Marijuana Moment: Utah Lawmakers Pass Bill To Support Clinical Trials On Psychedelics For Veterans’ Mental Health

[Tokeativity]

Utah lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor that would promote clinical trials into the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for military veterans with serious mental health conditions.

After advancing through the House last month, the Senate passed the legislation from Rep. Jennifer Dailey-Provost (D) and Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore (R) on Wednesday, sending it to Gov. Spencer Cox (R) for final approval.

The proposal would authorize the Huntsman Mental Health Institute at the University of Utah to conduct a clinical trial investigating the “safety and feasibility” of psychedelics—including psilocybin, MDMA and DMT—among veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The trial would be able to go forward if Huntsman received funding through legislative appropriations and donations that match or exceed the amount required for the study. Results from the trail would need to be reported to the legislature’s Health and Human Services Interim Committee.

Participants in the study would need to receive the psychedelic treatment in a controlled clinical setting  with a qualified therapist who can deliver “trauma-informed preparatory and integrative psychotherapy to the individual before and after administration of the psychedelic drug,” the text of the bill, HB 390, says.

If enacted into law, the study would be expected to begin by January 1, 2027. However, the Huntsman Institute could continue to accept donations after that point if they were unable to reach the funding goal in time.

Researchers would have to ensure compliance with both state and federal law, including conducting the trial under a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug application and maintaining Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorization to study Schedule I drugs under federal law.

The bill’s advancement comes about two years after the governor allowed a bill to become law without his signature that authorizes a pilot program for hospitals to administer psilocybin and MDMA as an alternative treatment option.

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Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

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Meanwhile, last year, a federal judge ruled against Utah state and county officials in a lawsuit challenging their prosecution of a Provo City-based religious group that uses the psychedelic fungi as sacrament. That came after U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parrish granted Singularism’s motion for a temporary injunction and ordered police to return psilocybin that was seized last year as part of a raid at its spiritual center.

Separately, a Utah lawmaker in January filed a bill for the 2026 session that would decriminalize marijuana and make it so that people caught possessing small amounts of cannabis would not face the threat of jail time for first-time offenses.

Utah does have legal medical cannabis under a law the legislature passed in 2018. And that program has significantly grown in the years since, with the state confirming last year that more than 100,000 patients were registered to participate.

Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.

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