PS2025’s Policy Track Featured Texas, Nevada, and Lessons From Oregon
Day two of the 2025 Psychedelic Science conference on June 19 featured several talks about state psychedelic policy initiatives to change laws regulating the use of psychedelic substances.
This PS2025 policy roundup highlights a talk on the recent Texas Ibogaine Initiative, which is investing $50 million in state funds to explore mental health treatment options for veterans, and an update on bipartisan advocacy for legal reform in Nevada that would allow for the medical use of psychedelic therapies. This roundup also covers Sam Chapman’s presentation, which made a compelling case for the future of psychedelic access – drawing on Oregon’s groundbreaking Measure 109. Through his newly launched Center for Psychedelic Policy, Chapman aims to provide states with the tools, knowledge, and strategies to ensure the affordability of psychedelic-assisted services.
Lucid News is publishing daily roundups of news from Psychedelic Science 2025, as well as more in-depth coverage of talks and events that took place during the last three days of the conference. You can find our other stories on PS2025 here or read our reports from 2023 here.
Texas Takes A Bow After Passing Historic Ibogaine Initiative
A highlight of the policy track programming on the second day of Psychedelic Science 25 was a panel focused on the keys to Texas’s breakthrough success in passing the Texas Ibogaine Initiative. The panel, titled “The Evolving Landscape of Psychedelic Advocacy in Texas,” explored Texas’s pioneering efforts in supporting psychedelic legislation, advancing next-gen treatment options for veterans struggling with their mental health, and setting a precedent for other states.
Panel moderator Diane Goldstein, Executive Director of Law Enforcement for Action Partnership (LEAP), opened the discussion by commending the psychedelic advocacy community in Texas for its ability to foster bipartisan action. She asked fellow panelist Logan Davidson, Executive Director of Texans for Greater Mental Health, about the distinctive aspects of Texas’s advocacy landscape that have led to such significant legislative success.
Davidson attributed this success to a diverse, organized, and mature advocacy community. He noted that what began four years ago with House Bill 1802, a bill less organized in its initial stages, has evolved to include a broad coalition of practitioners, researchers, advocates, veterans, and even legislators themselves. This collective, Davidson explained, has learned to trust one another and “own their lanes,” leveraging individual expertise to rapidly support legislation.
He cited the recent Texas Ibogaine Initiative as a prime example of successful legislation, which quickly gained momentum from late summer, early fall of last year, culminating in its successful passage. Davidson also emphasized the crucial backing of institutions like the McGill Center for Psychedelic Research Therapy at the University of Texas, Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Medical Center, and Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) – all of which bring long-standing credibility and relationships to the Texas State Capitol and beyond.
Adam Marr, an Army veteran and Director of Operations for the Veterans Mental Health Leadership Coalition (VMHLC), shared his personal journey and the formula he observed for legislative success. Becoming involved after the passage of Texas House Bill 1802 in 2021, Marr identified a powerful combination: legislative star power, including former Governor Rick Perry and State Representative Alex Dominguez, leading medical science and research advocates such as Dr. Lynette Averill, and compelling veteran healing stories offered by Amber and Marcus Capone of VETS, and his own brother.
This “three-component” approach, Marr asserted, was key to the bill’s initial passage. Looking to the future, Marr detailed three seminal events that shaped his understanding of advocacy: a VETS gala that brought together diverse thinkers like Rick Perry and Tim Ferriss, a fundraiser uniting veteran nonprofits with Native American Indigenous spiritual elders who sought unity in healing, and his involvement in planning the VMHLC’s advocacy day in Pennsylvania, modeled after the Texas approach. Today, VMHLC boasts over 50 partner organizations and 100 members, focusing on access, regulatory reform, research expansion, infrastructure strengthening, and veteran empowerment.
Goldstein asked Davidson to elaborate on the evolution of psychedelic advocacy in Texas and his own credentials. Davidson described his decade-long experience in the Texas State Legislature, where he served as a legislative aide, chief of staff, and legislative director for Alex Dominguez, helping to shepherd Contino II into law. After Dominguez’s departure, Davidson, initially hesitant about non-profit work, joined Texans for Greater Mental Health and built a year-round operation supporting psychedelics and providing an in-state anchor for national groups like VMHLC and VETS to coalesce around.
At one point during the panel discussion, Davidson recounted the significant expansion of psychedelic policy in Texas. In 2021, the legislature approved a narrow clinical trial for veteran PTSD using psilocybin, appropriating $2.2 million. After laying the groundwork, Davidson said accumulating allies at the state house was crucial. The Texas Ibogaine Initiative – which was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in early June and as previously reported by Lucid News – will appropriate a substantial $50 million for ibogaine drug development and research.
