Illinois House of Representatives members on the mental health and addiction committee heard from doctors, licensed psychologists and veterans about the benefits of psilocybin, the active component in magic mushrooms, during a hearing on “Psychedelics as Behavioral Health Treatment" Tuesday.
It's the first hearing since the bill was introduced nearly two years ago.
The goal, according to State Representative Lindsey LaPointe, is to shed light on the potential of psychedelics to alleviate mental health, addiction, PTSD and trauma issues.
"As a behavioral health leader in the state of Illinois, and a former social worker myself, I have sat with many people who have struggled with mental health needs and addiction needs and trauma needs for many years," LaPointe said.
"The most compelling thing is hearing directly from people who have struggled for decades and then have found something where they can truly heal and truly live productive lives," she said.
LaPointe is a co-sponsor of a bill that would allow the use of psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms, in clinical settings.
Representative La Shawn Ford introduced the Illinois "CURE Act" in 2023.
Local
"What we’ve learned through our research, not only from academia but from personal testimony, is that traditional medicine has failed certain people, and what they’ve learned is that going to psychedelics is actually a cure for them," Ford said.
As it stands, Ford's bill would also decriminalize possession of psilocybin.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly> Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Drew Snyder, a licensed psilocybin facilitator in Oregon and clinical mental health counselor, was one of several people who testified in front of Illinois House lawmakers Tuesday.
Snyder is an Army veteran who deployed in Afghanistan and central Africa before being diagnosed with PTSD. He deployed in Afghanistan and central Africa.
"I was a wreck. I was going to all the therapy, and I was on all the medication for a few years," Snyder said. "I could not resolve this underlying moral injury I had experienced."
Snyder discovered psilocybin and had a positive experience.
"I felt this loving, divine hand guide me through these scenes of war I had experienced from this higher perspective," Snyder said. "It really helped me to heal really rapidly."
After his own experience, Snyder knew he wanted to help other veterans and now teaches a program for therapists and psychologists to learn psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Psilocybin therapy is legal within a licensed service center in Oregon and Colorado.
When consumed, the hallucinogen can shift how a person perceives reality. The drug has a low level of toxicity, which means it's not likely to cause breathing problems or heart attacks, according to the National Institute of Health.
However, there are health risks, especially when unsupervised, including causing dangerous behavior, high blood pressure, anxiety or paranoia.
"We see that something like 75-80% of people who experience depression have relief from their symptoms immediately," Snyder said. "The therapeutic potential of psilocybin truly can be lifechanging for people who have treatment-resistant depression or PTSD."
Ford said he hopes the hearing will give his colleagues the chance to hear testimony on how the therapy can be beneficial, and said he's optimistic about the bill's passage by the end of next year.
"We believe by the end of 2025, this bill will be on the governor’s desk and signed into law."
