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- Colorado's SB25-297 requires collecting outcomes data from psychedelic facilitators via the Health Information Exchange.
- New Mexico passed the first legislature-led psilocybin access law, bypassing the need for ballot measures.
- Texas aims to study ibogaine’s role in treating opioid addiction under state-sponsored research bills.
- Federal reclassification of psychedelics may hinge on the data generated from these state-level reforms.
- Most new legislation lacks provisions for home-growing psychedelics, leaving hobbyists in a legal gray area.
Colorado’s SB25-297: Collecting Psychedelic Data
Colorado keeps working to be a leader in psychedelic policy. It has a clear focus on structure, accountability, and safety. After voters supported regulated psilocybin access in 2022, the state is now building the system that makes sure psychedelic-assisted therapy is used safely and effectively.
This bill requires collecting data through Colorado’s statewide Health Information Exchange. Licensed psychedelic facilitators in the Natural Medicine program must report important information. This includes how treatments worked, who received treatment, dose amounts, how treatment was given, and long-term effects on people's well-being. The bill has two goals: helping people get better results and helping plan future public health efforts.
For doctors, researchers, and lawmakers, this law provides useful information. As more session data is collected, state agencies can make training programs better, change rules for facilitator licenses, and use methods that work better in therapy. And it shows the state is serious by showing they will change things based on real facts.
This could become a way for the whole country to follow for regulated psychedelic use in clinical settings. If SB25-297 works well, other states could copy Colorado’s plan. They could use real-world data to build systems based on evidence for psychedelic therapy.
Citation: Senate Bill 25-297 outlines plans for real-time data integration into public health tracking systems (State of Colorado, 2024).
New Mexico’s SB 219: First Psilocybin Access Program Started by Lawmakers
When Senate Bill 219 passed in March 2024, New Mexico made history. It became the first U.S. state to create a psilocybin access program using power from lawmakers, not a vote by citizens. Called the Medical Psilocybin Act, the law gives state health officials complete control over setting up, making rules for, and running psilocybin-assisted therapy centers.
This is a big change in how psychedelic laws are talked about and put into action. Oregon and Colorado used citizen votes to make psilocybin access legal. But New Mexico's approach from the top (lawmakers) shows more acceptance of psychedelics from both parties, not just regular voters, but also among lawmakers themselves.
Under SB 219, the New Mexico Department of Health will give out licenses, make sure ethical rules are followed, and handle rules for who can get treatment. Important things they will focus on include treating PTSD (especially for veterans), severe depression, and anxiety in care for serious illnesses. The law sets careful timeframes for education, the treatment system, and getting facilitators ready. This helps make sure the rollout reduces risk and gets the best results.
Presenting these services as medical is a smart plan. By keeping psilocybin for healing instead of just for fun, lawmakers hope to get support from people who are unsure about making it fully legal. At the same time, they are meeting the public need for different ways to treat mental health problems.
What New Mexico's lawmakers did could make it possible for other conservative and moderate states to consider similar plans started by lawmakers. This is especially true for states that don't like relying on citizen votes as much but are dealing with more mental health problems.
Texas SB 2308 / HB 3717: Steps Forward for Ibogaine Research
Texas has chosen a path more focused on research for psychedelic reform. It is putting effort into clinical trials and looking at policy options before maybe approving access programs. Two bills — SB 2308 and HB 3717 — are moving forward in the state legislature. Together, they are one of the strongest state-supported studies into ibogaine, a lesser-known psychedelic with strong effects against addiction.
Supported by leaders from both parties like Rep. Alex Dominguez and Sen. Donna Campbell, the planned law sets aside money for a complete study on ibogaine paid for by the state. The goal is to find out if ibogaine is safe, how well it works, its side effects, and its long-term impact on people struggling with opioid addiction. Over 132 opioid-related deaths happen every week in Texas, so the need for different treatments is very high.
The state has done studies before, like looking at psilocybin and MDMA for veterans with PTSD. These studies showed it's okay to try new therapies in very controlled places. The ibogaine bills follow this plan. They suggest working together with public universities, hospitals, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
This bill is very important. Ibogaine is still listed as a Schedule I drug by the federal government, and it is still debated because of its strong mind-altering effects and risks. A complete and trustworthy study run by the state could be the way to make ibogaine access possible later. Or at least, it could push federal agencies to look at how it's classified again.
If these studies show good results, expect groups that support ibogaine to ask for test programs. These programs would focus on treating addiction and stopping people from using again. They would have special rules for healthcare providers and services for veterans.
Why These State Efforts are Important for Changing Psychedelic Laws Across the Country
Each state law being considered by lawmakers in 2024 and 2025 helps make a stronger argument for changing laws across the whole country. The current mixed-up approach to psychedelic policy – where some states allow therapy, others allow personal use, and many do neither – cannot continue for long.
These states are collecting real-world data (Colorado), starting combined access programs (New Mexico), and testing different treatments for groups of people facing more problems (Texas). By doing this, they are making a guide for rules that federal agencies can’t ignore. Also, new laws focused on public health could speed up how the federal government changes the schedule for substances like psilocybin and ibogaine under the Controlled Substances Act.
As more studies come out from these efforts and more patients say their lives got much better, agencies like the DEA and FDA will hear more and more demands to look at their strict rules again. This movement might eventually cause changes in how psychedelics are listed. This is especially true for those that have been shown to work in therapy.
Also, this progress could make federal money for grants available for research, safety education, and training for doctors. All of these things are limited under the current rules about listing substances.
