Existing law makes it a crime to possess, cultivate, and administer specified controlled substances, including psilocybin and psilocyn. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to rent, lease, or make available for use any building or room for the purpose of storing or distributing any controlled substance.
This bill would, until January 1, 2031, require the California Health and Human Services Agency to oversee a Veterans and First Responders Research Pilot Program to allow for the research and development of psilocybin services for target populations, as defined, in up to 5 counties. The bill would authorize the agency to operate in partnerships with the University of California system. The bill would request the University of California to oversee each local pilot program as a university partner responsible for protocol design, institutional review board approvals, training of psilocybin facilitators, data collection, and reporting. The bill would require each local pilot program to partner with local mental health clinics, hospice programs, veterans facilities, or other community-based providers that provide services and care to the target population.
This bill would require the agency to report specified information about the pilot program to the Legislature by January 15, 2030. The bill would establish the Veterans and First Responders Research Pilot Special Fund and would continuously appropriate the fund to the agency for the purposes of these provisions. The bill would authorize the agency to apply for and accept grants, donations, and federal funding for the purposes of the pilot program, and would require those moneys to be deposited in the fund.