In the 2023 legislative session, the Minnesota Legislature established a Psychedelic Medicine Task Force (“PMTF”) to advise it on the legal, medical, and policy issues associated with the potential legalization of psychedelic medicine in the State of Minnesota. Dr. Jessica Nielson, the founder and President of the Psychedelic Society of Minnesota, was appointed by Governor Walz, and elected by the other members of the task force, to serve as Chairperson for the PTMF.

State statute that created the PMTF: Minnesota Statutes, section 99: Psychedelic Medicine Task Force

To view the membership of the Psychedelic Medicine Taskforce, please visit Minnesota Secretary of State Board/Commission Psychedelic Medicine Task Force.

For purposes of this task force, "psychedelic medicine" refers to three distinct drugs with potential to treat certain medical conditions: psilocybin, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

The PMTF met monthly from November 2023 - December 2024 to achieve the following mandated duties:

• Survey existing studies in the scientific literature on the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic medicine in the treatment of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and any other mental health conditions and medical conditions for which a psychedelic medicine may provide an effective treatment option

• Compare the efficacy of psychedelic medicine in treating the above conditions with the efficacy of treatments currently used for these conditions

• Develop a comprehensive plan that covers:

  • Statutory changes necessary for the legalization of psychedelic medicine

  • State and local regulation of psychedelic medicine

  • Federal law, policy, and regulation of psychedelic medicine, with a focus on retaining state autonomy to act without conflicting with federal law, including methods to resolve conflicts such as seeking an administrative exemption to the federal Controlled Substances Act under United States Code, title 21, section 822(d), and Code of Federal Regulations, title 21, part 1307.03; seeking a judicially created exemption to the federal Controlled Substances Act; petitioning the United States Attorney General to establish a research program under United States Code, title 21, section 872(e); using the Food and Drug Administration's expanded access program; and using authority under the federal Right to Try Act

  • Education of the public on recommendations made to the legislature and others about necessary and appropriate actions related to the legalization of psychedelic medicine in the state.

The PMTF was mandated to submit two reports to the legislature. The first report detailed the establishment and initial work of the task force and was submitted in February 1, 2024. The final report is a comprehensive “playbook” of recommendations for a psychedelic medicine access program to be rolled out over the time, and was submitted to the legislature on January 1, 2025.

CALL TO ACTION!

Help us inspire Minnesota Senators and Representatives to introduce and pass a bill to implement the recommendations of the Psychedelic Medicine Task Force (PMTF). Now that the PMTF has released and submitted their final report and recommendations to the Minnesota legislature, we want to help keep the momentum going and inspire our lawmakers in the state capital to make the task force recommendations a reality.

The 3 main recommendations of the task force include:

1. Create a state-regulated clinical program for the therapeutic administration of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

2. Remove criminal penalties for the personal use and possession of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

3. Allocate funding for more research into the health benefits of MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD.

In order for these recommendations to become a reality in Minnesota, so we can join states like Oregon and Colorado in helping provide safe and legal access to these powerful medicines, the legislature must create new laws to make it so.

We have put together a toolkit to help the broader Minnesota psychedelic community engage with your local elected officials to let them know these recommendations are important and you’d like to see them prioritized during the upcoming legislative sessions.

Legislative Outreach Toolkit:

• Link to help find your state lawmakers, based on your voting address. Their page will have their email address and phone number, and sometimes a direct contact form to submit a message to them

• Link to letter template to add your information and copy/paste into an email or contact form to send to the legislators that represent your voting district.

• Link to a 1-page summary of the task force report to send to your elected officials.

Press releases and interviews about the task force report

Fox 9 interviewed task force member Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch) about the recommendations and the viability for them to pass through the legislature.

MPR interviewed task force Chairperson Jessica Nielson about the report and the recommendations, and discusses broader topics around psychedelic medicines.

Article in Star Tribune about the findings and recommendations of the task force report, featuring quotes from Chairperson Nielson.

Chairperson Nielson was interviewed on the WCCO radio show about the task force report and recommendations.

Chairperson Nielson and task force member Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch) were interviewed for the CBS Minnesota news about the recommendations and potential for support in the legislature.

Filter magazine featured a story about the task force report, with a quote from Chairperson Nielson about plans for the report and future legislation, and Big Psych co-founder Jade Mycelia was quoted about some critiques of the task force recommendations and not going far enough to include protection and funding for community and cultivators.

Previous Psychedelic Medicine Task Force Meetings

Thanks to the generosity of a member of the public, several of the task force meetings have been screen recorded and posted on YouTube!