Latest news with #SenateBill219
Forbes
2 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Psilocybin Added To Substance Abuse Treatment Toolbox In New Mexico
Psilocybin is being increasingly used as an adjunctive therapy to treat substance abuse disorders, such as alcoholism or opioid abuse. It's been decriminalized or legalized in a handful of states and cities, with New Mexico recently joining this list, creating a legal pathway for the medical use of psilocybin. 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.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Today at the Roundhouse, March 18, & recap
Mar. 18—It's the last week of the 60-day legislative session and hundreds of bills are still in limbo at the Roundhouse. All bills not approved by both the House and Senate by the time the session ends Saturday at noon are officially dead. Here's a key bill to watch out for on Tuesday, March 18, and a recap of Monday. Tax package remodel: A House-approved bill that would tie an expanded working families tax credit to an increased oil tax is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. The bill, House Bill 14, was approved Saturday by the House. But it's typical for tax bills to be amended in the Senate after being crafted in the House. Monday recap Psilocybin: A bill creating a state-run psilocybin program for New Mexicans with certain diagnosed medical conditions passed its first — and only — assigned House committee. The House Health and Human Services Committee voted 8-1 to advance the legislation, Senate Bill 219, which passed the Senate last week. Cybersecurity: The Senate passed Senate Bill 254, which would require the state's Cybersecurity Office to develop minimum cybersecurity protections for state-operated or state-owned telecommunications networks. It heads to the House now. Bobby's bolo battle: Senators all around were styling on Saturday, vying to win a bolo tie contest put on by Sen. Roberto "Bobby" Gonzales, D-Ranchos de Taos. At the end of the day, Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, pulled in the win with a tiger bolo, presumably representing the Gallup High School tigers. Where the bills stand HB14: Passed House. Awaiting hearing in Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee. SB219: Passed House Health and Human Services Committee. Now heads to House floor, then would advance to governor's desk. SB254: Passed Senate. Awaiting House committee assignments, then must pass House committees and House floor in order to advance to governor's desk.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
"I was broken": Veteran touts medical benefits of psilocybin at Roundhouse
Mar. 17—SANTA FE — After being injured during combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Chris Peskuski returned to civilian life damaged both physically and emotionally. Even before deciding to leave the U.S. Marine Corps in 2011, the Albuquerque resident said he was starting to spiral due to alcohol abuse, a brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. "It took me a long time to admit this to myself, but I was broken and I was scaring myself enough to know that I needed to get out," Peskuski said in a recent interview. But Peskuski said he was able to turn his life and his marriage around after traveling to South America to use psilocybin, or magic mushrooms. Now he's one of several veterans who have been sharing their stories at the Roundhouse, as lawmakers debate creating a state-run psilocybin program for medical patients. A bill that would make New Mexico just the second state in the nation with such a program, Senate Bill 219, passed the Senate last week on a 33-4 vote. It's scheduled to be heard in its only assigned House committee on Monday and could reach the House floor later this week. The advocacy of Peskuski and other veterans at the Roundhouse has already made an impact. During the Senate debate on the bill this week, Sen. Jay Block, R-Rio Rancho, said he was previously staunchly opposed to a state-sanctioned psilocybin program. But he said he changed his mind after a heartfelt conversation with Peskuski, who sat on the chamber floor alongside Block while his wife and 7-year old son watched from the Senate gallery. "There are many veterans who haven't come yet," Block said at one point during the Senate debate on the bill, referring to struggles with mental health issues. Peskuski said he was encouraged to share his story with lawmakers by other veterans like Crystal C. Romero, who spoke about her own struggles with post traumatic stress disorder at a recent Senate committee hearing. "I know that our voices have made an impact and changed some people's minds up here," Peskuski said. Going forward, he said he wants to become a psychedelic facilitator to help other veterans experiencing similar struggles to his own. "There's a lot of stigma around it in the Marine Corps," Peskuski said. "Mental health issues weren't really talked about." NM would follow Oregon's lead under bill The bill advancing at the Roundhouse would create an advisory board under the New Mexico Department of Health to oversee supervised use of psilocybin for patients. At least at the start, patients with four conditions would be eligible for the program, which would officially begin in 2028. Those conditions, which would have to be certified by a physician, are depression, substance abuse disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and end-of-life care. It would also decriminalize the production, prescription and possession of medical psilocybin. If the bill is signed into law, New Mexico would follow in the steps of Oregon, which became the first state to decriminalize possession and legalize use of psilocybin in 2022, though such use must be monitored. Some other countries have also decriminalized or partly legalized psilocybin, including Australia, Brazil, Peru, Portugal and Switzerland. Sen. Angel Charley, D-Acoma, also pointed out during the Senate floor debate that psilocybin has been used for thousands of years by indigenous healers. "This medicine is not ground-breaking," she said. "It's only new to western modalities of healing." But several skeptical senators pointed out the drug is still illegal at the federal level, since it's classified as a Schedule 1 substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and raised questions about its side effects. An unlikely road to healing After leaving the military, Peskuski said he tried more traditional types of therapy at his wife's urging, including a psychotherapy treatment and acupuncture, but found them only mildly helpful. At one point, he said he was using a daily regiment of pharmaceutical drugs including Adderall to get out of bed in the morning, and alcohol mixed with Tramadol go to sleep at night. "I was just super depressed, and became completely demoralized to the point where I really didn't care anymore," Peskuski said. With his health deteriorating, he said a friend referred him to a nonprofit group called Heroic Hearts that helps U.S. military veterans navigate psychedelic therapy. But that group had a lengthy wait list, so Peskuski decided to travel to Peru on his own to undergo a psilocybin medical treatment. "I'm either going to die in Peru doing this medicine, or I'm going to die here one way or another," he recalled thinking. "I was pretty much at the point where I had nothing left to lose." Peskuski said he had previously tried psilocybin as an adolescent but just for recreational purposes. He recalls the experience as "just running around tripping." As an adult using the hallucinogenic drug in a more controlled setting, he described the experience as profound. Specifically, he said it prompted him to take ownership of his personal struggles, while also reminding him of his resiliency. "In my core, I am a warrior and I had forgotten that and I'd become a victim in so many ways," Peskuski said. He said he's now able to be a better husband and father, though he said he also sticks to a daily routine of meditation, breath work and martial arts to remain grounded. "What it really comes down to is I'm here — I'm present wherever I'm at, and I can be present for my family," said Peskuski. "I'm not worried about the future, and I'm not dwelling on my past," he added.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bill to allow medical 'magic mushrooms' in New Mexico gets groovy reception from lawmakers
