Feds Should Work With—Not Against—States That Legalize Psychedelics, Government Health Official Says.
At a speaker series hosted by the National Institute of Health (NIH), government health official, Sean Belouin predicted that safety and ethical considerations of psychedelics reform “will rapidly become front-and-center regulatory and policy issues” as more states and municipalities follow Oregon in pursuing the medicalization and decriminalization of psychedelics. Belouin believes that the federal government and other stakeholders need to work with state regulatory agencies to ensure “equitable access of psychedelic therapy for all patients regardless of income status, insurance plans, no insurance or other disparity-limiting factors”. Belouin is a captain of the US Public Health Service and senior science policy advisor with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), so his recommendations gives hope that psychedelic reform will be expedited through federal engagement.