Arizona
New push to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for mental health in Arizona
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — There is a new push to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in Arizona on a limited basis with new legislation moving through the state capitol. Tuesday, veterans and first responders who’ve seen the effects firsthand are once again putting magic mushrooms in the spotlight, saying it could be a game changer for mental health.
If approved, SB 1570 would open doors to a different kind of treatment. Patients who’ve used psilocybin mushrooms say they help with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. “I have my daughter here who could basically say I’m a changed person. I’m happy again,” said Robert Steele, who served in the Marines.
He says his psychedelic experience was life-changing and helped him process past trauma. “A lot of my problems, withdrawing from people, my anger problems, a lot of them have subsided,” Steele said.
He says using ‘shrooms with therapy helped him avoid a dependence on daily pharmaceuticals. “At one point in time, I used to take over 300 pills a month from the VA,” he said.
While more patients and advocates praise the positive effects of psilocybin, it is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law. There are penalties for both possession and distribution of the so-called magic mushrooms. “The first time I got treatment would be considered underground. I went to Montana, got treatment there. I got treatment in Mexico, California,” Steele said.
Many critics like Dr. Sue Sisley say those unregulated treatments out of the country has impeded scientific studies into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin. “We don’t have any objective data, nothing published in a peer review journal that would influence lawmakers or other community leaders so we need to get this data in place so we can all examine it together to understand what is the potential for these mushrooms,” she said.
The research institute where she works holds a drug enforcement administration license to legally grow the mushrooms. Treatment using them would include a controlled environment and counseling services. “This is not a treatment that everybody will seek,“ said Republican state Sen. T.J. Shope. “It is something that will be done in consultation with a patient’s medical professional in a very clinical close setting.”
Arizona’s Family reached out to the U.S. Attorney here in Arizona to ask where they stand on decriminalizing psilocybin. We’re still waiting to hear back. Supporters of this bill say they’re working closely with the federal government to get FDA authorization. It passed through committee unanimously Tuesday and is headed for a full vote in the Senate.
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(Stacker) – Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Arizona using data from AAA. Gas prices are as of May 1.
Arizona by the numbers
– Gas current price: $4.72
– Week change: +$0.08 (+1.7%)
– Year change: +$1.41 (+42.8%)
– Historical expensive gas price: $5.39 (6/17/22)
– Diesel current price: $5.80
– Week change: -$0.08 (-1.3%)
– Year change: +$2.30 (+65.9%)
– Historical expensive diesel price: $6.21 (4/8/26)
Metros with most expensive gas in Arizona
#1. Scottsdale: $4.90
#2. Peoria: $4.84
#3. Phoenix Proper: $4.82
#4. Glendale: $4.82
#5. West Valley: $4.80
#6. Phoenix-Mesa: $4.80
#7. East Valley: $4.80
#8. Yuma: $4.75
#9. Flagstaff: $4.73
#10. Lake Havasu-Kingman: $4.70
#11. Prescott: $4.69
#12. Sierra Vista-Douglas: $4.55
#13. Tucson: $4.53
#14. Pima County: $4.53
States with the least expensive gas
#1. Georgia: $3.80
#2. Oklahoma: $3.82
#3. Mississippi: $3.83
#4. Arkansas: $3.84
#5. Louisiana: $3.84
Read on to see which states have the most expensive gas prices.
#5. Nevada
– Regular gas price: $5.15
#4. Oregon
– Regular gas price: $5.21
#3. Washington
– Regular gas price: $5.61
#2. Hawaii
– Regular gas price: $5.64
#1. California
– Regular gas price: $6.06
src=”https://analytics.stacker.com/tracking/0a06cfd3-db49-4351-b9ca-8050a3d4c4f3/script.js?source=story-hub” async>
Copyright 2026 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
A dad visiting the Phoenix Zoo says his family was in disbelief when staff suddenly told everyone to leave. Holding his 7-month-old baby, he says the fear set in as they rushed to their car without knowing why. Police later said the bomb threat appears to have been fake. Stephanie Duprey has more.
PHOENIX — The Mammoth have generated a buzz in Utah, igniting a new fan base with a trip to the playoffs in their second season.
The previous fan base back in the desert still feels a connection with the franchise once known as the Arizona Coyotes and the players who set the foundation for its current success.
But there’s also a strange detachment from seeing the team they once rooted for playing in a city more than 600 miles away under a different name.
“I’m a hockey fan and I’ve been cheering for them; most of those guys, that team, that organization were here,” Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin said on Friday. “But in many ways, I feel disconnected from them. They’re playing in Utah, they have Utah fans, they play in a Utah arena.”
Galvin is trying to bring NHL hockey back to the Phoenix area.
Not long after the Coyotes left for Utah in 2024, he helped create an advisory committee that includes former Olympian Lyndsey Fry and Andrea Doan.
Fry, who grew up in the Phoenix area, has been a stalwart in Arizona youth hockey through various programs and spearheads community relations for the committee.
Utah Mammoth left wing Brandon Tanev (13) attempts to shoot against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/John Locher
Doan has strong ties to hockey; her husband, Shane, was the longtime captain of the Coyotes and her son, Josh, is a current NHL player who started his career with the Coyotes. She works with Galvin on finding a potential owner for a potential NHL expansion team and possible sites for a new arena.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had repeatedly said the league would like to have a franchise in Arizona again — it owns the Coyotes name — but the right ownership and arena location have to be in place.
“We have to find a good and appropriate location for an arena — that has been an issue bedeviling the Coyotes for the better part of 25 years — and we need a billionaire to put up money to buy the team,” said Galvin, who works on the advisory committee on his own time. “So my joke is, if you know a billionaire, please let me know because there’s not that many around and that’s what it takes in professional sports these days.”
The Coyotes struggled during their 28-year run in Arizona, going through multiple owners and three different arenas.
The franchise had an arena plan for Tempe, but voters shot it down. Another proposal for an arena in Scottsdale fell through when previous owner Alex Meruelo couldn’t secure a land-rights deal, leading to the franchise’s move to Utah.
Coyotes fans have tried to keep a connection to the new version of the team, but it’s not quite the same from long distance.
“I’ve got to tell you, my enthusiasm for them really dropped off,” Galvin said. “But I do love watching hockey and enjoy watching great other teams.”
Galvin is doing his best to bring it back to Arizona in person.
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