(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Illinois has had medical cannabis for years. Magic mushrooms could be next, if a suburban state lawmaker has her way.
Under a bill sponsored by Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, psilocybin would be legalized for medical therapies and administered in regulated environments. It would not be sold to the general public.
Ventura said the goal is to treat people suffering from a variety of disorders, including PTSD, anxiety and depression.
"We're dedicated to eliminating obstacles to healing in Illinois," she said in prepared remarks. “As additional options emerge for the public, my aspiration is for plant medicines to shed their stigma and be recognized for their safe and beneficial qualities.”
Chicago therapist Bruce Sewick joined her at a news conference at the Capitol Thursday. He said therapies related to mushrooms may have saved his daughter, who had a lifelong struggle with mental illness before she took her own life five years ago.
“The mental health system failed her,” Sewick said, “and she was not able to get relief, and she was not able to access anything to give her hope.”