SB 751: Veterans and Former First Responders Research Pilot Program.

Existing law makes it a crime to possess, cultivate, and administer specified controlled substances, including psilocybin and psilocyn. Existing law makes it a crime for a person to rent, lease, or make available for use any building or room for the purpose of storing or distributing any controlled substance.

This bill would, until January 1, 2031, require the California Health and Human Services Agency to oversee a Veterans and First Responders Research Pilot Program request the University of California to establish local pilots in up to 5 counties to allow for the research and development of psilocybin services for target populations, as defined, in up to 5 counties. The bill would authorize the agency to operate in partnerships with the University of California system. The bill would request the University of California to oversee each local pilot program as a university partner veterans and former first responders as part of the Veterans and Former First Responders Research Pilot Program (Pilot Program). The bill would require these university partners, overseeing each Pilot Program to be responsible for protocol design, institutional review board approvals, training of psilocybin facilitators, data collection, and reporting. The bill would require each local pilot program to partner with local mental health clinics, hospice programs, veterans facilities, or other community-based licensed health care and licensed community-based providers that provide services and care to the target population. The bill would require psilocybin to be provided by or under the supervision of a practitioner who has experience in providing or overseeing psilocybin or other psychedelic therapy services. The bill would require that each person being considered for the Pilot Program meet specified criteria, including that they are 21 years of age or older and have been given specified assessments.

This bill would require the agency request the University of California to report specified information about the pilot program Pilot Program to the Legislature Legislature, the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, and the Governor by January 15, 2030. The bill would establish the Veterans and Former First Responders Research Pilot Special Fund and would continuously appropriate the fund to the agency University of California for the purposes of these provisions. The bill would authorize the agency request the University of California to apply for and accept grants, donations, and federal funding for the purposes of the pilot program, Pilot Program, and would require those moneys to be deposited in the fund.