Vermont Psychedelics Task Force Recommends Harm Reduction Education For Use ‘Outside Of A Legalized System’

A report from a working group in Vermont tasked with evaluating opportunities surrounding psychedelic-assisted therapy concludes that psilocybin has the potential to help manage depression and anxiety. But members stopped short of advising any major changes to how the state regulates access to psychedelics, instead calling for increased harm-reduction training for healthcare providers and the public.

“Spoiler alert: nothing exciting,” psychologist Rick Barnett, co-founder of the Psychedelic Society of Vermont and the task force’s representative for the Vermont Psychological Association, said about the report on social media this week.

Top-level recommendations from the Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group’s report advise increased harm-reduction training for health practitioners and the public, noting the growing trend of psychedelics use for therapeutic and recreational use.

“As psilocybin and other psychedelic substance use increases in Vermont and nationally,” a summary section says, “the group recommends developing and funding harm reduction training and education for health practitioners and the public.”

“Regardless of any regulatory change pursued by the legislature,” the group added, “there was widespread agreement that it would be beneficial to develop education for the public and training for practitioners to reduce risk for those who choose to use psilocybin outside of a legalized system. This recognizes that there are limitations to what licensing boards can develop if use is not legal.”

The report also recommends lawmakers extend the work of the psychedelics task force “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,” it says, “the group demonstrated general consensus regarding the potential for psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression and anxiety in the context of serious illness & end-of-life care.”

#vtpoli here’s the report from Act 126 Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Group. Spoiler alert: nothing exciting @MarijuanaMoment @PsydelicsToday @Josh__Hardman https://t.co/ybUBcTgSVO

— Dr. Rick Barnett, PsyD 😊 (@drrickbarnett) November 13, 2024

In terms of more major reforms, the report notes the task force “found it difficult to conclude which model should be pursued in Vermont.”

“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,” it says. “The group did not reach a consensus, though the majority did not recommend the creation of a state program for psychedelic therapy at this time.”

Members were conflicted, acknowledging in the report both the possible risks of delaying a promising therapy option as well as those of moving forward with a state program at a time when most other jurisdictions still prohibit psychedelics.

“Concerns expressed included the practicalities of creating and enforcing standards of care in an environment of federal prohibition or without broad national consensus,” the document says. “There were also concerns about delaying access to this approach with appropriate safeguards given the mental health and addiction crisis in Vermont.”

Among some options, members considered facilitated-use models for therapeutic psychedelics, as have been adopted in Oregon and Colorado. They also weighed recommending a decriminalization model paired with public health, safety and education initiatives as well as the creation of practice guidelines for medical and mental health practitioners around integration of psychedelic-assisted therapy into existing care.

Another option would be to create a right-to-try framework in the state that could allow patients with serious and terminal conditions to seek psychedelic treatment despite it not having received approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In practice, efforts by some patients to obtain psilocybin in states that already have right-to-try laws have been frustrated by pushback by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

“While each of these possibilities had support from some members, there was not a clear consensus among the group for moving forward with most of these measures at this time, with concerns about efficacy, safety, and practicalities cited as barriers,” the task force said. “The Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Group attests to the curiosity and hope for the potential strong application of the research on psychedelics as medicines and therapy, and that a segment of the population may benefit from these applications in the future.”

As noted by Barnett, the working group’s report is a relatively unexciting conclusion given that the legislation behind it initially sought to legalize the use and possession of psilocybin more broadly in Vermont. Lawmakers on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, however, deleted that section of the bill to focus instead on the therapeutic working group.

Changes also removed an earlier provision directing the task force to provide an opportunity “for individuals with lived experience to provide testimony.”

“Personally, I’m very disappointed that they took out the conversation about decriminalization,” Sen. Martine Larocque Gulick (D), the sponsor of the bill, said at the time. “I mean, this is literally a group that’s just going to be talking and looking at data and researching.”

In May, Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed the amended S.114 to create the working group, charged with making recommendations on whether and how the state should regulate legal access to substances such as psilocybin and MDMA.

The job of the eight-person task force, according to the law, is to “review the latest research and evidence of the public health benefits and risks of clinical psychedelic assisted treatments” and “examine the laws and programs of other states that have authorized the use of psychedelics by health care providers in a therapeutic setting.”

Separately this past legislative session, Vermont became the third state to authorize the use of overdose prevention centers (OPCs), which allow people to use drugs in safer settings supervised by trained staff. Regulators unveiled operating guidelines for the facilities in September.

Scott had originally vetoed the bill that legalized OPCs, but lawmakers overrode the governor’s veto in June.

Meanwhile a study published last month found that millions of Americans—as many as 6 in 10 people currently receiving treatment for depression in the U.S.—could qualify for psilocybin-assisted therapy if the treatment were approved by FDA.

Also last month, a Senate committee in nearby New Jersey approved a bill that would legalize a therapeutic psilocybin program in the state, with even hesitant lawmakers saying that they’re coming around on the psychedelics proposal.

And in Minnesota, a task force charged with making psychedelics-related policy recommendations to lawmakers recently advised that lawmakers decriminalize the use and possession of personal-use amounts of psilocybin mushrooms—one of the latest suggestions set to go into the panel’s report set to go to the state legislature in January.

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