Connecticut Expands Psychedelic Therapy Access for First Responders
Under a new Connecticut law, first responders, EMTs, and frontline health care workers with treatment-resistant PTSD or depression can now access a psilocybin therapy pilot program previously limited to veterans
The law also removes a provision that would have ended the study if the FDA legalized psilocybin, ensuring the program continues regardless of federal action
The pilot program, which launched in 2022, currently supports about 20 veterans at Yale University
First responders, EMTs, and frontline health care workers with treatment-resistant depression or PTSD may now join veterans in accessing a state-monitored psilocybin therapy program under a new Connecticut law signed by the governor last week.
Last Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont announced he had signed Senate Bill 191, which expands an existing pilot program supporting about 20 veterans at Yale University. The program uses psychedelic chemicals to treat conditions that have not responded to conventional therapies.
Sen. Saud Anwar, a South Windsor Democrat who co-chairs the legislature’s Public Health Committee, led passage of the bill in the Senate, which approved it on a unanimous vote in April. Anwar noted the bill does not legalize recreational psychedelics but instead allows for the study of their benefits in treating conditions like depression and PTSD.
“We know that psychedelics can provide breakthroughs for people in direct need of care, and we know that we can always work to find new ways to help people,” Anwar said.
The law also closes a loophole in the original 2022 legislation that would have automatically ended the study if the FDA legalized psilocybin for medical use. The new law removes that provision, ensuring the program continues regardless of what federal regulators decide.
Researchers, including some at Johns Hopkins Medicine, have published studies suggesting that psilocybin paired with therapy may be an effective tool for managing hard-to-treat cases of depression.
By Hugh McQuaid