Bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter on Tuesday requesting that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution, reported Marijuana Moment.
The letter to the DEA, introduced last month by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) highlights the importance of state and federal right-to-try (RTT) laws that should allow certain patients to obtain psychedelic medicines that have shown potential in clinical trials.
According to the letter, “research demonstrates that psilocybin provides immediate, substantial and sustained relief from debilitating anxiety and depression in individuals with terminal illnesses.” In addition to Blumenauer, the other signatories on the letter are Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Dean Philips (D-MN) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA).
“I think this discussion needs to take place on Capitol Hill—and it’s something that I would like to occur early in the new year,” Blumenauer said. “Let people understand the potential, using opportunities now for people in the late stages of life to be able to try this using federal legislation.”
Photo by Marco Allegretti on Unsplash.
