Senate committee unanimously backs medical psilocybin program after testimony from clinicians and veterans

The Tax, Business and Transportation Committee voted 10–0 on Jan. 26 to advance Senate Bill 219, which would create a regulated medical-psilocybin program administered by the New Mexico Department of Health.

The bill sets up an expert advisory committee, a phased regulatory rollout, clinical training requirements, an equity fund for patients who cannot pay and a research fund to track outcomes. The measure exempts FDA-approved psilocybin-derived pharmaceuticals from the program’s requirements so regulators can compare whole-mushroom therapies with drugs that go through FDA review.

Physicians, researchers and advocates framed the bill as a tightly supervised medical program. “The impact of this drug on PTSD…is short of phenomenal,” said Dr. Jeff Hickey during testimony, describing clinical effects in veteran and first-responder populations. Several clinicians described protocols used at Johns Hopkins and other centers where guided therapeutic sessions, supervised by trained clinicians, produced sustained improvement for patients with treatment-resistant conditions.

Nut graf: SB219 defines a medical pathway — not a recreational system — for psilocybin in New Mexico, combining clinical oversight, training requirements and equity funding to broaden access while seeking to preserve safeguards and research oversight.

Witnesses urged strict medical controls. Dr. David Glass, an emergency physician and combat veteran, asked the committee to require veteran representation on the advisory board. “This is medicine, not recreation,” he said and suggested amending the advisory structure to include a veteran with mental-health expertise.

Senator Steinborn, a bill sponsor, said the bill mirrors other states’ medical programs and draws heavily on Department of Health consultation. The program focuses initially on four qualifying conditions: major depressive disorder, PTSD, substance-use disorders and end-of-life distress. The Secretary of Health would be empowered to add conditions as evidence supports.

The committee adopted a technical amendment to remove conflicting language related to criminalization and then voted unanimously to advance the bill. Supporters told lawmakers that New Mexico researchers and providers are already conducting trials and that a regulated state program would keep care in-state and provide oversight for training, manufacturing and patient protections.

Ending: With bipartisan, unanimous committee support, SB219 moves to the Senate floor as a tightly defined medical program that backers say could expand treatment options for hard-to-treat psychiatric and end-of-life conditions.