Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances - Extension and Membership
SB0336 extends and updates Maryland’s Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances. The bill keeps the task force in place beyond its original sunset date, adds a representative from a historically Black college or university in the State, and preserves the broader multidisciplinary membership structure that includes state officials, researchers, clinicians, public health experts, law enforcement, and people with lived experience.
The task force is directed to continue studying the science, public benefits, risks, and implementation barriers associated with natural psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, and mescaline, while excluding peyote. It must also make recommendations for a potential Maryland Natural Psychedelic Substance Access Program, including permitting, education and safety standards, access to treatment and regulated support, and production rules. In addition, it must recommend ways to move away from criminal penalties for nonviolent conduct involving natural psychedelic substances, including civil penalties, expungement, and release of incarcerated people for qualifying offenses.
The bill amends Chapter 793 of the Acts of 2024 by extending the life of the task force, updating its membership, and requiring a later report to the Governor and General Assembly. It does not itself legalize psychedelic substances or create an access program, but it keeps the policy process alive and directs the task force to develop recommendations that could lead to major changes in Maryland law governing possession, cultivation, distribution, treatment access, and criminal justice consequences related to natural psychedelics.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support and little visible opposition. It passed the Senate unanimously and later passed the House with a strong majority, then was approved by the Governor. The voting pattern suggests general agreement with continuing the task force’s work and exploring regulated access and criminal justice reforms around natural psychedelic substances.
The main policy tensions are embedded in the task force’s mandate rather than in the bill’s passage. Potential points of contention include whether Maryland should move toward regulated access versus continued criminalization, how far to go in decriminalizing nonviolent conduct, whether expungement and release should be recommended for past convictions, and how to balance public access with safety, licensing, insurance, zoning, and other regulatory concerns. The addition of an HBCU representative also reflects an emphasis on broader representation and equity in the task force’s work.