SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that allows Utahns to try psilocybin in a highly-regulated program will go into effect without Governor Spencer Cox's signature.
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Schultz and Senate President J. Stuart Adams, the governor signaled he was not exactly a fan of the bill.
"I am generally supportive of scientific efforts to discover the benefits of new substances that can relieve suffering. However, we have a task force that was set up specifically to advise the Legislature on the best ways to study Psilocybin and I'm disappointed that their input was ignored," Gov. Cox wrote.
The bill passed the Utah State Legislature unanimously on the final night of the 2024 legislative session. FOX 13 News was the first to report on the bill's existence after it quietly made its way through much of the session because the bill specifically did not say "psilocybin" or "MDMA," though the sponsor acknowledged those were the drugs targeted.
The legislation allows Utahns to try them in a highly-controlled program where they are monitored (they cannot take the drugs home). Patient advocates have tried for years to get it through.
The other bill that Gov. Cox allowed to go into law without his signature involves tax incentives for TV and movie productions in rural Utah.
"I have expressed my concerns in the past with the amounts of money being spent on film incentives. I believe there are better returns for taxpayer dollars," he said, acknowledging the legislature's overwhelming support for it.
