A Republican lawmaker from North Carolina, Rep. Edward Goodwin, has introduced a bill along with bipartisan cosponsors to create a $5 million grant program aimed at supporting research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and MDMA, popularly known as psychedelics.
The bill also proposes the establishment of a Breakthrough Therapies Research Advisory Board to oversee these research efforts. While the bill does not seek to legalize psilocybin and MDMA, it aims to provide funding through competitive grants administered by the state Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for eligible research initiatives focused on “breakthrough therapies.”
The HHS would begin accepting grant applications from in-state research entities and academic institutions capable of conducting studies, including clinical trials involving adults aged 21 and older, starting from August 2024.
