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Bill Summary · SB 1018

Summary of SB 1018 — The HEAL Act (Healing Through Evidence-Based Access to Lifesaving Care)

Purpose and intent

SB 1018, titled The Healing Through Evidence-Based Access to Lifesaving Care Act (The HEAL Act), creates a state-supported program to advance research on psychedelic-assisted therapies for trauma-related mental health conditions. The bill establishes a dedicated grant fund (the Breakthrough Therapies Research Grant Fund) and a task force to oversee, study, and potentially implement psychedelic medicine research in North Carolina, with a focus on vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by trauma.

Key provisions and changes

Section 1: Breakthrough Therapies Research (BTR) Grant Fund

  • Establishes the BTR Grant Fund as a nonreverting special fund within the DHHS Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services (MHDDDS).
  • Purpose: Award up to two competitive BTR Grants for eligible three-year research projects or studies related to psychedelic drugs (including ibogaine, MDMA, and psilocybin) designated as Breakthrough Therapies by the FDA with expedited approval pathways.
  • Eligibility and scope:
    • Applicants must be federal medical or research entities or North Carolina academic institutions with capacity to conduct the research in-state.
    • All research must occur in North Carolina; participants must be 21+.
    • Research must investigate the use of psychedelic drugs for trauma-impacted mental health, focusing on veterans, active/former first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault.
    • Psilocybin research must target anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, or both.
    • Studies must measure baseline pain and changes in pain related to the therapies.
  • Reporting: Grant recipients must submit findings and recommendations to the Division and the Breakthrough Therapies Task Force by January 15, 2031.
  • Amounts: Up to five competitive grants, each for at least $1,000,000, to be awarded no later than July 1, 2027.
  • Timing: Grants announced by July 1, 2027.

Section 1: Rules

  • The Division may adopt rules (including application processes and required information) to administer the BTR Grants.

Section 2: Breakthrough Therapies Task Force

  • Establishes the Breakthrough Therapies Task Force within DHHS MHDDDS.
  • Membership includes key state officials (Secretaries of Health, Military & Veterans Affairs, Commerce), mental health representatives, Native community health representatives, domestic violence survivors’ representatives, professionals from psychiatry, UNC and ECU medical school appointees, and both Senate and House members.
  • Appointments: Initial task force by December 1, 2026; vacancies filled thereafter.
  • Duties:
    • Assess psychedelic medicine for trauma-related conditions; identify access and affordability barriers.
    • Recommend licensing, insurance, and potential regulatory pathways if federal status changes.
    • Guide grant application processes and funding decisions; monitor funded research.
    • Provide monitoring reports annually for three years starting December 1, 2027, and a final evaluation report by December 1, 2031, with recommendations on program continuation and changes.
  • This section expires December 31, 2031.

Section 3: Funding appropriation

  • Effective July 1, 2026, appropriates $5,400,000 in nonrecurring General Fund money for FY 2026-2027.
    • $5,000,000 goes into the BTR Grant Fund.
    • $400,000 funds administrative costs for the Division and the Task Force.

Section 4: Federal leverage

  • Directs DHHS MHDDDS to identify opportunities to leverage federal funding for the BTR Grants, including potential alignment with President Trump’s April 18, 2026 executive order on accelerating medical treatments for serious mental illness.

Section 5: Effectiveness

  • The act becomes law upon passage, with the specified effective dates.

Who is affected

  • Research entities and academic institutions in North Carolina that pursue eligible psychedelic research.
  • Specific populations targeted by the research: military veterans, first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and survivors of domestic violence/sexual assault.
  • DHHS MHDDDS and the Breakthrough Therapies Task Force responsible for administration, oversight, and ongoing evaluation.
  • Potentially, health insurers and licensing bodies if the research influences future practice standards or regulatory changes.

Timeline highlights

  • Initial task force appointment by December 1, 2026.
  • Grant applications due; awards announced by July 1, 2027 (up to five grants of at least $1,000,000 each).
  • Research funding for a three-year period starting within the 2026-2027 appropriation.
  • Final evaluation report due by December 1, 2031, with ongoing annual monitoring through 2030.
  • Section 2(c) expiry: December 31, 2031.

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

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