New Hampshire House Passes Watered-Down Psilocybin Bill, Rejects Measure to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients’ Gun Rights
The New Hampshire House of Representatives has approved a revised bill establishing a psilocybin advisory board to study pathways for patients to access the novel therapy. However, lawmakers rejected a separate measure aimed at protecting gun rights for medical marijuana patients.
The psilocybin bill, which was initially passed in a more comprehensive form last month, was scaled back to create an advisory group to explore the issue. The revised bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
The medical marijuana and firearms legislation, which would have made it clear that a person’s status as a registered medical cannabis patient in the state would not infringe on their right to purchase or possess guns, was voted down in a 81-270 vote.
The revised psilocybin bill represents a setback for advocates, who had hoped to see a regulatory pathway established for patients with certain conditions to access psilocybin-assisted therapy. The bill would have allowed patients to access the psychedelic under a program overseen by the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The medical community has recognized the potential benefits of psilocybin in treating certain conditions, and the bill aims to study the feasibility of creating a carefully monitored and closely supervised setting for its use.
Meanwhile, lawmakers have rejected multiple bills aimed at legalizing marijuana and allowing therapeutic use of psilocybin. One bill would have put a constitutional amendment on the state ballot to let voters decide if they want to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older. Another bill would have legalized adult-use cannabis through a regulated sales model.
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte has threatened to veto any marijuana legalization bill that reaches her desk, despite the growing popularity of the reform among voters.
