Tell Maine Lawmakers to Pass the Maine Psilocybin Health Access Act
We have a serious mental health crisis in Maine:
safe access to psilocybin treatment services can help
Many of us know someone who is struggling with depression, trauma, addiction, anxiety, or other serious mental health conditions. During the pandemic, our communities’ mental health challenges have only been exacerbated.
Daily medications, therapy, and other coping mechanisms help some people get by. But for others, these tools aren’t working. Promising research at America’s top universities have found that psilocybin — a naturally-occurring compound — can help.
Veterans, terminally-ill patients, and others suffering from serious mental health conditions deserve access to breakthrough treatments.
Research from institutions such as Johns Hopkins, UCLA, NYU, and the University of Alabama indicates that psilocybin therapy can be effective in treating depression, end-of-life anxiety, and substance use disorder.
Psilocybin treatment shows so much promise that the FDA recently granted it a “breakthrough therapy” designation for depression, meaning that it may demonstrate substantial improvement over other treatment options currently available.
The Maine Psilocybin Health Access Act would establish a system of safe access to psilocybin treatment services provided by licensed and trained facilitators.
After a thorough intake process, licensed facilitators conduct an administration session with the patient. Facilitators are required to adhere to a code of professional conduct.
The program is regulated by the Dept. of Health and Human Services. A Psilocybin Advisory Board, composed of experts, develops recommendations for the department and issues an annual report.
States around the country have already implemented or are considering similar legislation
Colorado and Oregon officials are currently implementing a system similar to the one envisioned by the Maine Psilocybin Health Access Act.
Texas, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Utah all passed laws promoting research or removing criminal penalties for psilocybin.