State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — April 2025

This post is part of an ongoing series summarizing state-based psychedelic reforms intended for policy professionals.

State efforts to legalize psychedelic therapies have made strides during the 2025 legislative sessions. This roundup only includes bills from the 20 states that have made progress since our last bi-monthly update. For bills introduced between January and February, see our previous state roundup.

Lawmakers in many states are now writing bills to authorize a regulated market for facilitated access to psilocybin like what exists in Oregon. We refer to this approach as “facilitated access.” Readers can learn more about this and other approaches to psilocybin regulation in Reason Foundation’s report here.

California

Senate Bill 751 from state Sen. Josh Becker (D-13) would create a pilot program for veterans and first responders to receive treatment with psilocybin. California has seen multiple attempts to legalize or regulate psychedelics, including a 2023 bill vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This latest attempt gives oversight to the University of California system to train therapists and collect research on the pilot program, which responds to the Governor’s desire for a more “therapeutic” approach.

Connecticut

House Bill 7065 (introduced through the House Judiciary Committee) would legalize the personal possession of up to one-half ounce of psilocybin.

Iowa

House File 609 from state Rep. Jeff Shipley (R-District 87) would protect some botanical psychedelics, including psilocybin and peyote, for religious purposes.

House File 620 by state Rep. John Wills (R-House District 10) authorizes a facilitated access market for psilocybin accessible by people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participation is limited to 5,000 total recipients.

Missouri

House Bill 829, from state Rep. Richard West (R-102), would allow individuals diagnosed with a terminal, life-threatening, or severely debilitating condition or illness to access psilocybin-assisted therapy under professional supervision. The bill does not mandate participation in a federally approved clinical trial. Instead, it only requires that patients have discussed alternative treatment options with a healthcare provider before pursuing psilocybin therapy.

Massachusetts

Many legislators introduced bills after the failure of ballot Question 4 last year. Here we provide the list of bills that have made progress in the legislature:

• House Docket 188 is now H1858, from state Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-22nd Middlesex). It would reduce the legal penalties for psilocybin possession by imposing a $100 fine for amounts under one gram, effectively decriminalizing small quantities.

• House Docket 4017 is now H2532, from state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-1st Hampshire). It proposes the creation of a pilot program that would allow nonprofit therapeutic centers to provide psilocybin therapy for the treatment of unspecified mental and physical health issues.

• House Docket 4196 is now H2203, from state Rep. Marjorie Decker (D-25th Middlesex). It would require the Department of Public Health (DPH) to create and implement an experimental psilocybin therapy program on a trial basis.

• Senate Docket 1624 is now S1113 from state Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-4th Middlesex).  The bill directs the Department of Public Health (DPH) to create a trial program for medically supervised psilocybin therapy. The bill specifically states that ownership of these programs is not allowed for “cannabis industry organizations, psychedelic molecule development companies or pharmaceutical companies.”

• House Docket 4243 is now H1624, from state Rep. Mike Connolly (D-26th Middlesex). It would create a psychedelics task force that would consider equity in psychedelic access.

• House Docket 3368 is now H2506 from state Rep. Steven Owens (D-29th Middlesex). It would decriminalize possession of up to 50 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.

• House Docket 3895 is now H1726, from state Rep. Homar Gómez (D-2nd Hampshire). It would decriminalize the possession of psilocybin.

Minnesota

House Bill 2699 (multiple sponsors) would legalize the personal possession of psilocybin through a Psychedelic Medicine Board. The board would establish a possession limit for psilocybin, defined by whatever it considers to constitute a one-year supply.

Missouri

Senate Bill 90 from state Sen. Angela Mosley (D-13) would authorize a facilitated market for psilocybin therapy accessible by patients who suffer from a terminal or debilitating illness. Participants must have a physician’s note verifying the illness.