The Discussion: Making it Medical vs. Making it Not a Crime
One of the most important questions in the psychedelic movement that is happening is whether these substances should only be allowed in medical places with licenses, or if people should be able to use them personally, for spiritual reasons, or for fun with someone watching.
Making it medical – like in New Mexico and Colorado – provides stronger safety rules, puts money into the system, and works with insurance. But it also creates problems: the cost to get access, long waiting lists at clinics, and only being allowed by certified professionals.
On the other hand, people who support not making it a crime say that safe personal use is totally possible, especially if people are educated. They point to traditions of native peoples and newer guided group ceremonies as real ways of using that should be accepted by today's laws.
Right now, Oregon is the only state with a system that is more about not making it a crime. It allows regulated psilocybin services that don't need strict medical licenses. That system has facilitators who are not in regular medical places. This is an important difference, because it allows for fun or spiritual use.
Still, most states, including those pushing forward laws in 2024–25, have chosen systems run by the government or that have many rules. That puts home-growers, ceremonial leaders, and citizen scientists in an unsure situation. This is especially true if laws don't accept people's right to make their own choices and grow things.
How This Affects People Who Study Mushrooms and Like Them
For people who study mushrooms as a hobby and those who grow them, the changes happening now in psychedelic policy have good and bad parts. On one hand, more acceptance of psilocybin and other related substances makes personal interest in mushrooms seem more valid. There are more educational materials available, ways to test in labs are getting better, and media attention makes growers and people who gather mushrooms seem more normal.
On the other hand, most new laws don't really talk about or allow home cultivation outside of systems focused on therapy. This puts hobbyists in a legally uncertain place. Even if you’re growing not to use them – like for identification, photography, or studying mushrooms – unclear laws and not always applying them the same way can cause legal problems.
For companies like Zombie Mushrooms, whose goal is to help people grow safely and know the facts, this unsure situation is both hard and offers a chance. By teaching people about following the law, being safe in labs, and doing things the right way, they help cover what the rules in current bills haven't gotten to yet.
As people talk about this more, mushroom users and people who do science as a hobby may need to organize and speak up more clearly about being included in psychedelic policy. Home-growing does not have to be separate from public safety. This is especially true with clear guidelines and help to reduce harm.
Timeline Watch: Will These Bills Pass on Time?
- Colorado SB25-297: Strong support indicates likely passage before the current legislative session ends. Expect follow-up steps around data-sharing frameworks and facilitator obligations.
- New Mexico SB 219: Already a success story — signed into law in March 2024.
- Texas SB 2308 / HB 3717: Waiting for final votes. Timing is important. Delays move the discussion into the next cycle. With overdose statistics rising, public pressure could be the thing that makes the difference.
Whether passed right away or stopped for now, each bill creates a system other states can watch and possibly copy.
Moving Towards Talking About Psychedelics as a Public Health Issue
The usual way of talking about psychedelics as dangerous or unusual is changing fast in laws across the U.S. More and more, lawmakers are showing psychedelic substances as possible answers to urgent public health problems like depression, PTSD, and addiction. They are not treating them as bad products or risks for fun use anymore.
This is very important for getting support from many politicians. Talking about psilocybin and ibogaine as public health tools makes it possible for both parties to work together. It also helps get money that was only for traditional drugs before. And it changes the talk about groups of people who are affected, like veterans and patients with long-standing problems that current medicines don't help.
In this way, the talk moves from being about crime to being about care. This is a big cultural change that leads to real changes in laws.
What's Missing from the Laws Right Now?
Even the most forward-thinking psychedelic bills can leave important parts not talked about. Here are important things missing in current policies to watch for:
- Home cultivation: Often left vague or entirely omitted. This risks criminalizing low-risk, personal users unintentionally.
- Non-medical access: Spiritual and ceremonial use is mostly absent from legal frameworks, despite long historic and cultural precedent.
- Education and training support: While facilitator licensing is discussed, educational funding for public safety awareness, beginner growers, or harm-reduction outreach is largely missing.
- Uneven access: Differences in health access might grow if only expensive treatment centers are allowed. Most bills don't have clear rules making sure low-income or marginalized groups can get access to services.
Talking about these missing things will be very important for changes that can last and include everyone. This will help both the people who use it for medical reasons and the general public.
What Mushroom Growers and People Who Support Them Should Watch For in 2025
If you are involved in growing, research, or just have an interest in mushrooms, it's very important to follow the laws closely. Here are important things to notice:
- Licensing structures: Will only licensed facilitators be allowed to distribute or administer psilocybin?
- Cultivation rules: Are there exceptions for personal grows or educational purposes?
- Data requirements: Are you obligated to register or report usage of spore kits or cultivation equipment?
- Certification programs: Is your local health department offering recognized training for facilitators or growers?
As more states do the same, people who support mushrooms will need to change what they do and know the laws. Joining online groups, organizations that support mushrooms, or signing up for educational websites helps you keep following the law as it changes.
Where is Psychedelic Policy Going Next?
Psychedelic policy across the United States is going into a new time. This time is marked by it being seen more and more as real medicine, the government getting involved, and people wanting treatments that are not typical. What Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas are doing are important examples for how the whole country can move forward.
But to keep this movement going, the changes must cover more areas. This means making sure policies are fair for everyone, allowing home-growing in a reasonable way, and continuing research into lesser-known psychedelics like ibogaine.
As support gets stronger from both political parties and among people who work in public health, the United States could see very important new laws and talks about changing the schedule for the whole country within the next few years.
For mushroom growers and people interested in psychedelics, now is the time to keep learning, stay involved, and do things to help change this area.
At Zombie Mushrooms, we promise to provide the tools, updates, and community support you need to understand and handle the always-changing area of psychedelic reform.
