The House of Representatives in Texas passed a bill last week that would mandate the state to undertake research regarding the potential of different psychedelic substances, such as MDMA and psilocybin. The bill, whose chief sponsor was Rep. Alex Dominguez, a Democrat, was supported by 134 House members while 12 opposed it. The passage of the bill now means it heads to the state Senate for consideration.
During an earlier Public Health House Committee meeting, legislators modified the scope of this expected research to cover only military veterans suffering from PTSD rather than leaving the bill with its previously wide scope encompassing many other conditions impacting veterans.
While speaking on the floor of the House, Dominguez commented that the country loses approximately 6,000 military veterans annually, with the toll totaling 114,000 since 2001. All these gallant men and women are lost to suicide and PTSD, he added.
His bill was intended to take a step towards addressing such a huge cause of fatalities, and he hoped that Texas would send a strong message to federal authorities in Washington that more serious action needs to be taken to save the lives of military veterans.
The bill passed by the House will compel the state, in partnership with Baylor College and a health facility that specializes in treating veterans, to conduct a study to ascertain the medical benefits as well as the risks associated with the therapeutic use of ketamine, MDMA and psilocybin for the treatment of veterans. The bill also asks the Health Department to review the available literature on those three substances in addition to undertaking a clinical study of the use of psilocybin to manage PTSD in veterans.
As such a study is conducted, the Health & Human Services Department would be expected to table quarterly reports regarding its findings, and a final report on the matter is due, according to the bill, by the end of 2024. Rick Perry, a former governor of Texas, earlier on urged the lawmakers to pass this bill.
There are concerns that the Republican-dominated senate could block the passage of the bill or even water it down so much that it will hardly serve the objectives the members of the lower House who passed that law had in mind.
Texas’s Lt. Governor Dan Patrick is opposed to any law that relaxes the state’s restrictions on drugs, and there are fears that he could singlehandedly stall the bill since he presides over the senate. All eyes are now on the senate to see what happens next.
As different jurisdictions such as Texas move to pass laws easing research into psychedelics, private entities such as XPhyto Therapeutics Corp. (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT) are signing agreements with partners to do research and development in this exciting industry that promises remedies to conditions which seem particularly hard to treat, especially mental health ailments.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to XPhyto Therapeutics Corp. (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/XPHYF
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