By Wis. Rep. Nate Gustafson; Rep. Clinton Anderson; & Sen. Jesse James, Sen. Dianne Hesselbein
To All Wisconsin Legislators:
Our veterans, who have selflessly served our country, often carry the heavy burden of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and other mental health conditions. It is our moral duty to provide them with the best possible care and support. This bill would fund a medicinal psilocybin treatment fund and create a pilot program to study the effect of psilocybin on veterans (excluding active “first responders”) over the age of 21 who suffer from PTSD.
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic originating from South America, has shown immense promise in providing relief to those suffering from various mental health conditions, including PTSD. Studies such as one conducted at NYU have documented significant improvements in the quality of life for PTSD patients treated with psilocybin. Patients reported increased engagement in external activities, higher energy levels, improved family relationships, and enhanced work performance. These findings underline the potential benefits of psilocybin therapy in addressing the mental health needs of our veterans.
Texas, Washington, and Maryland have passed bills requiring the creation of psilocybin medicinal pilot programs. Washington, for example, required their health department, in partnership with University of Washington, to offer psilocybin therapy to veterans and first responders with PTSD.
By co-sponsoring this bill, you are not only championing the well-being of our nation’s veterans but also contributing to the generation of essential data that will inform our future policies regarding psilocybin.
If you are interested in co-sponsoring this legislation, please reply to this e-mail or contact Representative Gustafson’s office at 6-9155 or Senator James’s office at 6-7511 by Friday, November 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM. Co-sponsors will be added to both the Assembly and Senate versions of the proposal unless specified otherwise.
Active members of law enforcement would not be eligible under the bill. The program would be through the UW-System.
“The mental health of our veterans is incredibly important. Increasing treatment opportunities for veterans with PTSD is something we should all agree on. I’m proud of this bipartisan bill to support those who served our country,” said Rep. Anderson.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates a new separate nonlapsible trust fund designated as the medicinal psilocybin treatment fund and establishes a pilot program to study the effects of medicinal psilocybin treatment on patients with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). The medicinal psilocybin treatment pilot program created by this bill must be established by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with that institution’s Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances and its School of Pharmacy. The individuals eligible to participate in the pilot program must be veterans who are 21 years of age or older and who suffer from treatment-resistant PTSD. Individuals who are law enforcement officers are not eligible to participate in the pilot program study. The psilocybin therapy provided by the pilot program must be provided through pathways approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and the research accomplished in the pilot program may be accomplished in conjunction with other medications approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. The board must ensure that no health information disclosed in the course of conducting the program contains personally identifiable information. The researchers conducting the program must create reports for the governor and the appropriate standing committees of the legislature regarding progress of the pilot program and the studies conducted as part of the program. The medicinal psilocybin treatment fund created in this bill consists of donations, gifts, grants, bequests, moneys transferred from the general fund, and all earnings and other investment income of the fund. This trust fund is managed by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. Moneys in the fund may be expended for the purpose for which any donation, gift, grant, or bequest is made and for the administration of the pilot program. For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
