Yesterday, top senators Cory Booker and Rand Paul introduced a bipartisan bill, with companion bills filed in the House, that would clarify laws and give seriously ill patients access to Schedule I drugs, including marijuana and psychedelics.
The federal Right to Try law allows patients diagnosed with life-threatening diseases or conditions, and who have exhausted all approved treatment options, access to certain treatments that have not yet received final FDA approval.
However the DEA and the Controlled Substances Act have been placing obstacles to patient access. The legislation would clarify the law’s language and give terminally ill patients access to Schedule I drugs, if the compounds have been through a Phase 1 clinical trial.
The bill is being presented by both parties and in both the Senate and the House. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rand Paul (R-KY), along with Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), are the lead sponsors of the legislation.
“As a physician, I know how important Right to Try is for patients facing a life-threatening condition,” said Rand Paul. “Unfortunately, the federal bureaucracy continues to block patients seeking to use Schedule I drugs under Right to Try. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan legislation with Sen. Booker that will get government out of the way and give doctors more resources to help patients.”
“Recent studies suggest that MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement in mental health and psychopharmacology,” said Senator Booker
. “Unfortunately, many eligible patients who urgently need care do not currently have access to these promising therapies. This legislation will put the patient first and help ensure access to life-changing and life-saving drugs.”
The full text of the legislation can be viewed here.
In a political world that seems unable to compromise on anything, it’s psychedelics that are bringing people and parties together. We told you this stuff was magic 😉
