Florida is Next In Line To Decriminalize Psychedelics

A Florida State democratic Rep. Michael Grieco, who represents Miami Beach in the state legislature, represents the first serious push for legal access to psilocybin on the East Coast.

This bill would legalize magic mushrooms and give patients safe access to psychedelics for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy. The bill was introduced after similar initiatives in Oregon and Washington D.C. were passed in 2020. Grieco was proposing legal access as well as consumption of psilocybin mushrooms. In Florida, access will be limited to people with a diagnosis of a mental health condition. That would mean limited legal access to mushrooms for psychedelic assisted psychotherapy for military veterans with PTSD and terminally ill patients. Florida comes in third with the highest concentrations of veterans, behind California and Texas. Once the bill's language is approved it will go through an “administrative review” process but Grieco expects the bill is unlikely to pass due to serious opposition from lawmakers and public health officials in Tallahassee. The objective is to get the conversation started surrounding decriminalization of psychedelics and to give universities a path to studying the therapeutic potential of these profound and potent natural substances. An attorney who helped draft the language of the bill's states, "This bill symbolizes the seed that will soon blossom into the widespread acceptance of psychedelics, which will ultimately lead to the healing and compassion that our society desperately needs.”