The Benefits of Research
A particularly innovative aspect, Goldstein noted, was Texas’s approach to intellectual property. Davidson explained that the legislation includes a protection for Texas’s ownership of any intellectual property derived from the Ibogaine Initiative. If a commercialized form of ibogaine emerges from this program, a portion of the revenue will be directed back to the state to fund veteran service programs and broader healthcare and mental healthcare initiatives, ensuring that the community directly benefits from successful research.
Davidson expressed hope that other states would follow Texas’s lead in pursuing research appropriations, noting that Texas’s $50 million investment in ibogaine research dwarfed the federal Douglas Mike Day Act, which directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a grant program for psychedelic substances to treat certain conditions. He advocated for states to act as “laboratories” for new medicines, conditions, and models, and to focus on implementation and rescheduling.
Marr envisioned the future of veteran mental health by 2030, emphasizing access, healing, and community integration. He shared a powerful anecdote about Chase Brown, a veteran who overcame opioid addiction with ibogaine and, through sharing his story, became the new veteran engagement coordinator at Texans for Greater Mental Health. Marr stressed that the future model involves individuals gaining access to healing, becoming whole, and then plugging into organizations like VMHLC or Texans for Greater Mental Health to contribute to widespread access.
Goldstein highlighted the potential for psychedelics to reduce recidivism, referencing Kentucky’s efforts to implement ibogaine in correctional facilities. She emphasized that these therapies are crucial for developing whole, safe, and healthy communities, moving beyond solely relying on policing to address societal problems.
Davidson concluded the panel by outlining his “three wishes” for 2030: FDA approval of psilocybin and MDMA, their integration into healthcare systems to meet unmet needs, and a boom in psychedelic legislation at both state and federal levels focused on ensuring equitable access for everyone.
Nevada Psychedelic Leaders Seek to Set a New Standard for Bipartisan Advocacy
With conservative support for psychedelics continuing to gather momentum, another panel (titled “Nevada’s Blueprint for Psychedelic Reform”) that drew attention during PS2025’s day two Policy Track featured the leaders of a bipartisan coalition from Nevada that is steadily advancing psychedelic medicine reform at the state level. The coalition appears to be gaining ground through strategic leveraging of personal stories, data, and a pragmatic legislative approach to overcome initial skepticism and establish an incremental path to wider access.
The Nevada Coalition for Psychedelic Medicines, a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, was co-founded by Kate Cotter, also founder of the Sierra Psychedelic Society, and Jon Dalton, a retired Navy SEAL. Their efforts build on the groundwork laid by Cotter’s work leading the Sierra Psychedelic Society (SPS) a 501c(3) nonprofit, which focused on public education, risk management and community building around psychedelic modalities.
“Nevada has a very different culture from Colorado and Oregon,” Cotter said, explaining the need for a broad cultural movement. “It was imperative that we enact a widespread cultural movement.”
The coalition’s work gained significant traction with the introduction of Senate Bill 242 in 2023. Initially proposed as a full decriminalization measure, it faced immediate opposition from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, a retired sheriff who campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform.
“Our governor had taken office,” Cotter explained. “This was a nonstarter for Nevada.”
Recognizing the political landscape, the bill was transformed into a working group bill, a study group tasked with producing a comprehensive report. The 70-page document delved into mental health in Nevada, specifically addressing the needs of veterans and first responders, public safety concerns, and the therapeutic potential of entheogens such as psilocybin and mescaline.
Jon Dalton, a conservative voice within the movement, emphasized the importance of a multi-partisan approach. Five years ago, Dalton said he would have dismissed psychedelics as “hippie drugs.” However, his personal experience seeking healing through ibogaine and 5-MeO in Mexico profoundly changed his perspective.
“When you talk to other conservatives, oftentimes that’s the initial response you get,” Dalton said. He stressed the need to “allay their fears and show them what this is and what this isn’t.”
The Key Role of Veterans and First Responders
Diane Goldstein, a former police lieutenant and an independent, moderated the panel and highlighted the critical role of law enforcement testimony in shifting perceptions. She recounted how law enforcement and district attorneys, initially staunchly opposed to decriminalization, began to soften their stance after hearing compelling stories from veterans and retired police officers about trauma and suicide.
“When we got into this legislative session, there wasn’t a single law enforcement or prosecutor voice that came out against either of the bills,” Goldstein said, attributing the shift to sustained engagement and a strategy to move them from “negative to neutral.”
The working group’s report laid the foundation for subsequent legislative efforts. Key recommendations included reduced penalties for psychedelics, rescheduling certain substances, and implementing a pilot program for veterans and first responders.
Dalton explained the strategic decision to initially focus on veterans and first responders. “To get the momentum going with a veteran pushing for veteran mental health and first responder mental health gets that freight train of a bill moving in the right direction,” he said. He views this as an “incremental approach to radical change,” believing that once the healing stories of these populations become widely known, it will be difficult to reverse course and will open the door for broader access.
