Rep. Boldyga bills would legalize use of psychedelic drugs, plants

Date: 4/12/2023

SOUTHWICK – Pointing to ongoing research that is finding certain psychedelic drugs can help those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga has filed legislation to legalize specific plant-based compounds and MDMA, also known as “molly” or “ecstasy.”

“Plant-based medications [and MDMA] are proven to work for conditions like depression and PTSD,” the Southwick Republican said, said referring to research done by the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, and ongoing research at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

“There is real evidence that [those medicines are] saving people’s lives,” Boldyga said.

He said he has spoken with patients, especially veterans, who have experienced positive results when using these compounds for treating service-related mental health disorders. Boldyga said this is what motivated him to develop and draft the legislation.

The medications his legislation is seeking to legalize are plant-based compounds derived from plants and fungi, like psilocybin, ibogaine, mescaline, and N,N dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and the chemical compound MDMA.

In fact, Boldyga said, MDMA has already been classified as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of PTSD.

According to Forbes, the Food and Drug Administration has already approved the use of MDMA for what is called “compassionate use” for treating PTSD when patients don’t get relief from traditionally used medications.

Boldyga said that with stage 3 clinical trials ongoing using MDMA to treat PTSD, it is very likely the federal agency will fully approve it for use in the next 12 to 18 months. One of his bills wouldn’t reschedule MDMA at the state level until the FDA issued its final approval.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have also found that using MDMA only once with therapy can effectively treat PTSD. Boldyga also said veterans in treatment for PTSD at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are already being treated with MDMA.

The plant-based compounds, he added, are being studied to help treat mental health conditions like depression and traumatic brain injuries with positive results.

Addressing overall mental health, Boldyga pointed to all the money spent over the last five years on treatments and research and said there has “been no real impacts” like the promise of the substances he hopes his legislation will allow for.

“We have to move that needle forward,” he said.

Boldyga believes that his fellow legislators can be convinced to support his three bills “once they see the difference it makes in people’s lives, [I’m hopeful] they will begin to believe in the healing power of these compounds.”

To address the stigma that may be associated with these medications, closely identified with the “counterculture” of the 1960s, Boldyga pointed to the abuse of alcohol, and what he saw while serving as a police officer in Connecticut for several years.

“[Alcohol] has been regulated for nearly 100 years and it has no health benefits,” he said, adding that its use has wrecked families, is nearly always a contributing factor in domestic violence, contributes to early death, and leads too often to deadly consequences for those who drive while drunk.

When asked the response he received from other legislators about his three proposals, he said that over the last year, he and his staff have been working with Statehouse attorneys to draft the three bills largely out of sight.

“Most [of his fellow representatives] had no idea I had filed them,” Boldyga said, again stressing that he believes once they see the research and breakthroughs that have happened over the last decade, they will seriously consider supporting the legislation.

“This is truly a bipartisan cause … a non-partisan issue,” said Boldyga, who describes himself as one of the most conservate members of the Legislature.

Boldyga’s filed bills are:

• H. 3589, which would legalize the possession, cultivation and personal use of plants and fungi that contain psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), psilocin, ibogaine and mescaline for people 21 or older. It would explicitly prohibit the sale or transfer of the substances for financial gain and would limit possession to no more than two grams. This bill was referred to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.
• H. 3605, which would establish a legal and regulatory framework for Massachusetts to issue licenses for people to facilitate the use of psilocybin for therapeutic, spiritual and medicinal purposes. It would legalize the use of psilocybin for those purposes for people 18 or older under the supervision of a licensed facilitator. Boldyga’s office said the bill is based on a similar policy in Oregon. This bill was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health.
• H. 3574, which would automatically reschedule MDMA for the treatment of PTSD upon approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration.

In addition to Southwick, Boldyga represents Blandford, Chester, Granville, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell, Tolland and most of Agawam in the state House of Representatives.