State lawmakers are considering a proposal to decriminalize the possession of up to one ounce of psychedelic mushrooms for people 21 and older. Though similar efforts have failed in the past, a public hearing Monday drew emotional testimony from veterans.
Cecilia Corey said she’s struggled for years with mental health challenges stemming from her time in the Air Force and from traumatic events in her personal life.
She told lawmakers that using psilocybin — the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms — turned her life around.
“I stopped having suicidal ideation,” she said. “For the first time in decades, I was hopeful. I was able to feel joy.”
Bill sponsor Grayson Lookner, a Democrat from Portland, said the bill is intended to support therapeutic use, and would not create a recreational market.
But Scott Pelletier, a commander with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said he’s concerned about a lack of regulation on products purchased on the illicit market.
“There is no quality control, no recommended nonlethal dose to assure the purchaser of a safe therapeutic experience,” he said.
Oregon, Colorado and a handful of cities around the country have decriminalized adult possession of psilocybin. But it remains illegal under federal law.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.