Maryland lawmakers just kicked off a bold push that could reshape how people access mind-altering substances for healing. A new bill would keep the state’s psychedelics task force alive through the end of 2027 and charge it with crafting real rules for therapeutic use and possible wider legalization.
On Tuesday, the House Health and Government Operations Committee packed its room in Annapolis to hear testimony on House Bill 1245. Delegate Pam Guzzone, a Democrat from Howard County, introduced the measure to extend the Maryland Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances.
The task force would stay active until December 31, 2027, giving members three extra years to study psilocybin and other natural psychedelics. A companion bill in the Senate, sponsored by Senator Brian Feldman, also a Democrat, gets its hearing this Thursday.
Lawmakers say the original 2024 law set up the group too fast. They want more time to gather solid data before any big changes hit the books.
Why Maryland Created the Task Force in the First Place
Maryland jumped into the psychedelics conversation last year when Governor Wes Moore signed a bill creating the 18-member task force. Members include doctors, veterans, mental health experts, law enforcement, and people with direct experience using these substances.
The group already delivered its first report in December 2024. It called for regulated therapeutic access to psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, for adults with conditions like PTSD, depression, and addiction.
Yet the report stopped short of full legalization. Lawmakers now argue the science and public opinion move fast, and three more years will let the panel build a stronger roadmap.
What the Extended Task Force Must Deliver by 2027
If the bills pass, the renewed task force faces clear marching orders. By the end of 2027 it must present:
- Updated clinical research on safety and benefits
- Recommendations for licensed treatment centers
- Possible paths to decriminalization or regulated adult use
- Rules to protect veterans and first responders who want access
- Ways to support Maryland farmers who could grow psilocybin mushrooms
Delegate Guzzone told the committee that veterans in her district beg for new options after traditional treatments fail. She shared stories of former service members who traveled to Jamaica or Oregon because Maryland offers no legal path yet.
How Maryland Compares to Other States Right Now
Oregon already runs the nation’s first licensed psilocybin therapy program that started in 2023. Colorado voters approved a similar regulated system in 2022, with centers set to open this year.
Closer to home, Virginia and the District of Columbia have lowered penalties for possession. Maryland stays in the middle ground: personal use remains illegal, but the task force signals lawmakers want change.
A 2024 poll by the University of Maryland showed 61 percent of state voters support regulated medical access to psilocybin. Support jumps even higher among adults under 45.
Veterans and Patients Speak Out at the Hearing
Tuesday’s hearing brought emotional moments. One Army veteran described how psilocybin therapy in a clinical trial saved his life after three suicide attempts. A cancer patient talked about using mushrooms to ease end-of-life anxiety when pills no longer helped.
Opponents worry about public safety and youth access. A representative from the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association asked for strict age limits and tight tracking rules if any program launches.
Supporters fired back with data. Johns Hopkins University researchers, based right in Baltimore, have published dozens of studies showing psilocybin can reset brain patterns linked to depression with just one or two guided sessions.
The extended timeline gives Maryland a chance to learn from Oregon’s early numbers. There, serious incidents at licensed centers stay extremely rare, and patient satisfaction runs above 90 percent.
Lawmakers left the hearing saying they see growing momentum. Both Guzzone and Feldman predict strong bipartisan support when votes hit the floor in the coming weeks.
Maryland stands at a turning point where ancient plants meet modern medicine, and real people suffer while the state decides its next step. If this bill passes, thousands of residents struggling with mental health crises might finally get a new tool that actually works. The conversation has only just begun, but the voices calling for change grow louder every day.
