Committee hears wide‑ranging debate over state regulation of psilocybin services; proponents urge access, opponents press for decriminalization

The House Health Care & Wellness Committee on Feb. 5 received more than three hours of testimony on House Bill 1433 (proposed substitute H116.1), which would create a statewide regulatory framework for the supervised adult use of psilocybin and assign regulatory responsibilities to the Washington State Department of Health and the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Committee staff summarized the proposal: the bill would create a Washington Psilocybin Board to advise the Department of Health during the program's first two years, require the Department of Health to adopt rules for facilitator training, temporary location permits and service‑center operation, and require the Liquor and Cannabis Board to license cultivators and testing laboratories and to set packaging, labeling and potency limits. Facilitators would be licensed (clinical facilitators would also hold a health professional…