Pennsylvania House Democrats mull over using psychedelic mushrooms as a mental health treatment option
Pennsylvania Considering Psilocybin Legalization for Mental Health Treatment
In a bid to explore new avenues for mental health treatment, Pennsylvania is contemplating the legalization of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain types of mushrooms. The proposed legislation requires approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and rescheduling by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Last year, Montgomery County Republican Sen. Tracy Pennycuick championed a bill to establish clinical studies for psilocybin-assisted therapies. Despite gathering support, the bill stalled in committee and has not been reintroduced in the current two-year legislative session.
State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, has been vocal about reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, expressing concerns that some GOP lawmakers might oppose psilocybin use.
In May 2022, Delaware County state Reps. Jennifer O'Mara and Craig Williams introduced a bipartisan bill to legalize psilocybin treatments in Pennsylvania. However, as of September 2025, there are no available search results detailing its current status.
Testimonies in support of psilocybin treatments have come from various quarters. Manheim Township firefighter Ryan Gardill, who experienced personal struggles after returning from Afghanistan in 2011, including a failed marriage and child custody case, spoke in favour of the legalization of psilocybin treatments in Pennsylvania. Gardill's wife intervened to prevent him from taking his own life, and his mental health issues were deemed unfit for duty by the U.S. Marine Corps in 2013.
Brett Waters, a New York attorney and co-founder of the nonprofit Reason for Hope, also testified that psilocybin has helped him overcome his fight with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Waters lost his mom to suicide in 2018 and used traditional antidepressants for about five years, growing dependent on the medications and suffering bouts of withdrawal if he missed doses.
Waters believes that psilocybin will be safer, more effective, more durable, and with lower abuse potential compared to traditional antidepressants. He argues that the urgent need for a major change in mental health treatment is evident in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics showing nearly 50,000 people died by suicide in 2023.
Two representatives from Compass Pathways, a biotechnology company that develops psilocybin medications, also testified in support of psilocybin treatments. Dr. Daniel Orr, a doctor working with the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians, also lent his support to the proposed legislation.
A 2022 study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that microdoses of psilocybin could have an antidepressant effect that may last more than a year for some patients. The proposed legislation aims to ensure timely access to new treatments once they become available.
Both Gardill and Waters stated that the issue of psilocybin treatments transcends party lines. Many state Democrats spoke in support of the proposed psilocybin legislation in May 2022. The future of psilocybin legalization in Pennsylvania remains uncertain, but the testimonies and support from various quarters suggest a growing interest in exploring this potential new frontier for mental health treatment.
