Rayna Taylor –
February 24th, 2022, in the Red Senate, chaired by gubernatorial candidate William Severn and Speaker Pro-Temp of the White Senate, Rudra Patel, delegate Samuel Harper of Central Magnet was the third within his committee to approach the podium with a bill that stirred a bit of controversy within the committee.
Within Harper’s bill, the delegate proposed a plan to aid one of the most devastated populations in not only the state of Tennessee but throughout the United States. 1 in 3 U.S. Veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, with 90% reported to have an increase in anxiety by 12% and depression by at least 9.9% within their first few months of return from service. While Tennessee is one of the better states to contribute aid to those who fought for the good of our nation, there is still a large portion of veterans who are homeless, battling addiction, or suicidal. Perhaps there may be a “magical” solution!
Samuel Harper’s bill proposes an act to “Legalize and Regulate the Sale, Production, And Use Of Psilocybin and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide,” within the state of Tennessee. The delegate’s hope is that by legalizing center psychedelics (LSD, “magic” mushrooms, etc.), reasonable prescriptions may be offered for those suffering from severe anxiety and other mental health issues. Additionally, the proposal could provide a safer market for purchasing these psychedelics to prevent severe addiction and deaths caused by overdose.
“There are a lot of veterans suffering, who are pushing for passage as they say these drugs help quite a bit,” says Harper in a post committee interview. However, he continued that their concern is safety, as the drugs can often be laced with lethal doses of fentanyl or addictive narcotics that may further cause pain and addiction for those simply wanting relief. Within section three of Red Senate Bill 22-2-3, Harper provides his outline of possible criteria for those receiving access to Psilocybin and LSD, which calls for background checks of both buyers and sellers, as well as mental health and medical testing that qualifies those wishing to receive treatment.
This bill raised questions within both rounds of Con debate, as Delegate Mark Ciampa of White Senate not only questions the abuse of this potential passage in regards to recreational use, but also the effect of the legalization of Tennessean drug crises as a whole. While Harper did answer that the bill’s passage would account for both medicinal and recreational use, he once again stressed the background checking for those within the market of these Psychedelics, to which Ciampa still remained indifferent, his main concern being increased drug use overall.
Delegate Harper concluded within his interview that he truly believed his bill may do more help than harm economically, as it would provide more jobs, and medically, with a firm standing on “potentially saving lives of those who have fought for us.”
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