EDITORIAL: Lawmakers should prepare for psychedelic therapy legalization

After decades on the periphery of society, psychedelic drugs with the potential to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental issues are on the verge of getting their day in the sun. Although most people’s views of psychedelic drugs are informed primarily by their recreational use and sometimes-overblown Hollywood portrayals, a growing body of medical literature is pointing to the drugs’ ability to help those with PTSD and mental illness. As soon as August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could clear the limited use of psychedelics to treat such disorders. And in the Alaska House of Representatives, a timely bill from Rep. Jennie Armstrong aims to make sure Alaska is ready if that happens.

Rep. Armstrong’s House Bill 228 would “create a task force to consider barriers to the implementation of and equitable access to certain psychedelic medicines ahead of the expected FDA authorization of prescription drugs that would fall under this category.” The task force would report back to lawmakers and give recommendations for how the state could could “safely benefit from these new treatments for mental health issues such as treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder and other mental health issues common in Alaska.”

Armstrong is careful to point out that neither her bill nor the panel it would create would take a stance for or against the legalization of psychedelic drugs — it’s meant to make sure the state is ready when those drugs become legal at the federal level. That’s an important distinction because experiments with carte blanche drug decriminalization(as has been implemented in Portland) have been broadly unpopular and unsuccessful due to the incredible addictive potential of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Were that kind of policy change under discussion, Alaskans would be right to be concerned. But the action the FDA is contemplating is far more narrowly tailored, potentially allowing the prescription of MDMA (also known by its street name of ecstasy) to treat PTSD.

There’s good reason for Alaskans to be hopeful about MDMA’s potential as a PTSD treatment. A trial whose results were published in 2021 found that 67% of study participants who received MDMA combined with therapy no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, compared to 32% in a different group that received therapy and a placebo. If that kind of efficacy holds when the drug is in broader use, it would be a game changer for PTSD sufferers — many of whom served our country in wars overseas. In addition, psychedelics have shown promise in treating drug and alcohol dependency — another issue that plagues Alaska and contributes to all manner of societal ills.

And that’s a big part of why it makes sense for Alaska to be ready for the potential for legalization of psychedelic drugs: Due to the high percentage of both active-duty and retired military veterans in the state (on a per capita basis, Alaska ranks highest in the nation), as well as the plague of domestic violence (where Alaska also, sadly, ranks among the highest in the nation), the addition of a new tool to combat mental health struggles for vulnerable residents could make a huge difference for individual Alaskans and the state as a whole — so long as it’s implemented wisely. That’s where Rep. Armstrong’s bill comes in.

If and when the FDA acts to legalize some psychedelic drugs for prescription use, Alaska should be ready. HB 228 would help make sure that’s the case, and surely legislators can carve out a little time from squabbling over the size of the Permanent Fund dividend to attend to the mental health needs of our veterans and domestic violence survivors.