Alaska Government Task Force Recommends Legalizing Psychedelic Therapy Upon FDA Approval

An Alaska psychedelics task force is recommending that the state move forward with plans to provide regulated access to psychedelics if the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorizes the medical use of substances like psilocybin and MDMA.

After about a year of work studying the issue under a law enacted in 2024, the Alaska Legislative Task Force for the Regulation of Psychedelic Medicines on Thursday unveiled its findings and recommendations.

“Alaska has some of the highest rates in the nation of domestic violence survivors and combat veterans who experience PTSD, and many of these Alaskans continue to struggle with traditional treatments,” Sen. Forrest Dunbar (D), co-chair of the task force, said in a press release.

“Our approach to these new medical therapies needs to be properly and independently evaluated to ensure that if the legislature were to make policy changes, we do so with empirical data in a properly controlled environment,” the senator said.

The panel’s report lists a series of findings, informed by a review of scientific literature and expert testimony.That includes findings that certain psychedelics do, in fact, possess “potential therapeutic uses,” and “there is particular focus on use of these therapies for veterans, survivors of assault and interpersonal violence, and others with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

Members emphasized the importance of administering psychedelic therapies in a collaborative way with “multiple provider types” to deliver a comprehensive treatment approach, rather than leaving it up to the individual patient to navigate.

Chief among its recommendations, the task force said: “If and when psychedelic medicine therapies are FDA approved, the state should take action to allow for their use in Alaska, rather than prohibiting use.”

Alaska regulators should also identify clinical working groups “whose function is to regularly review updated studies and the evidence base to make recommendations, and rely on these entities to provide ongoing guidance on use of these therapies,” it said.

“To the extent possible, reserve use of state statute for broad enabling language and key components of a regulatory structure, and leave most regulatory decisions to the relevant boards and agencies,” another recommendation states. “Regulations still require robust public process in order to be adopted, but can be updated or modified more predictably and easily than statute changes, which require an act of the Legislature.”

“It is likely that appropriate parameters for use of these therapies will change over time, as the evidence base matures and FDA approval may be granted for multiple therapies,” it said.

Should FDA proceed with approving any given psychedelic for medical use, the panel said the Alaska State Medical Board should update its guidance for prescribing controlled substances to incorporate the novel therapies.

Also if FDA approves psychedelic medicines, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) follows suit by federally rescheduling substances like psilocybin, Alaska should “fully mirror federal scheduling and Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) without adding duplicative or conflicting state rules, and follow any rules regarding whether DEA licensure is required for prescribers,” the report says.

“This approach respects federal science and streamlines access for patients and providers,” it continues.

Additionally, as lawmakers and regulators await a federal decision on advancing psychedelic therapies, the state should look into legislation to “prompt implementation actions at the state level to include the recommendations made in this report.”

“Trigger legislation would require addressing several process and regulatory questions, such as the role and involvement of professional licensing boards, state agencies, and the Controlled Substance Advisory Committee,” the task force said.

The report further says that psychedelics reform should prioritize military veterans’ access to FDA-approved therapies, which may involve collaborating with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify opportunities for participation in clinical trials and pilot programs utilizing the novel drugs.

“Advocacy should be considered to ensure active efforts by the American Medical Association, (AMA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (CMS) on developing billing codes that will promote sufficient reimbursement for psychedelic therapy delivery are vital to ensuring patient access post-FDA approval,” the panel said.

Rep. Justin Ruffridge (R), who also serves as co-chair of the psychedelics panel, said the task force was “focused on preparing Alaska for potential federal approval of psychedelic therapies.”

“These recommendations came from months of collaboration and work by medical professionals, advocates, and legislators who focused on patient safety, evidence-based care, and access, especially for those who haven’t seen progress through traditional treatments,” he said.

So far two other states have facilitated psychedelics programs that are fully operational. Oregon voters legalized therapeutic psilocybin in 2020, and Colorado’s program was passed at the ballot box in 2022, with the state’s governor signing legislation a year later to create the regulatory framework for the program.

Meanwhile, an Alaska campaign announced in December that it failed to collect enough signatures to put an initiative to legalize certain psychedelics such as psilocybin and DMT on the state’s 2026 ballot—but activists emphasized that the “work is far from over” as they shift focus to placing the reform measure before voters in 2028.

“While we won’t appear on the 2026 ballot, we remain fully on track for 2028, and we will continue moving forward with determination, focus, and the support of our community,” Natural Medicine Alaska said in December. “This movement is gaining momentum every day. In fact, over 65 percent of Alaskans support this initiative–and that number continues to grow.”

An earlier policy outline from the campaign explained that the proposal is “building off of” Colorado’s voter-approved 2022 Natural Medicine Health Act, under which facilitators last year administered the state’s first legal dose of psilocybin.

A poll in 2024 found that nearly half (49.4 percent) of Alaska adults would support a ballot measure to more broadly remove criminal penalties for using substances such as psilocybin mushrooms.

That support rose markedly—to nearly two thirds (65 percent)—when participants were told that Alaska has high rates of mental illnesses that could potentially be treated with psychedelics.

Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype and Apollo.