Iowa House passes measure legalizing psilocybin use
The state House voted 84-6 on Monday to advance legislation that would create a psilocybin licensing board within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The legislation now goes to the state Senate for further consideration.
The House-approved bill would create a panel of experts to set up a framework to offer psilocybin as a treatment option for people with certain mental health conditions, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It would limit its use to 5,000 patients who are at least 21 years old and only allow it to be administered in clinical environments with psychiatric support. The bill would not legalize recreational use.
State lawmakers who supported the measure cited the benefits that it could provide for military veterans, law enforcement officers and others prone to PTSD.
State Rep. John Wills (R), a military veteran who handled the bill on the floor Monday, said he had researched the use of psilocybin and cited work from the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research that showed the drug's effectiveness for treating people with PTSD.
A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found more Americans are embracing the use of psilocybin, which is also used to treat depression and substance use disorders. The drug isn't approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but several states have moved to decriminalize it or allow it in treatment settings, like the Iowa proposal.
'I will tell you, right now the only option these veterans have, the only option these people with PTSD have, is to be on mind-altering, life-altering drugs for the rest of their lives,' Wills said on the House floor. 'I'm a scientific type of guy … this stuff actually works.'
Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate in Iowa, but it's unclear when the Senate may take up the proposal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
28 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
SNAP beneficiaries in Florida will no longer be allowed to buy these popular foods
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) beneficiaries in Florida will no longer be able to purchase a range of foods considered to have low nutritional value starting January 2026. Sugary drinks like sodas and energy drinks are included in the list of prohibited foods for SNAP beneficiaries in Florida. Candy and prepared desserts will also not be purchasable with the EBT card, which is automatically reloaded each month with SNAP assistance. The federal program, administered by the states and benefiting nearly 42 million low-income Americans, already prohibited the purchase of prepared meals, personal care products, alcoholic beverages, cigars and tobacco with SNAP benefits. In response to criticism that the program allows the purchase of 'junk food,' the Department of Agriculture granted 12 states permission to approve waivers and expand the list of foods that cannot be bought with SNAP. The first to make the waivers were Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho and Utah. Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado and West Virginia joined on July 4, as announced by Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins, alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services. The USDA is providing states with greater flexibility to manage their programs through the approval of SNAP Food Restriction Waivers, which restrict the purchase of non-nutritious products like sodas and sweets, according to the Department of Agriculture's website. These waivers are a crucial step to ensure taxpayer dollars provide nutritious options that improve health outcomes within SNAP. In Florida, the SNAP program assists 3 million low-income individuals. The average monthly benefit for each user is $184. In Miami-Dade County, nearly a quarter of households rely on SNAP to pay for their groceries –- the fifth highest rate of any county in Florida, according to Census Bureau data. The One Big Beautiful Bill includes cuts to SNAP benefits totaling $287 billion over the next 10 years. It also expands work requirements for older beneficiaries and some parents.
The Onion
28 minutes ago
- The Onion
New Death With Indignity Law Lets Terminally Ill Be Crushed By Falling Vending Machines
BOISE, ID—In what is being hailed as a victory for advocates of the right to end one's life in total humiliation, the Idaho Legislature passed a new death with indignity law Thursday that will allow the terminally ill to be crushed by falling vending machines. 'Across our state, people dying of incurable diseases will now have the right to choose a slow, painful, and really embarrassing death,' House Speaker Mike Moyle said of the bipartisan measure that is expected to be signed into law today, remarking that the option to die in the manner of a person who has rocked a vending machine back and forth, perhaps when it failed to dispense change or release a desired food item, had been legal in Switzerland for many decades. 'If they're too sick to travel to an office break room, hotel hallway, or bowling alley, a vending machine–assisted death can be carried out in a patient's home, where they can be crushed to death while surrounded by deeply ashamed loved ones.' At press time, a 33-year-old Pocatello man had become the first Idaho resident to die with his hands around a bag of Famous Amos cookies as two large male nurses pushed a snack machine over on top of him.
American Military News
28 minutes ago
- American Military News
3 Americans evacuated in Antarctica by New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force conducted a roughly 20-hour medical evacuation in 'extreme conditions' for three Americans at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica on Tuesday. In a Wednesday press release, the Royal New Zealand Air Force confirmed that the medical evacuation operation was requested by the U.S. National Science Foundation after three staff members located at the McMurdo Station were not able to receive the medical treatment they required in Antarctica. The press release noted that one of the staff members needed 'urgent medical care.' Air Component Commander Air Commodore Andy Scott explained that the mid-winter evacuation flight to Antarctica is one of the most challenging operations the Royal New Zealand Air Force crews perform due to Antarctica's cold temperatures, changing weather conditions, and ice landings in the dark. 'The crew can only attempt the flight after detailed analysis of the weather and airfield state,' Scott stated. 'The United States Antarctic Program Winter Team must physically create the runway before we can depart by ensuring the ice is groomed and suitable for landing. 'Although they determine it is safe, it's still an extremely challenging environment to fly in on Night Vision Goggles due to the extreme weather conditions, which are highly changeable at this time of year and makes accurate forecasting a challenge,' Scott added. 'This, coupled with there being no airfields available to divert to once the aircraft is past a certain point south adds to the risk, so these missions are not taken lightly.' READ MORE: Video: Coast Guard evacuates elderly man who had 'multiple strokes' 300 miles from shore According to Wednesday's press release, the evacuation team included New Zealand Defence Force medical personnel and a doctor to provide care for the three American patients on the return flight to Christchurch. The press release noted that the New Zealand crew departed on Tuesday afternoon and continued the operation throughout the night. The full evacuation took roughly 19.5 hours. Fox News reported that in addition to the other challenges faced by the evacuation team, the temperature at McMurdo Station fell to -11 degrees Fahrenheit during the evacuation operation. 'This mission wasn't just difficult; it was one of the most technically demanding operations an aircrew can face. In extreme conditions, with little margin for error, the RNZAF executed this mid-winter Antarctic medevac flawlessly,' Melissa Sweeney, the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to New Zealand, said. 'We are so very grateful. Our Kiwi partners didn't hesitate to undertake this mission in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. Their skill and readiness are truly world-class,' Sweeney added. 'Only the best crews can pull off something like this and the RNZAF proved, again, that they're among the very best. This isn't luck, its professionalism, planning, and a level of capability that few can match.'
