Understanding Psychedelics as a Legislator

As a legislator, you have the opportunity to lead on one of few issues in today’s political climate with broad bipartisan support. By supporting psychedelic legislations, you’re able to create better mental health outcomes for your constituents. The CPP has 15+ years of experience supporting legislators to navigate complex issues regarding new opportunities for expanding the options around mental healthcare at the state level.

Our National Psychedelic Landscape Assessment (NPLA) reveals where psychedelic policies have found success and where they can go wrong.

3 Key NPLA Takeaways for Legislators

1. Create flexible frameworks

Our understanding of psychedelics is always evolving, and psychedelic legislation should reflect this. Programs open to legislative changes, along with stewards to spearhead this change, learn from their failings and become strengthened through this process. Failing to create flexible frameworks leads to:

  • Delayed access

  • Less participation

  • Unintended equity barriers

2. Engage key agents early

From the introduction of psychedelic bills, legislators should be eager to talk with their Governor and state agencies. These discussions are critical for ensuring both passage and effective implementation of these bills because they:

  • Alleviate bureaucratic resistance

  • Align key actors with clear steps for post-passage implementation

  • Foster positive relations that make adaptations easier to achieve down the line

3. Ensure sustainable funding

Stewarding a psychedelic bill means ensuring its success not only in the present but also for years to come. A vital part of this is establishing creative, sustainable funding mechanisms to support these psychedelic programs in the long-term. Examples of these are:

  • Guaranteeing a long-term state funding commitment that keeps programs not just afloat but thriving

  • Seeking partnerships across sectors, as well as with universities and nonprofit organzaitions to diversify funding sources

  • Utilizing already existing government funding programs, like funds allocated for behavioral health goals

Download the NPLA

Our NPLA provides much more than tips for legislators. It’s an outlook of where we’re at with psychedelic policy combined with insights on where we’re going. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the full report.

Want personalized help? Reach out directly to the Center to learn more about creating psychedelic legislature.