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H 1624

An Act establishing a task force to study equitable access to psilocybin and other entheogenic plants

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Mike Connolly

Massachusetts creates a 21-member interagency task force to study equitable access to psilocybin and entheogenic plants, and draft policy recommendations and bills by June 2026.

Accompanied a study order, see H5281 (under House Rule 27)
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Bill Summary · H 1624

Summary: H 1624 — An Act establishing a task force to study equitable access to psilocybin and other entheogenic plants

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes an interagency task force to study the public health and social justice implications of legalizing possession, consumption, transportation, and distribution of psilocybin and other naturally cultivated entheogenic plants and fungi.
  • Aims to develop recommendations to maximize equitable access, reduce harms, and address disparities associated with current policies on entheogenic substances.

Key provisions and changes

  • Creation of a 21-member interagency task force.
  • Purpose of the task force: review scientific research, assess social justice impacts, and develop policy guidance on legalization, enforcement, and access.
  • Final deliverable: a comprehensive report with findings, recommendations, and drafts of necessary legislation to implement the recommendations. The report and drafts must be filed with the clerks of the Senate and House, as well as key committee chairs, no later than June 2026.

Task force composition (appointments)

The 21 members shall include, among others:
- Co-chairs: (a Senate appointee and a House appointee) who serve as co-chairs; appointments by the Senate president and the Speaker.
- Minority party appointees: one appointed by the Senate minority leader and one by the House minority leader.
- Representatives from state agencies and professional boards:
- A member from the Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions (or its designee)
- A member from the Cannabis Control Commission
- The attorney general (or designee)
- Secretaries or designees from:
- Executive Office of Health and Human Services
- Department of Veterans’ Services
- Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
- Experts and advocates:
- Two members with professional advocacy or academic experience in drug harm reduction (at least one a practitioner of traditional, ceremonial plant medicine)
- Three members with training in medicine, social work, public health, or law focused on health disparities and access to care
- Four members with expertise in racial equity and economic justice (at least one from a Massachusetts-recognized Native American tribe)
- Two members with scientific expertise on effects of entheogenic substances (psilocybin, ayahuasca, other plants/fungi)
- Community and testimony focus:
- Members to hear and consider public testimony from MA residents with entheogenic use experiences or criminal-justice experiences related to entheogenic possession
- Additional representation from state government and tribal/community interests as described in the bill

Scope of work and activities

  • Compile and review research on the physiological and psychological effects of entheogenic plants and fungi.
  • Collect testimony and data on experiences from various U.S. communities and select international jurisdictions that pursued harm-reduction approaches (e.g., Portugal, the Netherlands, Jamaica, Peru, Brazil) as well as specific U.S. locales listed (e.g., Somerville, Cambridge, Denver, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Ann Arbor), sovereign Native lands, Washington D.C., and Oregon.
  • Assess the impact of drug prohibition on marginalized groups (e.g., Indigenous people, veterans, people with disabilities, Black and Latino communities, people of color, people in poverty, LGBTQ individuals).
  • Examine the political and cultural origins of prohibition policies.
  • Develop recommendations to legalize and remove penalties related to possession, consumption, transportation, manufacture, and distribution of entheogenic plants and fungi in a manner that promotes equitable access and sustainable production.
  • Identify opportunities for public education on harm-reduction and potential licensing policy revisions for health-care workers and therapists.
  • Propose pardons, parole, diversion, expungement, and equity measures for individuals with related criminal records.
  • Hear public testimony from MA residents with lived experiences related to entheogenic use or incarceration for related offenses.

Report timeline

  • The task force must file its findings, recommendations, and draft legislation by June 2026.
  • The report is to be submitted to the clerks of the Senate and House, and to specified committee chairs (Ways and Means, Judiciary, Public Health, Public Safety and Homeland Security).

Procedural status and timeline (highlights)

  • Introduced: February 27, 2025
  • Referred to The Judiciary Committee (02/27/2025)
  • Senate concurrence noted (02/27/2025)
  • Hearing: Scheduled for July 15, 2025 (A-2) with subsequent adjustments to hearing times; virtual participation option noted
  • Related/alternate filing: HD 4243 (replaces)

Potential impact

  • If enacted, Massachusetts would establish a formal framework to study and guide policy on equitable access to entheogenic plants, potentially influencing future legalization, licensing, public education, and criminal-justice reforms related to psilocybin and other natural entheogens. Emphasis is on equity, harm reduction, and redressing historical disparities.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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