The shift in perception was evident in the legislative support for two recent bills: Senate Joint Resolution 10, a rescheduling bill, and Assembly Bill 378, an alternative therapies pilot program for first responders. SJR 10 garnered 27 co-sponsors and AB 378 had 24, with support from both sides of the aisle.
“It was referred to as the shroom bill,” Cotter recalled of SB 242. “By the time we got to this session… there was so much enthusiasm and so much support that it really spoke to the arc of how we had managed to affect the cultural change.”
Looking ahead, Cotter and Dalton expressed a shared vision for expanding access and healing. Cotter emphasized patience and dedication, while Dalton highlighted the power of grassroots support in influencing legislators.
“Every legislator wants to stay in office,” Dalton said. “If they believe that their supporters support this, or their constituents support this, they are going to take a hard look at whether or not they wanna change their mind.”
Goldstein, representing Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), affirmed the long-term goal of sensibly regulating all drugs, with psychedelics playing a crucial role in dismantling the “war on drugs.” She said that the Nevada coalition’s success demonstrates that through persistent advocacy, data-driven arguments and multi-partisan collaboration, significant policy reform is achievable.
Psychedelics at a Crossroads: Introducing the Center for Psychedelic Policy
Sam Chapman, a leading figure in psychedelic policy, took the stage to open day two of Psychedelic Science 20‘25’s Policy Track with a talk titled “The National Psychedelic Landscape: An Overview of Past, Current, and Future Policy Reform.” He presented a compelling case for the future of psychedelic access – drawing on Oregon’s groundbreaking Measure 109 and highlighting the urgent need to address affordability. Chapman, who says his personal motivation stems from a desire to see his father benefit from psychedelics, emphasized that despite the historic progress, the movement risks stalling if cost remains a barrier.
Oregon’s Measure 109, which Chapman managed and then helped implement as the founding executive director for the Healing Advocacy Fund, established the first state-regulated and licensed psilocybin therapy program in the U.S. He reported that over 10,000 people have now received services through Oregon providers and that state regulated psilocybin therapy in Colorado recently began receiving its first patients. This, Chapman stated, proves that “state-based psychedelics can be delivered safely, legally, without federal intervention, and at a scale that has never been seen before.”
However, a significant problem persists, Chapman conceded: most participants in Oregon’s program came from privileged backgrounds. “The people who need this most, the people like my dad, still can’t afford it,” Chapman warned. He stressed that affordability must be “centering in every aspect of our work right now” to prevent the movement from becoming a public health solution that fails to scale.
Chapman’s National Landscape Assessment, a report aimed at understanding the momentum and shortcomings in psychedelic policy, seeks to inject affordability into these crucial conversations. He acknowledged recent “road bumps” like the failure of Massachusetts’ Question 4 and the rejection of FDA approval for an application for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD by Lykos Therapeutics, but asserted that the landscape is shifting.
His analysis of over 220 bills introduced in 38 states plus D.C. over the last five years reveals a surprising bipartisan consensus. “This issue is continuing to transcend politics, unlike any other issue in today’s political environment,” Chapman observed, noting nearly equal legislative interest from Republican and Democratic-controlled states. This “opportunity that we’re not going to have forever” must be seized.
Most Bills Fail To Pass
Despite high interest, most bills fail to pass. Chapman identified common pitfalls, including a lack of agency input – state health departments often kill bills they weren’t consulted on – and the absence of legislative champions who are not only understanding but also passionately bought in. He lauded New Mexico’s Senate Bill 219 – the New Mexico Medical Psilocybin Act as a model for strong legislative engagement.
To overcome these challenges and ensure long-term sustainability, Chapman proposed focusing on state-based pilot programs. These programs are “flexible, targeted, and pragmatic,” avoiding the need for full regulatory frameworks or costly ballot measures. Their goal is “simple but powerful… serve real people with high need,” including veterans, end-of-life patients, and Medicaid recipients.
Chapman, through his newly launched Center for Psychedelic Policy, aims to provide states with the tools, knowledge, and strategies to “move from interest to implementation and to ensure affordability is no longer an afterthought, but a starting point.” He urged funders, legislators, advocates, and researchers to collaborate, believing that by demonstrating the efficacy, safety, and cost savings of psilocybin therapy compared to existing behavioral health investments, states can be incentivized to invest in psychedelic healing, creating a “sustainable, scalable, affordable strategy.”
Featured image: Lucid News reporters Nick Powers, Jack Gorsline, Annie Oak Harrison, Aaron Baum, and Vaughn Jefferson on stage for the Lucid News Hour at PS2025. Credit: Nicki Adams.