The recommendations are not binding but offer the legislature a guide to what laws Alaska would need to offer care if medicines become legal federally.
Dried psilocybin mushrooms. Psilocybin is being studied as a medicine for treatment-resistant depression and end-of-life care, but has not been FDA approved for general use. A state task force released recommendations in February for making psychedelic therapy available in Alaska, if treatments are approved at the federal level.
to examine the therapies, which hold a lot of promise but are still considered experimental. Jennie Armstrong, a former state representative who was on the task force, said the group tackled questions like how to make therapy accessible and how to offer safe and culturally competent care. “The whole point of the task force was to bring up these types of questions so we're not scratching our heads when this becomes medicalized and scrambling and being reactive, but we're actually being proactive about how we are approaching this,” she said. The task force did not take a stance on whether psychedelic therapies are good or bad, but recommended Alaska incorporate them as they are legalized nationally. In 2024, the Food and Drug Administration declined a highly anticipated application of MDMA therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. Butplans to apply to the FDA for psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression as soon as this fall. None of the task force’s recommendations are binding, but Armstrong said they’re meant to guide legislators on the types of laws the state would need to offer access. Armstrong said the task force recommended incorporating a training program for therapists and healthcare providers who want to guide therapy. “Everyone needs to go through this type of training, because just being a doctor doesn't make you qualified to facilitate this type of care,” she said. And she said the aim is to make training accessible so a diversity of people can become certified, which would help ensure people getting treated are a good fit with the person who guides them. Armstrong said Alaskans could benefit a lot from psychedelic therapies if they’re legalized. That’s because the state has such high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other mental illnesses. Psychedelic therapies are being studied to treat PTSD, treatment-resistant depression, eating disorders and substance use disorders. Armstrong said some of the research is promising. “There are so many folks who, through these trials, went from being suicidal and having treatment resistant depression, unable to work, unable to function, to being in remission within months,” she said. “Imagine how that can change how your neighbors and your friends and your family and your community can thrive.” She urged anyone with strong feelings about the topic to reach out to their legislators to share their thoughts.
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