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Psilocybin is a naturally occurring molecule found in over 200 species of mushrooms. It is structurally similar to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates things like mood, sleep, and appetite. ​  Neuroimaging studies have shown that psilocybin temporarily increases the entropy of the brain, which means it allows the brain to become more flexible and make connections it wouldn’t normally make. According to one study published in Nature1, “psilocybin may induce a positive feedback loop involving empathy and pro-social behavior which helps explain the observed, enduring antidepressant effects.”   

Studies show that psilocybin can help:

  • Veterans struggling with PTSD
  • Patients dealing with end-of-life anxiety
  • People experiencing drug resistant depression
  • People struggling with addiction
  • And studies have shown promise for additional ailments.
  • Create a regulated state system for clinical and supervised adult use of psilocybin.
  • Direct the Department of Health to develop rules and procedures for administration, ethics, and licensure of facilitators and service centers, and for the Liquor and Cannabis Board to develop rules for labeling, packaging, tracking, and licensure of manufacturers and testers.
  • Create two tiers of facilitators licensed by Department of Health, the facilitator and clinical facilitator.
  • Create standards for facilitation involving education, practicum, and supervised experience.
  • Collect de-identified data for research purposes in collaboration with research entities to monitor safety and advance knowledge about psilocybin substances and psilocybin assisted therapy.
  • Address equity, and inclusion, and works to keep prices down to support accessibility.
  • Direct the creation of a Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board, in charge of creating a client bill of rights for protection of client safety and values.
Click here to view a summary of SB 5201
The legalization of psychedelics is not a partisan issue and legalization efforts have support from both sides of the aisle.
“We should not be forcing our service members or veterans to use nonprofits and go down to Mexico to get this treatment to save their lives. We should be looking into it, at least, ourselves.”
— Congressman Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas
Rick Perry, R-Former Governor of Texas, at the MAPS Conference, Denver 2023
The legalization of psychedelics is not a partisan issue and legalization efforts have support from both sides of the aisle.
“We should not be forcing our service members or veterans to use nonprofits and go down to Mexico to get this treatment to save their lives. We should be looking into it, at least, ourselves.”
— Congressman Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas
Rick Perry, R-Former Governor of Texas, at the MAPS Conference, Denver 2023
  • The Food and Drug Administration is set up for approving synthetic drugs—it does not have a well-established pathway for plant-based compounds.
  • The severity of the PTSD, mental health and addiction crisis demands action. Further delays providing promising treatments for Washington citizens and their loved ones affected by these issues compounds suffering and is not acceptable.
  • In The Senate, the Prime Sponsor of these bills is Jesse Salomon (D) – (32nd District). A licensed attorney, a former public defender and prosecutor; he has become known as a champion for the environment, youth and children, and justice system reform.
  • In The House, the Prime Sponsor is Rep. Nicole Macri (D) – (43rd District). She has been a legislative leader in housing justice, health care access, and in enacting protections for LGBTQ people and people with disabilities.
  • These bills are supported by the Coalition for Better Community Health. We are a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization who understands the promise of psilocybin assisted care. Founded and led by Executive Director, Aaron Loehr, with the mission of moving psychedelic care forward. The coalition represents various stakeholders of doctors, therapists, researchers and practitioners, and Aaron is its largest funder.
Pioneering research from leading medical research institutions such as Johns Hopkins, UCLA, and NYU finds that some psychedelic therapies can be twice as effective as antidepressant medications in treating depression and anxiety. The FDA has designated psilocybin, a natural psychedelic medicine, a “breakthrough therapy” for treating depression – meaning it may demonstrate substantial improvement over what’s currently available.

To read the latest, visit our studies and research page.
No. Regulated use of psilocybin will only be administered at approved locations under the supervision of a licensed facilitator. Products cannot be purchased and taken home.
No. These bills establish a program for supervised use of psilocybin by licensed facilitators. These bills do not establish a commercial market or allow for the recreational sale of psylocibin or any other psychedelic.
Psilocybin is widely regarded as one of the safest controlled substances. A 2010 study published in The Lancet found that psilocybin is the least dangerous drug when ranking substances like alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis on public health criteria, including crime and physical harm.

