Texas Senate Approves Psychedelic and Marijuana Concentrate Bills
The Texas Senate has approved bills passed by the House of Representatives to reduce criminal penalties for possession of marijuana concentrates and to require the state to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA. But because senators have amended both pieces of legislation, they must first return to their original chambers before being sent to the governor’s desk.
By virtue of the HB 1802 law, which passed the Senate on Saturday by a 25-5 vote, the state would be required to study the medical risks and benefits of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans, in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and a military-oriented medical center. As amended by a House committee, it would also make a psilocybin clinical trial mandatory for veterans with PTSD, in addition to a broader review of the scientific literature on these three substances.
The Senate passed an amendment to the bill to clarify that studies on psychedelics would not be completed if funds were not allocated for this purpose – a situation already addressed by a conditional rider for psychedelics. funds.
Former Governor Rick Perry (R), who also served as US Secretary of Energy, called on lawmakers to approve legislation on psychedelics.
to read : Paraguay: government plans to include cannabis in peasant family farming
The cannabis concentrates measure, which also advanced in the Senate, is a modest reform from another proposal to decriminalize possession of marijuana, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives but has since been developed. dead. But if it is adopted, the HB law 2593 will mark the first time that Texas has reduced penalties associated with marijuana since the 1970s.
The Texas Senate has approved bills passed by the House of Representatives to reduce criminal penalties for possession of marijuana concentrates and to require the state to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA. But because senators have amended both pieces of legislation, they must first return to their original chambers before being sent to the governor’s desk.
Meanwhile, human rights activists are closely following a separate bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program, which was passed by the House of Representatives and referred to a Senate committee on Thursday. . But the fate of this proposal remains uncertain as a legislative deadline approaches. The bill must be passed by the Senate State Affairs Committee for submission to the assembly, and the end of the session is approaching.
Under Act HB 1802, which was passed by the Senate on Saturday by a 25-5 vote, the state would be required to study the medical risks and benefits of psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine for veterans military, in partnership with the Baylor College of Medicine and a military-oriented medical center. As amended by a House committee, it would also make a psilocybin clinical trial mandatory for veterans with PTSD, in addition to a broader review of the scientific literature on these three substances.
to read : Unusual: a parrot dealer arrested in Brazil
The Senate passed an amendment to the bill to clarify that studies on psychedelics would not be completed if funds were not allocated for this purpose – a situation already addressed by a conditional rider for psychedelics. funds.
The legislation, which the Senate approved by a 24-7 vote on Friday night, would make possession of up to two ounces of concentrate a Class B offense, which still involves the threat of jail time – but that would be much less serious than the classification as a crime of these offenses at present.
Senators did add an amendment before passing the bill, however, to calculate the potency of THC in legal hemp products by counting all forms of tetrahydrocannabinol, a change that would disrupt the market for delta-based products. 8-THC.
