Arizona senators hear veterans, clinicians and first responders urge state readiness for FDA 'breakthrough' psychedelic therapies

Arizona senators convened an ad hoc committee hearing on access to so‑called breakthrough mental‑health therapies on the opening week of 2026, hearing testimony from veterans, clinical researchers and a firefighter union official who urged state steps to prepare for FDA‑approved psychedelic treatments.

Chair opened the session by framing the hearing’s goal: "we're talking about supervised treatments with guardrails, accountability, and professional standards," and said the committee would "level set" on what state policy could do to help veterans, law enforcement officers and firefighters access therapies now being studied in late‑stage trials.

Why it matters: Witnesses told senators Arizona has invested in research but faces capacity and federal regulatory constraints. Dr. Sue Sisley, founder and principal investigator at Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI), said SRI is conducting multiple FDA‑controlled trials and expects to complete a phase‑1 trial by March, but has FDA approval to treat only 24 participants while it has received more than 600 requests from veterans and first responders. "We are currently in discussions with federal officials, about the compassionate use of, the compassionate use program that's in the spirit of right to try law," Sisley said, urging legislative help to remove barriers to clinical distribution.

What witnesses said: Alan Moen, a retired U.S. Army Special Forces master sergeant who took part in a Stanford ibogaine study, described lengthy monitoring and follow‑up that accompanied dosing and said the protocol demonstrated both safety under medical supervision and symptom reductions. "For me, it was, extensive research and speaking with others who had undergone similar treatments, and it stood out to me," Moen said, describing functional MRI changes the study team reported.

Dr. Chung Trin, a clinical investigator and health‑care executive, told the committee that eight psychedelic medicines have recently received FDA breakthrough therapy designation and argued Arizona must create state policies, training and clinical infrastructure now to ensure prompt, safe access when federal approvals arrive. "Any delay beyond 5 to 10 years would increase the cost of thousands of lives," Trin said, echoing national suicide statistics he cited.

The firefighter perspective: Dan Friberg, president of the Professional Firefighters of Arizona, urged the legislature to consider treatments that are "effective, ... safe, ... vetted, and ... can save the lives of our men and women," and described operational gaps such as the lack of paid time off for recovery after intensive, supervised dosing sessions.

Regulatory and logistics concerns: Multiple witnesses flagged federal scheduling, DEA cooperation and international treaty obligations as obstacles to immediately dispensing controlled investigational drugs under Arizona's Right to Try statute. Sisley said two paths could allow SRI to provide medicines to patients under Right to Try once phase‑1 completion and federal coordination occur: a presidential executive order directing DEA cooperation or explicit DEA operational guidance.

What the committee might do next: Senators discussed drafting correspondence to federal officials to clarify how Right to Try and DEA procedures could intersect and asked staff to schedule follow‑up briefings on phase‑2 and phase‑3 readiness, training, and possible state‑level regulatory frameworks. Chair closed the public portion and adjourned with a plan to continue discussions.

The committee did not vote or take formal action at the hearing; members requested additional briefings and materials from witnesses and staff.