Louisiana moved closer to establishing a state-backed program for psychedelic-assisted therapy focused on clinical research. Senate Bill 43 passed both the Louisiana Senate and House unanimously, with votes of 37-0 and 97-0 respectively, and now heads to the governor.
The bill would create the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Initiative within the Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Behavioral Health. The initiative would coordinate clinical studies and clinical trial-enabling studies involving psychedelic-assisted therapy at academic health centers, hospitals, universities and research centers. The program targets treatment for opioid use disorders, co-occurring substance use disorders, and treatment-resistant neurological or mental health conditions.
The measure does not legalize recreational psychedelic drugs. Instead, it creates a pathway for institutions to conduct clinical trials and treatment studies under federal rules. Psychedelic-assisted therapy would involve using psychedelic medication in a controlled clinical setting, along with trauma-informed psychotherapy before and after medication administration. The covered compounds include ibogaine, ibogaine-based therapeutics, psilocybin, psilocybin-based therapeutics and similar compounds.
Interest in the program began with efforts to help veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. Nick Curtis, a veteran who traveled to Mexico to undergo psychedelic treatment involving ibogaine and DMT with his father, later founded Awaken Warriors, a nonprofit aimed at helping veterans and first responders access treatment retreats. Sponsor Sen. Pat McMath suggested the program could be funded in part by opioid settlement dollars. The federal government signaled support for psychedelic research; President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 18 directing federal agencies to accelerate access to treatments for serious mental illness, and the FDA announced actions tied to research involving psilocybin, PTSD, depression and ibogaine-related compounds. If signed by the governor, the law would take effect Aug. 1.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kplctv.com/2026/05/07/bill-create-psychedelic-therapy-program-louisiana-passes-unanimously-heads-governor/