Colorado committee hears testimony on bill to automatically align state drug scheduling with federal approvals

A Senate Health and Human Services Committee hearing focused on Senate Bill 31, which would automatically assign Colorado controlled‑substance scheduling to medicines after U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and subsequent Drug Enforcement Administration rescheduling, potentially making federally authorized psychedelic‑derived therapies immediately prescribable in the state.

Madam Vice Chair, a sponsor of SB 31, told the committee the bill "is to expand anxiety and mental health medications through the use of FDA approved psychedelics," and argued Colorado should be prepared to make federally authorized treatments available without unnecessary state delay. She cited large national mental‑health burdens and a 2025 Phase 2 trial of a compound called MM120 as part of the rationale for changing state procedure.

Gretchen Schaub, director of government affairs for Definium Therapeutics, said several companies are in late‑stage development for breakthrough psychiatric therapies and described the bill as an efficiency measure that "ensures that doctors can prescribe newly approved and appropriately scheduled medications in Colorado" without separate state rescheduling. Schaub testified that the measure "intentionally does not interfere or impact existing state programs."

Luke Shar Tiger, a U.S. Army Iraq combat veteran who works with veterans and first responders, urged support for SB 31, saying it would make federally approved treatments accessible to people who need them. "When safe, effective treatments are approved at the federal level, they're actually accessible to the people who need them," he said, adding that the measure "doesn't promise a cure, but it keeps doors open for people who have already tried everything." He cited national statistics about mental illness and suicide to underscore the urgency for new treatment options.

Rick Chiereski, a pharmacist representing Definium Therapeutics, summarized the bill's provisions: automatic state scheduling to match FDA approval and DEA rescheduling, preservation of provider and patient access, and continued requirement that these medicines be prescribed and administered by licensed providers. He emphasized that the bill "would not decriminalize or legalize these drugs," which would remain controlled substances requiring clinical oversight.

Dr. Andrew Novick, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, described building research capacity for psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds and said many of those compounds were scheduled long before modern research showed therapeutic potential. Novick said SB 31 "removes an unavoidable barrier to care" by creating an automatic administrative mechanism so state schedules reflect federal action once the FDA approves and the DEA reschedules a drug.

Committee members did not ask questions during the hearing, and witnesses who testified in person and remotely concluded their remarks. For the record, the chair noted the sponsors requested the bill be laid over "for action only" so staff and sponsors can continue work before the committee votes. No formal action or vote on SB 31 occurred at the hearing.

Next steps: the committee adjourned and sponsors indicated the bill will return for a future committee action date when additional work is complete.