Psilocybin Added To Substance Abuse Treatment Toolbox In New Mexico
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 219 on April 7, legalizing psilocybin for a handful of qualifying conditions—major treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), end-of-life care, and substance use disorder— under the supervision of a medical provider. The Medical Psilocybin Act took effect on June 20, but it will take a few years for psilocybin production and a fully functional program to take shape in the state.
Following the law's passage, Roswell-based Renew Health announced it will integrate psilocybin into its services, calling the move 'a major step forward in modern mental health and addiction care.'
'We have a real opportunity to become a national leader,' Renew Health founder Trent Carter says in a phone call. 'I've been introduced to mental health care. I hope that we can take advantage of that. And I hope that we do keep this safe and that we focus on patient safety, clinical integrity, and accessibility.'
Renew Health, an outpatient clinic network, specializes in substance abuse and co-occurring mental health conditions. The clinic combines medication-assisted treatment such as Suboxone and naltrexone with counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, and harm reduction. It also provides detox services, withdrawal management, and telehealth care across New Mexico.
Psilocybin And Its Role in Treating Addiction
Carter is author of The Recovery Tool Belt, a comprehensive guide to addiction treatment, backed by principles and practical tools. The book focuses on the core conventional approaches to substance abuse disorders. Psilocybin represents a new facet of mental health care, providing a new type of tool that can be used for the complexity of addiction. He supports expanding medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and trauma-informed approaches.
'The goal isn't to replace what we already have—that's already been proven,' Carter says, speaking of conventional approaches to substance abuse therapy. 'It's to add another powerful tool to the toolbox, so to speak. But that's what I often tell my patients. They're tools to be used for you for this journey of addiction care and treatment. And so if we can use psilocybin as an adjunct therapy for patients who are stuck in these same cycles of trauma and addiction, that really has a chance to have a greater impact."
The company structures therapy and medical treatment to help those patients progress and integrate more effectively. To become a patient at Renew Health, you don't have to struggle with substance abuse, as they serve various other mental health disorders. Psilocybin will soon enter the picture and provide a new approach to rethinking treatment for substance abuse disorder.
'It's going to hopefully help change a lot of lives to where we can have this new adjunct therapy," Carter says, explaining that the introspection from psilocybin experiences could lead them to make wiser decisions. "And then again, I think that we should also couple that with the proven methods, those treatment that we already have. I think they should all work in tandem.'
Psilocybin's new role in Mexico extends to aid in therapy for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, end-of-life care, and substance use disorder. Renew Health is among the first to embrace this new change.
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