By Sam Douglass 

Vermont lawmakers heard testimony Wednesday on a proposal that would allow patients to access certain clinically appropriate psilocybin-based therapies in the event of federal approval. 

The proposal was introduced to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare as an amendment to H.611, a miscellaneous health access bill. Presented by Tess Bettler, associate director of government affairs with Compass Pathways, the amendment would automatically align Vermont law with federal approval of psilocybin and create a regulated pathway for medical use. 

Even if federal approval is granted, Bettler said, Vermont law would still need to be updated before the treatment could be prescribed in the state. Adopting this change in advance would close access gaps to the drug between FDA approval and Vermont-specific legislation to allow its use in-state. Betler pointed to Vermont’s past action on cannabidiol as an example of how the state has done this previously. 

Psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found naturally in certain mushrooms, is currently classified as a Schedule I drug and is used recreationally, though it is tied to historical ceremonial use. Modern supporters of the drug point to its use in treating certain mental health conditions. 

The amendment allows the clinical use, sale, and possession of “crystalline polymorph psilocybin” in the event that the compound is approved federally. According to Bettler, once approved by the FDA, the drug would be reclassified to a lower schedule which opens the door for clinical use. 

Compass Pathways, a biotechnology company founded in 2016, received breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA in 2018 for their drug, COMP360, a synthesized crystalline polymorph psilocybin compound. This led the company to begin the first large-scale psilocybin therapy clinical trial for treatment-resistant depression, according to a 2018 press release. 

Compass Pathways’ proposed amendment does not include provisions for the clinical use of naturally derived psilocybin found in fungi. 

Vermont would not be the first state to take specific action on permitting crystalline psilocybin for clinical use. Similar legislation has been passed in multiple other states, including South Dakota and Colorado, with the support of diverse bipartisan coalitions of lawmakers who cite its mental health benefits, especially for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. Support has also been noted among Vermont lawmakers.

Senate Health and Welfare Vice Chair, Sen. Martine Gulick (D-Chittenden Central), expressed strong support for the amendment. 

“I’m obviously very much in favor of this. I have been trying to work towards the therapeutic use of psilocybin for a while now, just given our mental health challenges and more and more trials are being done on how it’s for PTSD and treatment resistant depression,” said Gulick. 

Senator Gulick is also the lead sponsor of a 2025 bill, S.102, which expands the role of the Vermont Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group. 

Information for In Committee news reports are sourced from GoldenDomeVt.com and the General Assembly website. Generative AI has not been used in the writing of this story.