NORFOLK, Va. — The psychoactive compound found naturally in mushrooms called psilocybin, otherwise known as "magic mushroom," is once again at the center of many discussions on the General Assembly floor.
The drug is known to create psychedelic effects on the brain, but researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University found it can do so much more. Their study and other studies from various universities across the nation have shown how the drug impacts brain chemistry and has proven in small doses to help relieve symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety.
Senate Bill 932 passed the Virginia State Senate Tuesday, pushing for the establishment of a "psilocybin advisory board" made up of 12 members whom Governor Glenn Youngkin would be responsible for appointing.
According to the bill, the board would be responsible for developing, "a long-term strategic plan for establishing therapeutic access to psilocybin services and monitor and study federal laws, regulations, and policies regarding psilocybin."
It's easy for Virginia Beach mushroom farmer, Ryan Staab, to understand the impacts this psychedelic can have on people. The fungi enthusiast said he has studied mushrooms for about a decade after becoming fascinated by their medicinal effects.
"I'm... a bit of a hippie," Staab admitted. "I learned some mushrooms are beneficial and had health properties so that led to further research and I just kept finding myself going back to the mushroom."
Inside his storefront on Cleveland Street, the owner of Capstone Mushroom has almost every mushroom you could imagine for cooking or medicinal purposes... but one you won't find in his store is the mushroom that contains psilocybin.
Staab said he is focused on the mushrooms he already has in-house and isn't sure if he will one day sell psilocybin, should it get legalized years down the road.
However, he said he's hopeful if it becomes more widely accessible, it would be handled correctly and small business owners like him would be taken into consideration regarding regulation.
"Having it in the hands of responsible people is essential and having the distribution of it being monitored would also be in the public's best interest," said Staab. "So, having regulations is necessary, but how to exactly do that is a process that would need a lot of discussion. I'm sure it would take years to come to a conclusion. There's a lot to it and I'm excited to see it flourish potentially with more nature-based remedies."
The bill for the advisory board now heads to the Republican-controlled Virginia House of Delegates for a vote.
Prior to this, the House voted down a bill that would have allowed doctors to prescribe psilocybin for the treatment of a small set of mental health conditions.