Bills to Increase Access to Medical Equipment, Psilocybin Medication Pass Committee

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January 14, 2025
Bills to Increase Access to Medical Equipment, Psilocybin Medication Pass Committee
DENVER, CO -
The House Health & Human Services Committee today passed legislation
that would streamline access to durable medical equipment and create guidelines for the legalization of medical psilocybin
.
“As a former first responder, I know how important it is for Coloradans to access the medical treatment they need to live comfortably, which is why I’m carrying this bill to make it easier for people to receive life-saving equipment like wheelchairs and CPAPs,”
said Rep. Katie Stewart, D-Durango, sponsor of HB25-1016.
“This bill would allow occupational therapists to prescribe durable medical equipment to their patients, cutting out the middle man and streamlining access to essential medical equipment, especially in rural areas where people have to travel further to see a provider.”
HB25-1016
, which passed by a vote of 13-0, would allow occupational therapists to prescribe durable medical equipment, like ventilators and wheelchairs, without requiring a prescription from a licensed physician leading to increased access to medical care and treatment.
HB25-1063
, sponsored by Representative Kyle Brown and Representative Anthony Hartsook, R-Parker, would make a prescription medication that includes crystalline polymorph psilocybin legal to prescribe, dispense, distribute, possess, use, and market in Colorado upon its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Coloradans have shown support for natural psychedelic treatment options when they passed Prop 122, and this bill would help prepare Colorado’s medical industry to start prescribing synthesized psilocybin for Coloradans with certain mental health conditions,”
said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, sponsor of HB25-1063.
“Research shows that this type of medication can have positive long-term impacts on people suffering from treatment-resistant depression or post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). This bipartisan bill creates guidelines for medical psilocybin treatments in the case that it is approved at the federal level to give Coloradans more controlled treatment options for depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, anxiety, and other conditions.”
Colorado became the second state in the nation to legalize psychedelic therapy when voters passed
Proposition 122
in 2022. In June 2023, the FDA published
guidance
for researchers investigating the use of psychedelic therapy for medical treatment, stating that psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs have shown promising results when used to treat mood, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and substance use disorders. A
Johns Hopkins study
found that psilocybin-assisted therapy can relieve major depressive disorder symptoms in some adults for at least a year.
HB25-1063 passed by a vote of 12-1.
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