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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill allowing synthetic psilocybin prescriptions. What's next for the legislation?
Reynolds said her veto was not ‘a dismissal of the emerging science or the sincere advocacy behind this legislation,’ but a call for more research
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DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed legislation last week that would have allowed doctors to prescribe synthetic psilocybin in Iowa if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the substance.
Psilocybin is the active component of "magic mushrooms" and has been the subject of research into whether it can help people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
House File 383 passed both chambers of the Iowa Legislature with broad bipartisan support, but Reynolds said the bill “surrenders state authority to make an informed determination about classification to federal officials at the FDA” and Iowa should let the federal government make a determination before rescheduling the substance.
“The scientific evidence has shown that there is a high potential for abuse, it has an increased likelihood of causing severe psychological and physical dependence, and there is a lack of acceptable medical uses,” Reynolds said in a statement after vetoing the bill June 11. “I recognize and respect the growing body of research into the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin for mental health conditions such as depression and PTSD. However, this bill, in its current form, moves ahead of where our public health systems, regulatory frameworks and law enforcement infrastructure are prepared to go at this time.”
Reynolds added that her veto is not “a dismissal of the emerging science or the sincere advocacy behind this legislation,” but a call for a more Iowa-centric approach.
What is psilocybin?
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring hallucinogenic compound found in certain species of mushroom, is listed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been studying the effects that synthetic psilocybin has on PTSD. In 2024, the FDA rejected MDMA treatment for the disorder.
Reynolds’ veto comes as more states are considering the drug’s legalization in clinical settings, including for the treatment of PTSD.
In recent years, voters in Oregon and Colorado have passed ballot measures decriminalizing natural psilocybin for therapeutic treatments. Multiple states, including Minnesota, Texas and Maryland, have created task forces to study the scientific research behind psychedelics and their potential to treat PTSD.
This session, House File 978, which passed out of the House 84-6 but failed to make it to the Senate floor, would have established a Psilocybin Production Establishment Licensing Board within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and allow the hallucinogen to be produced in the state.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. John Wills, a Spirit Lake Republican who served in the U.S. military for 25 years and deployed overseas for three tours, said it would help create another form of treatment for veterans experiencing PTSD.
Under the legislation, there would be a limit of 5,000 patients who receive psilocybin recommendations. Recipients of the treatment would have to be at least 21 years old, receive an assessment from a qualified medical psilocybin provider who verifies they have PTSD and have the drug administered in a controlled, clinical setting.
Wills said while he was disappointed that it did not advance in the Senate, he added he wasn’t “too excited” about the bill allowing doctors to prescribe the synthetic psilocybin once the FDA approves it, but hopes lawmakers will work next session to come up with a solution.
“In a way, I'm kind of glad that the governor vetoed that. I think it's going to be nice to be able to come back and take a fresh approach and a more broad approach,” Wills told the Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau. “Even the Veterans Administration is looking at doing something with psilocybin for PTSD treatment. The problem with the VA is that it takes years for them to do something on anything … and at the state level, we can act so much faster. And so that's why I feel it's very important for us to be looking at this.”
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