MONTPELIER — A Vermont working group studying the use of psychedelics to improve mental health is not ready to endorse a state program at the moment but has its sights set on the future.
"Because current state models, active legislation, and ballot measures are so varied and new in development, advisory group members found it difficult to conclude which model should be pursued in Vermont," the group's final report states. "Data from existing programs, while promising, are insufficient to inform the public health impact of legalizing the therapeutic use of psilocybin or other psychedelic substances."
Members of the group included Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, Vermont Department of Mental Health Medical Director Kelley Klein and representatives from the Vermont Psychological Association, Vermont Board of Medical Practice, Vermont Medical Society, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Brattleboro Retreat and Office of Professional Regulation.
Concerns expressed within the group included "the practicalities of creating and enforcing standards of care in an environment of federal prohibition or without broad national consensus," and "delaying access to this approach with appropriate safeguards given the mental health and addiction crisis in Vermont," according to the report.
The group recommended extending the current working group, "with the expansion of participants to monitor the evolution of research and programs across the country and to facilitate the ability to research psychedelic therapies in Vermont."
"Although not the only promising area of application supported by existing science, the group demonstrated general consensus regarding the potential for psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression and anxiety in the context of serious illness and end-of-life care," the report states.
As psilocybin and other psychedelic substance use increases in Vermont and nationally, the group also recommends developing and funding harm reduction training and education for health practitioners and the public.
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Kurt White, vice president of community partnerships and communications at the Retreat, said he didn't "necessarily expect that this broad coalition was going to recommend a dramatically new pathway for a substance that has been prohibited for decades, and subject to much misinformation, after meeting for five sessions."
"What we need is to establish a solid foundation of consensus that this would be, will be, a good thing for Vermonters," he said in an email response to GreenMountain Cannabis News. "We need meetings (like these) where people have diverse viewpoints exactly to establish that very consensus, and I think we will get there. Realistically, that takes some time to do well. Sometimes being 'first' isn't the most important thing."
White said he sees some pathways available in the near future where action from state government may make sense, especially in regards to end-of-life care where psilocybin has "extensively studied across multiple continents and at some of the most respected research institutions in the world."
"I think if we had some structures where use could be permitted and facilitated with appropriate consent and precautions, that people could benefit from that right now," he said. "The part of me that sees this need wishes our systems could move faster."
White said he hopes "we can be creative, and find safe and hopeful pathways forward."
"The realistic part of me also knows that prohibition does not necessarily effectively diminish use, it just drives it underground," he said.
Eventually, White thinks the evidence will be strong enough that psychedelics will be considered "medications" when administered with consent, screening, attention to mindset and setting. With the appropriate supports, he suggested their use will be "transformative for many people."
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State Rep. Tristan Roberts, D-Windham-6, a proponent of the study and psychedelic therapies, is leaving the Legislature because he's a new father. With a 3-month-old at home, he said he's spending every possible moment with him.
"Science considers the first several months of life a ‘critical period for bonding,'" he said. "My son is already reaching the end of this period, which means that his entire neurology and emotional demeanor are more or less wired this way for life. Research suggests that one way psychedelics work is that they temporarily reopen that critical period by flooding the brain with happy neurotransmitters."
Roberts experienced pain, fear and anxiety throughout that early developmental stage. Medication such as psilocybin-containing mushrooms or MDMA can be "very powerful" for a person like him, he said.
"And while research shows that experiences like these retain healing power for the long-run, we have to be careful to offer these experiences in safe, well-regulated settings that support individuals with proper screening, high safety standards and integration," he said. "I’m delighted that the report endorses the tremendous promise of this therapy for Vermonters, and I hope the Legislature will follow its recommendation to extend the Psychedelic Therapy Working Group to keep up with developments in this quickly moving field."
In an impassioned speech to colleagues on the House floor before the bill creating the group was passed, Roberts credited psychedelic therapy with helping him to "uncover again my true nature" after experiencing mental health challenges associated with being a victim of child abuse. After sharing his story, he was contacted by a Vermonter who said mushrooms provided relief from fear of death and helped their quality of life for a loved one with cancer. Another person reached out and credited psychedelics with helping them to be opioid free.
"They contacted me to say that the positive experiences they had should be safe and available to all Vermonters," Roberts said.