SCR69

WHEREAS, mental health conditions are treated in various ways depending on the condition, including with medication, therapy, and psychosocial services; and

WHEREAS, these treatments are effective for certain conditions and patients but do not treat all mental health conditions; and

WHEREAS, research supports natural and alternative medicines and therapies as safe and effective methods for treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction, end-of-life psychological distress, and other afflictions; and

WHEREAS, due to their efficacy in treating treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin have each been granted breakthrough therapy designation status, which fast-tracks research and potential approval of treatments, by the United States Food and Drug Administration; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to establish a Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council is requested to examine:

(1) Federal, state, and local laws, regulations, administrative rules, and procedures regarding medicinal mental health treatments;

(2) Existing medical, psychological, and scientific studies, research, and information relating to the safety and efficacy of medicinal mental health treatments; and

(3) Requirements, specifications, and guidelines for a medical professional to prescribe and provide various medicinal treatments to patients in jurisdictions where the treatment is used for mental health conditions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council is requested to develop a long-term strategic plan to ensure the safe, accessible, and affordable availability of therapeutic psilocybin, psilocybin-based products, and MDMA for adults ages twenty-one years old and older; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following individuals, or their respective designees, are requested to serve as members of the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council:

(1) The Executive Director of the Office of Wellness and Resilience, who is requested to serve as chair;

(2) The Attorney General;

(3) The Chairperson of the State Council on Mental Health;

(4) One physician licensed pursuant to chapter 453, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or advanced practice registered nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 457, Hawaii Revised Statutes, with prescriptive authority to prescribe and administer psychotropic medication, to be invited by the chair;

(5) One physician licensed pursuant to chapter 453, Hawaii Revised Statutes, with specialties in substance abuse and psychiatry, to be invited by the chair;

(6) One representative from an organization that advocates for the therapeutic use of plant-based psychedelic modalities, to be invited by the chair;

(7) One representative from an accredited research institution that certifies and trains professionals on the use of psychedelic modalities, to be invited by the chair; and

(8) Any other person that may be invited by the chair to serve on the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council are requested to serve without compensation but with reimbursement for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council is requested to submit:

(1) A preliminary report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

(2) A final report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council is requested to dissolve on July 1, 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, Executive Director of the Office of Wellness and Resilience, Attorney General, and Chairperson of the State Council on Mental Health.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Beneficial Treatments Advisory Council; Department of Health; Reports

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	69
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII