Microdose report
California is home to some of the earliest psychedelic research – from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), to UC San Francisco and Stanford. And yet, a series of bills and ballot initiative attempts aimed at increasing research efforts and access to psychedelics have failed in recent years, including Governor Gavin Newsom vetoing a psychedelics decriminalization bill in 2023. And even as California’s neighbor state Oregon, along with Colorado and New Mexico, have moved forward with their own programs, California has not.
But on Sept. 18, Gov. Newsom signed into law an appropriations bill, AB 113, that includes $4.7 million for veterans’ psychedelic research administered through the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine. The initiative supports health research and collaborations between state and public and private partners; it began in 2015 and is housed in the California Health and Human Services Agency. The appropriations bill is endorsed by Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), an organization that connects veterans with psychedelic retreats and resources.
“While many states have appropriated funds for research, only a handful have directed it specifically to veterans,” said Logan Davidson, VETS director of policy and advocacy, in an email to The Microdose on Tuesday. California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine’s spokesperson Ramon Martinez said that the team plans to release a request for applications later this year.
Advocates for psychedelic access and research for veterans applauded California’s recent appropriation, while also noting how long it took. “The $4.7 million investment enacted through AB 113 shows that California is beginning to match the urgency veterans have brought to this issue for years,” Marine Corps veteran Juliana Mercer, executive director of the advocacy group Healing Breakthrough wrote in an email to The Microdose on Wednesday. “Our work now is to ensure that this investment produces strong research and that the evidence ultimately translates into safe, responsible, and accessible treatment pathways for veterans.”
