03/06/2024 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

        SB 166-MENTAL HEALTH/PSYCHEDELIC MED. TASK FORCE                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
           [CSSB 166(L&C) was before the committee.]                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:32:59 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN announced  the consideration of SENATE  BILL NO. 166                                                               
"An  Act establishing  the Alaska  mental health  and psychedelic                                                               
medicine task force; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN  said this is  the second hearing  of SB 166  in the                                                               
Senate  Judiciary   Committee.  The  intention  is   to  hear  an                                                               
amendment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN solicited a motion.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:33:15 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  TOBIN  moved  to  adopt  Amendment  1,  work  order  33-                                                               
LS1062\P.1.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                 33-LS1062\P.1                                                                  
                                                     Bergerud                                                                   
                                                      2/26/24                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                      A M E N D M E N T  1                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
    OFFERED IN THE SENATE                  BY SENATOR TOBIN                                                                     
          TO:  CSSB 166(L&C)                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
    Page 2, line 1, following "crisis":                                                                                         
          Insert ", as well as in treating chronic and                                                                          
    terminal illness and in end-of-life care"                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:33:17 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:33:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR TOBIN explained that there  is a growing body of research                                                               
into the use of psychedelics and palliative treatments for end-                                                                 
of-life care.  The National Institute  of Health  (NIH) indicates                                                               
Washington,   Hawaii,   Texas,    Nevada,   Minnesota,   Indiana,                                                               
Connecticut, and Maryland  have each established a  task force to                                                               
study  the   medical  use  of  psychedelics.   These  states  are                                                               
exploring the  effects of  psychedelics on  post-traumatic stress                                                               
disorder  (PTSD),   depression,  long  COVID,   and  inflammatory                                                               
disorders. She emphasized that Amendment  1 does not minimize the                                                               
importance of Alaska's mental health  crisis. Rather, it is meant                                                               
to  broaden  the task  forces   scope  to include  assessing  the                                                               
potential health  care benefits of treating  chronic and terminal                                                               
illness, as well as end-of-life care.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  TOBIN   shared  a  story  a   constituent  relayed.  The                                                               
constituents   colleague, who  suffered  from  a traumatic  brain                                                               
injury, had used  psychedelics to disrupt the  progression of his                                                               
condition  and now  has a  clean bill  of health.  She said  that                                                               
psychedelics hold possibilities and  voiced hope that Amendment 1                                                               
would expand the scope of the task force.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:34:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  CLAMAN  invited committee  questions  on  Amendment 1  and                                                               
asked whether the sponsor had any objections to it.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:35:02 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNBAR replied that it is a good amendment.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:35:14 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   CLAMAN  removed   his  objection.   Finding  no   further                                                               
objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CLAMAN invited the bill sponsor to make final comments.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:35:27 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNBAR  thanked the committee  for its  consideration. He                                                               
stated  that  while  psychedelics   are  a  novel  and  sometimes                                                               
sensationalized form of medicine,  this legislation is ultimately                                                               
about Federal Drug Administration  (FDA) testing and establishing                                                               
a  regulatory  framework.  SB  166  prepares  Alaska  should  the                                                               
federal government legalize psychedelics for medical use.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:35:58 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN found  no further discussion and  solicited the will                                                               
of the committee.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:36:02 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  KIEHL moved  to  report CSSB  166(L&C),  work order  33-                                                               
1062\P,    as   amended,    from   committee    with   individual                                                               
recommendations and attached zero fiscal note(s).                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:36:20 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR CLAMAN  found no objection  and CSSB 166(JUD)  was reported                                                               
from the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee.