite some members expressing interest in learning more about psychedelic treatments.

“The concerns we had with the bill as presented was it was far too broad,” Democrat Rep. Lucy Weber said.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard something about a [Journal of the American Medical Association] article comparing psychedelics to existing antidepressants,” Republican Rep. Erica Layon said. “But right now, New Hampshire law prohibits a clinical trial from happening in the state with psychedelics because of its status as a controlled substance.”

Critics of the bill noted that it was modeled after the state’s medical marijuana law and thus allowed for personal possession of up to two ounces of “usable psychedelics,” but lawmakers weren’t comfortable with such a broad approach given ongoing trials by various companies hoping to gain federal approval for psychedelic medicines.

New Hampshire also remains the only state in New England that has yet to legalize recreational marijuana.

Meanwhile, neighboring Massachusetts is set to vote next month on a ballot question that would set up a new legal psychedelic medical treatment system for patients, under which purchase and consumption of various psychedelics would be allowed at licensed medical facilities and under the watch of trained professionals. If the ballot question is successful, it would make Massachusetts just the third state in the nation to legalize certain psychedelics.