In Washington, hallucinogenic drugs have a relatively low impact on public safety. The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reported only 23 hallucinogen-related offenses in 2022, compared to 1,398 amphetamine/methamphetamine offenses. Notably, these 23 cases were not under the safe administration process outlined in the WA Bill.

Recent data from the Oregon Health Authority further supports the safety of psilocybin when administered in a controlled setting. As of September 2024, Oregon legally administered over 18,424 doses doses, with only 10 emergency service calls.
No.
These bills address equity, access, and inclusion by requiring training in cultural competence, controlling costs, including diverse members and indigenous experience in a Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board, and creating a client bill of rights for protection of client safety and values.
Yes. Here are links to the text of Senate Bill SB 5201 and its companion bill in the House of Representatives, HB 1433. Here is the link to the text of SB 5204, the ibogaine research study.
  • Permits adult only use, supervised by licensed professionals.
  • Requires all administration sessions to be held at either a licensed service center, a licensed health care facility, the clinical facilitator’s regular place of business, or the client’s home, subject to health and safety regulations to be established by DOH.
  • Protects all personally identifying information of psychedelic substance clients from disclosure to third parties without client consent.
  • Data collected from similar programs in other states shows psylocibin assisted therapy has a very good safety record. For example, over the last 2 years over 18,424 doses have been provided in Oregon, and there have only been 10 related calls to emergency services. For more information, please visit here.
The bill provides for a two-year development period at DOH and LCB, ending September 1, 2027, with a deadline of October 31, 2027, to adopt rules, and a deadline of November 1, 2027, to begin receiving applications for licensure.
Australia, Oregon and Colorado voters have approved ballot initiatives to allow natural psychedelic regulated use. Utah allows clinical use.
These bills are drafted to create a self-funding program. That said, it will take time to ramp up and a fiscal note is being developed. Long term, this program has the opportunity to save Washington State a substantial amount of money by reducing recidivism, addiction, PTSD, and depression.

Specific cost for Psilocybin assisted therapy can vary based on many factors: the condition being treated, venue where it will be administered, and an evaluation of the patient and their needs, among several others.

These bills address this by providing equity, access, and inclusion to help control costs. We also believe pre and post integration counseling sessions can be covered by clients’ existing insurance coverage. And long term, as federal legality changes and insurance companies realize the cost savings, the goal it to have all aspects of care covered by insurance. This program will help produce substantial amounts of data furthering this progression.

Many different professional organizations, non-profits, universities, and well as individual concerned citizens have lent their valuable support for these bills. And this list continue to grow. Please visit the about page to learn more.

  • If you are a citizen of Washington State and support this Bill, please contact your state legislators and let them know this is an issue you care about. Please call or use the links here to show your support:

A few people have claimed that “no one can use the terms medicine, treatment, or therapy” when discussing psilocybin assisted care. They claim that these are defined medical terms that can only be used for FDA approved treatments. Does this truly make sense? Numerous cultures for thousands of years have used these substances to treat and provide medicine in their communities. Are their practices not credible? Even the FDA calls psilocybin a potential breakthrough treatment and countless times has used these “restricted words.” The American Journal of Psychiatry also uses the words, therapy, treatment, and medicine in their research studies and articles.

Yes, in many respects, these substances are still experimental. Their risks and true potential are not fully understood. Yes, we should use words with care when discussing what is, and isn’t, a treatment. Wild claims of magical cures are inaccurate and inappropriate. But done with care, either culturally and/or combined with other treatments and therapies, research finds that psilocybin can help people in a meaningful manner, and in those cases, it seems like it is a medicine, therapy, and treatment.

In many respects, psilocybin is well understood. It’s been used for thousands of years, and there have been hundreds of published clinical trials evaluating psychedelics, with the overwhelming majority being psilocybin. Let’s work together, and use our words with care, because we need best practices across the spectrum to help people heal.

Learn more here

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