Announcement: Reason for Hope Applauds Connecticut’s State-Funded Psilocybin Pilot Program at Yale University | Cannabis Law Report | Where to buy Skittles Moonrock online

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Groundbreaking Study for Veterans and Healthcare Workers Now Accepting Applicants

May 5, 2025 (NEW YORK) – Reason for Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to breakthrough mental health treatments, commends the State of Connecticut for funding a Psilocybin Pilot Program at Yale University School of Medicine. The state allocated an initial $1 million to the program for an innovative, patient-centered study evaluating psilocybin treatment for Veterans and healthcare workers with functional impairment due to psychiatric symptoms.

The study is now accepting applicants and has already treated its first cohort of patients. As an open-label study, all those enrolled are guaranteed to receive the active treatment: a single 25mg oral dose of synthetic psilocybin paired with talk therapy. Follow-up assessments will occur at 1, 4, and 6 weeks post-treatment, with optional long-term follow-ups at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Notably, the Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy designations to three different investigational psilocybin drugs for treatment-resistant depression or major depressive disorder. Despite its status as a Schedule I drug, a growing body of evidence suggests psilocybin (the active ingredient of “magic mushrooms”) has a broad range of potential therapeutic applications.

Reason for Hope, who led the advocacy for the program’s creation and funding, initially pushed for the state to fund an FDA Expanded Access program (also known as “compassionate use”) to ensure that patients with complex and comorbid conditions, who are usually excluded from clinical trials, would be able to receive no-cost treatment. Yale’s study serves a similar purpose through its open-label design and broad inclusion criteria. The study does not require patients to have a formal DSM-5 diagnosis, which is often a barrier to access for underserved communities, and it allows for patients with comorbid conditions such as depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders.

Lt. General Martin R. Steele, USMC (Ret.), co-founder of Reason for Hope and president of the Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, stated “Veterans often deal with a complex mix of mental and physical health conditions for which our traditionally available treatments fall short. For many, this results in being prescribed multiple (sometimes double digit) medications that need to be taken daily, often for the rest of their lives. Tragically, these treatments often are accompanied by brutal side effects, leaving Veterans feeling worse off than when they started. Yet, these same Veterans are the ones who are excluded from clinical trials, resulting in the development of mental health treatments that don’t work well in real-world populations. We appreciate Yale’s recognizance of this problem, and we’re grateful to the state of Connecticut for funding this innovative study. It’s shameful that the federal government has not done more to fund research of breakthrough therapies, including psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy, which show incredible potential to help our nation’s heroes achieve meaningful healing.”

Brett Waters, Reason for Hope co-founder and Executive Director, said “I frequently hear from patients who describe being at the “end of their rope” after years of cycling through treatments that failed to provide relief from their complex mental health challenges. These are people who typically don’t qualify for clinical trials, or in some instances, are unwilling to even try due to fear of receiving a placebo. Many are looking for support to access psychedelic treatments abroad or through underground providers. As a multi-generation survivor of suicide loss, I deeply empathize with the desperation so many of these individuals are feeling. I’m grateful the Yale study is providing an opportunity for these complex patients to legally receive treatment at no cost, with high standards of care, while helping advance research that will better reflect the real-world potential of this breakthrough therapy for those most in-need.”

“The State of Connecticut’s psilocybin-assisted therapy program will deliver critical data for patients, medical professionals, and insurance payors,” said Jesse MacLachlan, Director of State Policy and Advocacy at Reason for Hope and a former Connecticut State Representative. “I’m grateful to my former colleagues in the legislature for supporting this work, and urge the state to expand upon it, including future funding for education, provider training, infrastructure development, and implementation studies.”

About Reason for Hope
Reason for Hope is a leading nonprofit dedicated to preventing deaths of despair by expanding access to psychedelic and other breakthrough mental health treatments. The organization’s mission is deeply personal to its co-founders—Lieutenant General (Ret.) Martin Steele, Lynnette Averill, PhD, and Brett Waters, Esq.—who each experienced the tragic loss of loved ones to suicide. Reason for Hope advances its mission by supporting clinical trials and treatment programs, educating the public and policymakers on scientific and legal developments, collaborating with patients and experts across sectors to shape policy and legislation, and building advocacy coalitions to drive meaningful reform. The organization has led federal and state initiatives to reduce regulatory barriers and unlock millions of dollars for research and implementation of psychedelic therapies, particularly benefiting Veterans.