New York is in crisis.
1. New Yorkers are suffering
- More than 1 in 5 New Yorkers have symptoms of a mental disorder [1] , and every year we lose more
than 10,000 New Yorkers to alcohol, drug overdose, and suicide [2] . The disease burden or total cost
of mental illness exceeds that caused by all cancers [1] .
- Furthermore, 1 in 5 New Yorkers live with chronic pain [3] , and chronic pain is the leading cause of
disability in America [4] .
- Traditional approaches to these conditions aren’t working for many people.
2. Psilocybin and other psychedelic substances are therapeutic / can help
- Psychedelics are psychoactive substances that cause altered states of consciousness. They
allow people to see themselves, others, and the world in a completely different light, and have
profound realizations about their lives.
- These experiences, especially when combined with proper preparation before and integration
after, can have a powerful and lasting therapeutic effect.
- Some psychedelics are naturally occurring (psilocybin, mescaline, DMT, ayahuasca, ibogaine,
etc.). Other psychedelics are chemically synthesized in labs (ketamine, MDMA, LSD, analogs
created by pharmaceutical companies, etc.).
- Research from NYU, Yale, John Hopkins, Imperial College London, and many other top
universities show remarkable effects of these substances on a wide range of conditions, including
depression [5] , anxiety, suicidality [6] , PTSD in veterans and survivors of sexual abuse [7] , alcohol,
tobacco, and opioid addiction [8] , end-of-life anxiety, COVID-related burnout in frontline healthcare
workers [9] , as well as debilitating migraine and cluster headaches [10] .
- Psilocybin and other naturally occurring psychedelics have been used in the sacred rites of many
indigenous groups around the world for centuries [11] or even millennia [12] , with some of these
groups continuing their traditional usage today [13] .
3. Psilocybin and other psychedelic substances are safe
- Psychedelics are powerful substances and should be used wisely and carefully. That said, the
benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
- Compared to all other drugs, psilocybin use results in the lowest number of emergency room
visits and hospitalizations [14] .
- Compared to pharmaceuticals (like SSRIs or benzodiazepines), psychedelics have far fewer
negative side effects and many more positive side effects for most people who take them.
4. Support for psychedelics is growing and other cities/states are taking action
- 28% of American adults have used a psychedelic substance, with 13% having tried psilocybin [15] .
Since 2015, the percentage of American adults that have used a hallucinogen in the past year
has grown by 44% [16] . Polling shows that psilocybin is the psychedelic substance that Americans
are most in favor of decriminalizing [17] .
- Fifteen cities across the country, including Denver, Washington DC and Detroit have passed laws
decriminalizing the possession, use and sharing of psychedelics and/or deprioritizing
psychedelics for local law enforcement [18] .
- Oregon and Colorado voters have passed ballot initiatives decriminalizing psychedelics and
creating clinics throughout the states where patients can access Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy
with psilocybin for an unrestricted range of conditions [19, 20] . Connecticut passed a law expanding
access to psilocybin and MDMA for first responders, veterans and frontline health workers [21] .
Texas passed a bill supporting the study of psychedelics for veterans suffering from PTSD [22] .
- The FDA has recognized psilocybin and MDMA as breakthrough medicines with a faster track to
review and approval, which is expected in the next few years [23] .
- In Congress, there is a bipartisan Psychedelic Caucus [24] dedicated to better understanding of
psychedelics therapy, and a bipartisan bill by Senators Rand Paul and Cory Booker [25] to
reschedule and expand access to these breakthrough therapies.
- This year: So far, there are almost 40 proposed psychedelic bills in 14 states around the
country [26] . Analysts predict that multiple states will pass legislation that expands research on
psychedelics and makes them more available to people who are suffering.
5. New York is taking action
There are two pieces of legislation that would address the problems cited above in New York State, and
we urge lawmakers to support them.
A.3520 (Burke)/S.3581 (Fernandez) would create a therapeutic access program, where New
Yorkers will be able to use psilocybin for a wide range of conditions, overseen by trained
experts.
A.114 (Rosenthal) would decriminalize possessing/using, growing/cultivating, or gifting/sharing
naturally occurring psychedelics.
No one should go to jail because they are trying to heal.
________________________________________
[1] New York: Priority Area: Mental Health/Substance Abuse - Mental Health
https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/prevention_agenda/mental_health_and_substance_abuse/mental
_health.htm
[2] Trust for America’s Health: U.S. Experienced Highest Ever Combined Rates of Deaths Due to
Alcohol, Drugs, and Suicide During the COVID-19 Pandemic
https://www.tfah.org/article/u-s-experienced-highest-ever-combined-rates-of-deaths-due-to-alcohol-
drugs-and-suicide-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
[3] NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Defining the Prevalence of Chronic
Pain in the United States
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/research/research-results/defining-the-prevalence-of-chronic-pain-in-the-
united-states
[4] NIH: Pain and Disability: Clinical, Behavioral, and Public Policy Perspectives
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219253/
[5] Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Rucker, J., Day, C. M. J., Erritzoe, D., Kaelen, M., et al. (2016).
Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study.
Lancet Psychiatry, 3, 619–627. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30065-7
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Bolstridge, M., Day, C., Rucker, J., Watts, R., Erritzoe, D. E., et al. (2018).
Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up.
Psychopharmacology, 235, 399–408. doi: 10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x
Carhart-Harris, R., Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker-Jones, M., Murphy-Beiner, A., Murphy, R., et al.
