A newly formed psychedelics task force in Maryland held its initial meetings this month, beginning work on what will eventually become a report to lawmakers on how to reform the state’s laws on substances such as psilocybin, DMT and mescaline.

The Task Force on Responsible Use of Natural Psychedelic Substances was formed following Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) signing of a pair of bills into law in May of this year. The 17-person body, overseen by the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA), is charged with studying how to ensure “broad, equitable and affordable access to psychedelic substances” in the state.

The group will specifically consider policies around psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and non-peyote-derived mescaline, though the legislation that created the body also gives members discretion to put more psychedelics under review as they see fit.

Members of the task force are expected to examine and make recommendations on issues such as “permitting requirements, including requirements regarding education and safety,” “access to treatment and regulated support” and “production of natural psychedelic substances.”

At the group’s first meeting, chair Andrew Coop, a professor and associate dean at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, told members their work is “critically important for the state and for citizens of the state.”

“Maryland is indeed a leader in this area,” he said, “and we need to make sure that we continue as a leader in this area and we do it correctly to ensure that every single person in Maryland benefits from this outcome that we get.”

Much of the conversation during the first two meetings consisted of introductions and initial planning. At the first, on November 7, members introduced themselves voted to authorize Coop to move forward with outreach to MCA about hosting a series of public listening sessions.

“The timeline for our report is this summer,” Coop told members, “so we do have a tight timeline to get this work together.”

At the second meeting, Coop laid out a plan to split members into four committees—(1) decriminalization and social justice, (2) education and public health, (3) compounds and substances and (4) intergovernmental research—calling them “four broad areas that were intended to start the conversation.”

The chair added that he plans to send out a survey for members to provide feedback and indicate which of the committees they’d like to serve on. “We do need feedback from all of you on these activities,” he said.

In the meantime, Coop said he’s been working with MCA officials to nail down the group’s timeline.

One member of the task force, psychotherapist David Selleh, proposed modifications to the four planned committees, suggesting they instead be: (1) substances, (2) models of access, (3) public education and legislature support and (4) regulations and governance. He presented a graphic depicting the issues and deliverables that each of those committees would take on.

Coop replied that intends to stick with his original committee structure idea when sending out the survey, but he emphasized that he was open to input on possible changes.

The group’s next meeting is expected to be December 5. Its recommendations will be due to the governor and legislature by July 31, 2025, though authorization for the task force doesn’t expire until the end of 2026.

For his part, Coop said he’s most passionate about ensuring education and “accessibility for all to these medications.”

“It needs to be responsible use,” he said, “and you can only have responsible use if you have educated use.”

Among the appointees is Nishant Shah, a county health director and substance use disorder consultant for state, is the designated representative on the panel for the Maryland Department of Health.

“I imagine my role more to be what do we as a state agency need to prepare for, think about, elevate in terms of issues to advise the legislature and the governor’s office on specific topics,” Shah said during his introduction, such as regulatory oversight, licensing, risks, safety and equity of access.”

Shah said he’s excited to “listen and learn and then share that with the department so that you guys have a partner in the Maryland Department of Health and Behavioral Health Administration when you guys are making recommendations.”

The law that created the task force includes provisions tasking the body with looking into other psychedelics issues, such as expunging prior convictions and releasing people incarcerated for psychedelics-related offenses, along with a mandate to make recommendations on potential civil penalties for “nonviolent infractions involving the planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, or possessing of or other engagement with natural psychedelic substances.”

Sen. Brian J. Feldman (D), who sponsored the legislation to create the task force and was appointed as a member by the Senate president, said at the body’s first meeting that he expects lawmakers will use the task force’s report to inform new psychedelics legislation, which would be considered in the 2026 legislative session.

“What we’re shooting for is a bill to come in in the 2026 session,” he said, “but even then we have until the end of that year to even come up with some additional recommendations, some additional modifying legislation for…into the next 2027 session.”

In light of that timeline, there was some talk of issuing an interim report to meet next July’s deadline, with a subsequent final report coming later in the year or in 2026.

So far all but one of the task force’s seats have been filled. The only remaining vacancy is a position reserved for a representative of Native American tribes in the state. Other members broadly agreed that filling that position was, as Coop put it, “critical.”

Coop also said he intended to select a program manager to help keep the group on schedule. And he noted the importance of including testimony from people who have experienced legal consequences as the result of psychedelics activity, adding that he was unaware of whether task force members themselves have firsthand experience in the criminal legal system.

Among other topics raised at the initial meetings, member Laura Barrett—a nurse, educator and chair of the University of Miami’s Cannabis Nurse Task Force—noted that many of the group’s other members seemed to focus more on mental, rather than physical health. Another member said she felt input from more voices is essential to avoid over-reliance on anecdotes and invidual expertise.

As originally introduced, the House version of the task force legislation contained more prescriptive requirements to explore and issue recommendations on aspects of psychedelics policy such as “systems to support statewide online sales of natural psychedelic substances with home delivery” and “testing and packaging requirements for products containing natural psychedelic substances with clear and accurate labeling of potency.” That language was ultimately removed, however.

The task force legislation advanced about two years after a different law took effect creating a state fund to provide “cost-free” access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

Separately in Maryland, Moore said in August that as the state works to build upon its marijuana legalization law, he will continue to “advocate for a sane and a standard federal policy,” including banking reform so that small cannabis businesses have access to capital.

The governor added that while he’s committed to ensuring that social equity is integral to Maryland’s cannabis market—citing his recent mass pardon for past marijuana and paraphernalia convictions—it also remains critical that federal reform advances.

Moore has been discussing his vision for cannabis reform frequently over the past few months, as he promotes his recent mass pardon forgiving more than 175,000 marijuana and paraphernalia convictions.

That clemency was about more than addressing the public policy consequences of criminalization,” Moore said in a separate interview. As someone who was exposed to the criminal legal system at an early age, and having been a medical cannabis patient himself, he said there’s an important personal psychological impact of attaining that relief.

In July, Moore and the president of the NAACP also promoted the state’s historic mass marijuana pardon, which they said would unlock the economic potential of people targeted by criminalization. But the governor also stressed the need to get the word out about next steps for the majority of pardon recipients whose records weren’t automatically expunged by his clemency move.

Moore has also gained praise from the White House and other officials such as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) for his cannabis clemency move.

Earlier this summer, state officials reported that since Maryland’s launch of its adult-use cannabis market launched in July of last year, licensed retailers had sold more than $1.1 billion worth of legal marijuana products, including more than $700 million to adult consumers and $400 million in medical marijuana.

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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia/Workman.

Two moms have been killed in separate hit-and-runs along Maryland’s infamous “highway of death” within the space of around 24 hours.

The first incident unfolded at around 9pm on Thursday night when 52-year-old Sandra Abarca Orellana, of Temple Hills, was crossing the road to reach a bus stop following a shopping trip to Tanger Outlets National Harbor Mall on Oxon Hill Road.

Prince George’s County Police said the victim was found in the road after being struck by a vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Almost exactly one day later at 10pm Friday, 40-year-old Loretta Canter-Andrews, of Accokeek, was struck by a vehicle in the northbound lanes of Route 210 near Farmington Road, police said. She was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The two fatal incidents occurred around 16 kilometers (10 miles) apart along Highway 210, which has earned the grim nickname of Maryland’s “highway of death.”

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In 2024 alone, 21 pedestrian deaths have occurred along Prince George’s County roads – 11 of them hit-and-runs, reported NBC Washington.

Police told the outlet they are now looking for a burgundy, four-door Sedan in connection to Orellana’s death. The vehicle was seen heading north on Oxon Hill Road toward the shopping mall at the time of the hit-and-run, police said.

It is not clear if a vehicle has been identified in connection to the second death.

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Canter-Andrews’s son TJ Andrews paid tribute to his mother.

“She was outgoing. She had no filter on her but she was a very caring person and would do anything for anyone if she had it,” he told Fox5.

“I’m blank-minded about it and hurt, mad, I just, for her sake, I just want justice done for her point of view.”