Senator Jeff Steinborn didn’t know much about psilocybin therapy when a constituent called him the week before the 2024 legislative session. What followed ended with New Mexico becoming the first state legislature in the country to pass a psilocybin access program. SB 219 passed through the Legislature by a large margin, but the path wasn’t always certain.
Steinborn walks through the committees that nearly killed it, the veterans who showed up and changed the room, and the decisions that made it work: getting the Department of Health in before a single word was drafted, building a bipartisan coalition in a space that has historically split along party lines, and knowing which messenger to send into which room.
If you work in psychedelic policy, this is the clearest account yet of what it actually takes to get a bill across the finish line.
About the Guest
Jeff Steinborn has served in the New Mexico Legislature since 2007, first as a Representative, and now as a Senator. He is an organizer and environmental advocate by profession and has been a leading voice on cannabis policy, environmental protection, and more. He was the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 219, the first psilocybin access program passed by a state legislature in U.S. history, signed into law in April 2025.
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