New Hampshire

House Bill 528 from state Rep. Kevin Verville (R-Rockingham) would reduce criminal penalties for possession of psilocybin. Initial offenses would be considered misdemeanors with fines ranging from $100 to $1,000. Fourth and subsequent offenses for psilocybin possession would be considered felonies. It has passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

New Mexico

Senate Bill 219 (multiple sponsors) would authorize a facilitated access market for psilocybin services. Notably, it has passed the legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature. If signed, New Mexico would become the first state to enact a psychedelics legalization bill through the legislative process rather than through a ballot measure. (State legislatures in Arizona and California have done so, but those measures were subsequently vetoed by each state’s respective governor.)

New Jersey

S2283 from state Senate President Nicolas Scutari (D-22) and House companion A3852 (multiple sponsors) would authorize a facilitated access market for psilocybin. 

New York

S01801, from state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (D-34), would authorize a facilitated market for psilocybin services in a clinical setting. A house companion, A03775, has attracted multiple sponsors, including Assemblyman Patrick Burke (D-142), who previously authored a pilot bill for psilocybin access. The bill provides funding for up to 10,000 patients to receive treatment and would be terminated if the FDA approves psilocybin therapy.

S05303 from state Sen. Julia Salazar (D-District 18) and A02142 (multiple sponsors) likewise would create a facilitated access market for psilocybin services. However, unlike the previous bills, it would not do so through a “pilot” program and instead allow purchase by consumers with a qualifying health condition, including “any novel or emergent health condition” for which psilocybin is deemed useful.

Nevada

Assembly Bill 378 (multiple sponsors) proposes language recommended by an interim study group convened as a result of legislation from 2023 to create a facilitated access system for multiple psychedelics, including psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, and iboga. Access to these therapies would initially be restricted to military veterans and first responders with a diagnosed mental health condition. The bill has 24 sponsors, which accounts for more than one-third of the legislature.

Reason Foundation has submitted testimony explaining how the program would expand access to psychedelic services.

Senate Joint Resolution 10 (multiple sponsors) is a resolution urging Congress to reform laws related to psychedelics, including rescheduling them.

Oregon

House Bill 2387 (multiple sponsors) would allow medical professionals to administer psilocybin services. Oregon was the first state to legalize psilocybin services, but only facilitators licensed according to the psilocybin-specific regulations are authorized to administer these services. If passed, Oregon would follow Colorado in having a two-tiered facilitated access market for both wellness (for use without a diagnosis) and medical use.

Rhode Island

H5186 from state Rep. Brandon Potter (D-District 16) would legalize the personal possession of certain amounts of psilocybin for personal use to the extent it is consistent with rules promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Texas

House Bill 4014 from state Rep. John Bucy (D-136) would direct Texas universities to conduct research on therapy with psilocybin, MDMA, or ketamine.

House Bill 3717 from state Rep. Cody Harris (R–8) directs the state to allocate funds to study ibogaine.

Vermont

H0452 from state Rep. Brian Cina (D-District 6-4) was filed as a short concept bill that mentions protecting personal possession of psilocybin and authorizing a market for facilitated access. 

S0106 (multiple sponsors) would continue an existing working group that will report and make recommendations related to psychedelics to state policymakers.

West Virginia

House Bill 2854 from Del. Kayla Young (D-56) would remove psilocybin and other drugs from the state’s Schedule 1 status.

Additionally, multiple bills across the U.S. would reschedule a synthetic version of psilocybin at the state level if approved by the FDA as a pharmaceutical. This is a preemptive move by pharmaceutical companies, as states independently maintain controlled substances lists and would need to change their own laws to permit a federally approved pharmaceutical. Examples include:

• New Mexico Senate Bill 410: State Sen. Craig Brandt (R-District 40)
• Iowa Senate Study Bill 1177: Put forth by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee
• Kansas House Bill 2218: Put forth by the Committee on Health and Human Services
• Georgia House Bill 382: State Rep. Ron Stephens (R-District 164)
• Virginia Senate Bill 1135: State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-District 33)
• Colorado House Bill 1063: Multiple sponsors

The post State psychedelics legalization and policy roundup — April 2025 appeared first on Reason Foundation.

Source: https://reason.org/commentary/state-psychedelics-legalization-and-policy-roundup-april-2025/