(2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384,
1402–1411. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa2032994
COMPASS (2021). COMP360 Psilocybin Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Phase IIb
Results. Available online at: https://compasspathways.com/positive-topline-results/
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P., Sepeda, N. D., Johnson, M. W., et al. (2021).
Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA
Psychiatry 78, 481–489. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285
[6] Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., May, D. G., Cosimano, M. P., Sepeda, N. D., Johnson, M. W., et al.
(2021). Effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Psychiatry 78, 481–489. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285
[7] Henner, R. L., Keshavan, M. S., & Hill, K. P. (2022). Review of potential psychedelic treatments for
PTSD. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 439, 120302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2022.120302
[8] Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A., Pommy, J. A., Wilcox, C. E., Barbosa, P., & Strassman, R.
J. (2015). Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study. Journal of
Psychopharmacology, 29, 289–299. doi:10.1177/0269881114565144
Bogenschutz, M. P., Ross, S., Bhatt, S., Baron, T., Forcehimes, A. A., Laska, E., Mennenga, S. E.,
O'Donnell, K., Owens, L. T., Podrebarac, S., Rotrosen, J., Tonigan, J. S., & Worth, L. (2022).
Percentage of heavy drinking days following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs placebo in the
treatment of adult patients with alcohol use disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry,
79(10), 953–962. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., Cosimano, M. P., and Griffiths, R. R. (2014). Pilot study of the 5-
HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 28,
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[9] Back, A. (2021, December - ). Frontline Clinician Psilocybin Study. Identifier NCT05163496.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05163496
[10] Di Lorenzo, C., Coppola, G., Di Lorenzo, G., Bracaglia, M., Pierelli, F., & Rossi, P. (2016). The use
of illicit drugs as self-medication in the treatment of cluster headache: Results from an Italian online
survey. Cephalalgia, 36(2), 194-198–198. DOI: 10.1177/0333102415583145
Schindler, E., Sewell, R. A., Gottschalk, C. H., Luddy, C., Flynn, L. T., Lindsey, H., Pittman, B. P.,
Cozzi, N. V., & D'Souza, D. C. (2021). Exploratory controlled study of the migraine-suppressing effects
of psilocybin. Neurotherapeutics : The Journal of the American Society for Experimental
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[11] Furst, P. (1982). Flesh of the gods: The ritual use of hallucinogens. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland
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González, M. J. M., & Sosa, C. P. E. (2022). Insights for modern applications of psilocybin therapy from
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[12] Samorini, G. (1992). The oldest representations of hallucinogenic mushrooms in the world.
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[13] Gerber, K., Flores, I. G., Ruiz, A. C., Ali, I., Ginsberg, N. L., & Schenberg, E. E. (2021). Ethical
concerns about psilocybin intellectual property. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, 4(2),
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org.avoserv2.library.fordham.edu/10.1111/anoc.12168
[14] Global Drug Survey. Global Drug Survey Brochure. https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/wp-
content/themes/globaldrugsurvey/results/GDS2017_key-findings-report_final.pdf. Published 2017.
Leonard, J. B., Anderson, B., & Klein-Schwartz, W. (2018). Does getting high hurt? Characterization of
cases of LSD and psilocybin-containing mushroom exposures to national poison centers between 2000
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https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881118793086
[15] Orth, T. (2022, July 28). One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug.
YouGov America. https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/07/28/one-in-four-
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[16] Livne, O., Shmulewitz, D., Walsh, C., & Hasin, D. S. (2022). Adolescent and adult time trends in
US hallucinogen use, 2002–19: Any use, and use of ecstasy, LSD and PCP. Addiction, 1– 11.
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[17] Orth, T. (2022, July 28). One in four Americans say they’ve tried at least one psychedelic drug.
YouGov America. https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/07/28/one-in-four-
americans-have-tried-psychedelic-drugs
[18] Psychedelic Alpha. (n.d.). Psychedelic legalization and decriminalization tracker.
https://psychedelicalpha.com/data/psychedelic-laws
[19] AP News: Oregon voters approve ‘magic’ mushrooms for therapeutic use
https://apnews.com/article/oregon-ballot-drug-measures-senate-5cb7b67f09908157f0d28618c8743d43
[20] Woodruff, C. (2022, October 17). Colorado voters asked to legalize psychedelic mushrooms.
Colorado Newsline. https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/17/proposition-122-colorado-voters-
mushrooms/
[21] Fenster, J. N. (2022, May 11). New CT law pave the way for widespread psychedelic therapy. CT
Insider. https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/New-CT-law-paves-way-for-widespread-psychedelic-
17165230.php
[22] Cutler, J. E. (2021, June 23). Texas the latest state to legalize psychedelic medical research.
Bloomberg Law. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/texas-the-latest-state-to-
legalize-psychedelic-medical-research
[23] Oprah Daily: 6 Things You Need to Know About Psychedelics
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/a42434941/what-to-know-about-psychedelics/
[24] Marijuana Moment: Bipartisan Lawmakers Form New Psychedelics Caucus In Congress
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bipartisan-lawmakers-form-new-psychedelics-caucus-in-congress/
[25] Marijuana Moment: Cory Booker And Rand Paul File Bill To Reschedule Psychedelic Breakthrough
Therapies And Remove Research Barriers
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/cory-booker-and-rand-paul-file-bill-to-reschedule-psychedelic-
breakthrough-therapies-and-remove-research-barriers/
[26] Psychedelic Vote. https://psychedelicvote.org/bills