Senate committee hears testimony on bill to create regulated psilocybin program

The Washington State Senate Labor & Commerce Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 5201, the Clinical and Supervised Access to Psilocybin Act, which would create a regulated psilocybin program overseen by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB). Committee staff said the bill would license facilitators to supervise psilocybin sessions at licensed service centers, require product testing and labeling, and exempt licensed program activities from criminal liability under the state's Controlled Substances Act.

Committee staff Marlon Yanez summarized the bill's provisions and recent state activity: "LCB must create procedures for tracking psilocybin and testing it in licensed laboratories. LCB must also require labels on products that provide health warnings, potency, and serving size," he said. Yanez noted a University of Washington pilot program to offer facilitated psilocybin therapy to first responders and veterans is opening recruitment this month.

Prime sponsor Senator Solomon described his reason for pursuing the bill and stressed veterans' mental-health concerns. Solomon recounted visiting relatives in an active war zone and said the experience strengthened his interest in treatments for trauma. He told the committee: "Since that moment, 01/05/2022, about 24,000 veterans have committed suicide," and said the bill could "save a measurable number" of lives. He urged colleagues to consider regulated clinical access as an option for treatment-resistant conditions.

A broad set of witnesses spoke for and against the bill. Veterans and advocacy groups told the committee clinical access could help people with post-traumatic stress disorder and treatment-resistant depression; several described personal and family experiences with trauma and recovery after supervised psilocybin or similar therapies. Opposing testimony came from the Washington State Psychiatric Association and other medical groups, which urged caution and more clinical study before creating a statewide regulatory program. The Washington State Psychiatric Association said the draft resembles a recreational framework with a medical veneer and warned that terms such as "treatment" and "psychiatric disorders" carry defined clinical meanings.

Committee members asked whether the bill follows recommendations from the 2023 psilocybin task force and noted fiscal implications. Staff said a fiscal note exists showing revenues and costs for multiple agencies and answered questions about the bill's statutory exemptions, licensing structure, and confidentiality protections.

The bill was not voted on during Tuesday's meeting; the hearing was carried forward for additional testimony and staff work. Several witnesses asked the committee to consider narrower pilot models (for example nonprofit clinical pilots modeled on other states) or to preserve access to a broader set of psychedelic compounds rather than limiting the program to a single substance.

Committee staff and the sponsor said they will continue to work on framework and implementation details as the bill proceeds.