First marijuana, now magic mushrooms. A state known for ending up at the bottom of a long list of rankings could be among the first in the nation to roll out a program for medical use of psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms. The Senate Judiciary Committee late Wednesday endorsed Senate Bill 219 on an 8-1 vote. The lone holdout, Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, praised psilocybin's efficacy. "I am very torn on this because I know that psilocybin has amazing potential for substance use disorder, intractable depression," she said. "I think it's a really important medicine to have available." But Duhigg said one of her brothers, an addiction psychiatrist who has been involved in multiple studies and pilot programs using psilocybin, told her researchers have yet to develop a model for safe medical use. "He worries that if we do this as a state, and it does not have kind of the level of oversight that these projects have now with the federal government, that there's going to be some negative results ... that will set this whole movement back significantly," she said. Despite her words of caution, SB 219 cleared its second committee hearing with a number of amendments and is headed to the Senate floor. Its trip through the Roundhouse doesn't end there, though. If the bill makes it out of the Senate, it still has to go through the House and its committees. Advocates told lawmakers during Wednesday's hearing psilocybin mushrooms are not only life-changing but lifesaving. Crystal C. Romero, a retired master sergeant who served in the New Mexico Army National Guard, said she served with honor, knowing the risks and sacrifices she'd have to make. "But nothing prepared me for the battle within my head," she said, adding she was medically discharged from the military for post-traumatic stress disorder and then attempted suicide. "Had I succeeded, my three daughters would have been handed more than just a folded flag," she said. "They would have inherited my pain." Romero said she "tried everything the VA has had to offer" but still battled relentless suicidal ideation. "It wasn't until I worked with psilocybin under guided care that I found healing," she said. David Glass, an emergency room doctor and active-duty veteran who served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, said he's witnessed "the devastating impact of mental health crisis" both in the ER room and among his fellow veterans. "I can count on two hands the number of service members I know personally that died in combat. I can count on two hands the number of veterans I know that have committed suicide since taking off the uniform and leaving service," he said. "But now, I can tell you honestly and truthfully that I can now count on more than two hands the number of special operators whose lives have been saved by taking psilocybin through guided therapy in Mexico." Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, who is among the sponsors of the bill, said the measure starts with four qualifying conditions: major depressive disorder, substance use disorder, PTSD and end-of-life anxiety. Under the bill, the program would not start until Dec. 31, 2027. "The Department of Health would establish and make rules for everything, from who the qualifying license providers to producers to dosage to medical setting," he said. "Unlike cannabis, this would only be administered in a medical setting. … This would not be like cannabis. There is no car. There is no taking this at home. Very different in that respect." The bill also creates an advisory board and would allow the state's health secretary to add additional qualifying medical conditions "as there's data to support that," Steinborn said. Another sponsor, Sen. Martin Hickey, D-Albuquerque, a retired physician, said the benefits of psilocybin mushrooms would be far-reaching. "This is as important to society as the other fungus that blew in off of a windowsill onto a petri dish with pneumococcal bacteria and we got penicillin," he said. "This is a fungus that in mental health is going to have as dramatic an impact."
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cash rehash: Legislators again consider payment acceptance requirement for schools
Sen. Greg Blanc, R-Rapid City, speaks on the floor of the South Dakota Senate on Feb. 10, 2025, in Pierre. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) It was deja vu in the South Dakota House Education Committee on Wednesday at the Capitol in Pierre. Earlier in the legislative session, the committee passed a bill that would require public and accredited private schools to accept cash at events. But the House of Representatives later rejected it. Sen. Greg Blanc, R-Rapid City, then filed his own, similar bill in the Senate, where it was approved last week. Lawmakers advance bill to mandate cash acceptance at school events Blanc's legislation was assigned to the House Education Committee, which rehashed its discussion of the idea Wednesday. Supporters of the bill shared similar stories to those told earlier this session about parents not being able to attend high school activities in some parts of the state, especially in the Sioux Falls area, because some schools exclusively use smartphone app-based, cashless ticketing. Opponents of the bill included the South Dakota High School Activities Association, organizations representing private businesses, and some activities directors at Sioux Falls high schools. They worried that Senate Bill 219 would force separate entities to accept cash if they host school-affiliated games. The South Dakota state basketball tournaments, for example, are hosted at city- and state-owned facilities. If the venue decides not to comply, then schools or state tournaments would lose a venue, said Dan Swartos, executive director of the activities association. Rep. Amber Arlint, R-Sioux Falls, told lawmakers the legislation isn't needed because it already spotlighted a problem and has encouraged school districts and organizations to reevaluate their cashless policies and make cash accommodations on their own. But a majority of lawmakers on the committee decided a state statute is needed. The bill heads to the House next. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
