Latest news with #KimReynolds'
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Iowa lawmaker who supports medicinal mushrooms cheers veto of psilocybin bill
Laboratory technician holding a micro dose of psilocybin. (Photo by Getty Images) An Iowa lawmaker who pushed for the passage of a bill to create a state program allowing the medicinal use of psilocybin said Gov. Kim Reynolds' decision to veto a bill pertaining to the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms was a 'great decision.' Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Fairfield, said rather than focus on rescheduling a synthetic version of the drug, the state should instead prioritize creating a state program legalizing the psychiatric use of naturally occurring psilocybin. House File 383 would have allowed for the prescription and distribution of synthetic psilocybin immediately following federal approval of the drug, and mirrored a similar bill, which was signed into law, in Colorado. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The bill dealt with crystalline polymorph psilocybin, a compound commonly known as COMP360, which is a treatment developed by the biotechnology company Compass Pathways to help patients with treatment of resistant depression, post traumatic stress disorder and anorexia nervosa. Shipley said he 'condemns Compass Pathways' for its approach at creating, and patenting, a synthetic version of the 'natural psilocybin that God has given us that everyone knows and loves.' Compass Pathways declined to comment on the veto of the bill, which it lobbied in support of, and on Shipley's comment. Shipley's emailed statement also apologized for his vote in favor of the bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. 'The proper legal framework is to reschedule psilocybin to schedule IV or III, and allow the relevant state regulatory boards to make it available as medicine,' Shipley said. Reynolds, in her explanation of the veto, similarly said the state should have time to review any federal action on the synthetic version of the drug before it legalizes it at the state level. Shipley was a vocal supporter of House File 978, which would have legalized the use of psilocybin for psychiatric treatment through a state program. The proposed program would have operated similarly to the state's medical cannabis program. The bill passed the House with an overwhelming majority in late April, but was not taken up by the Senate. 'It's my hope and prayer that the Governor's office and the Iowa Senate will agree to take up … HF978 as an immediate priority next January,' Shipley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Governor's veto of bill on synthetic psilocybin drugs takes key lawmaker by surprise
Dried magic mushrooms with spore prints on tin foil. (Photo) A key lawmaker said he was surprised by Gov. Kim Reynolds' veto this week of a bill that would have allowed for the prescription and distribution of synthetic psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in 'magic mushrooms' following federal approval of the drug. Reynolds said the bill 'moves ahead' of public health systems, law enforcement and regulatory systems in the state. 'This decision is not a dismissal of the emerging science or the sincere advocacy behind this legislation,' Reynolds said in her explanation of the veto. 'Rather, it is a call for a more deliberate and Iowa-centric approach.' House File 383 was one of two bills from the Iowa House this year that sought to legalize the use of psychedelics as a treatment for mental health issues, like post-traumatic stress disorder. The bill's floor manager, Rep. Brett Barker, R-Nevada, said the veto from the governor was 'unexpected' considering the bill passed with unanimous consent in both chambers. 'I look forward to having a conversation with the Governor to learn more about her concerns regarding the bill,' Barker said in an email. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The other bill, House File 978, would have created a psilocybin licensing board in Iowa, and similar to the state's medical marijuana program, would have allowed eligible patients access to the drug while it is still federally classified as Schedule I substance. The bill advanced from the House but was not heard in the Senate. HF 383, the bill put before the governor, would have immediately rescheduled any drugs containing crystalline polymorph psilocybin, the synthetic version of the compound, if they were approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Under the bill and conditioned circumstances, it would be legal to prescribe, distribute and market drugs with the ingredient, which is also sometimes referred to as COMP360. Clinical trials of COMP360 as a treatment for PTSD and treatment resistant depression have been conducted and are ongoing. A similar bill was signed into law in Colorado in March. Colorado and Oregon are the only states with legalized medical licensing programs for psilocybin. Reynolds said she does 'recognize and respect the growing body of research into the potential therapeutic benefits of psilocybin' but she said the compound should be approved by FDA and the Drug Enforcement Agency before Iowa acts to reschedule. 'The pathway provided by this bill for legalization of psilocybin at the state level before we have a chance to review federal action … creates legal uncertainty, poses risks for misuse and could undermine broader efforts to ensure safe and effective therapeutic use in the future,' Reynolds said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Satanic Temple, ACLU file discrimination complaint over canceled Iowa Capitol event
Iowa satanists are accusing state officials of discrimination and retaliation after they were blocked from hosting a holiday celebration last year at the Iowa Capitol. The claim, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, asserts that the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and Gov. Kim Reynolds' office violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The ACLU filed the claim Tuesday, June 10, with the Iowa Office of Civil Rights, a necessary prerequisite to a potential lawsuit. The filing centers on the 2024 holiday season, in which the temple sought to host a "Holiday Display Day" on Dec. 14 in the Capitol. Plans for the event included "family-friendly" activities: a procession and invocation, a Krampus costume contest, holiday caroling and crafts such as ornament decorating and coloring pages. The complaint notes that other religious groups have been allowed to offer similar events. The group applied for permission in October but says it was not until Dec. 9, days before the event, that the Department of Administrative Services denied it a permit, citing a policy against "actions that are harmful to minors including, but not limited to, obscene materials and gratuitous violence or gore." The temple says it was told that officials feared sticks, traditionally a part of the costume for Krampus — a half-goat, half-man mythical creature who accompanies St. Nicholas and punishes misbehaving youngsters — would be used to hit children. The temple denies its event would have included striking children, or any other violence, obscenity or gore. It says it tried to make changes to its plan to address concerns, but got no response. Since then the group, which is separately suing Reynolds' office in an open records dispute, says it has learned the governor's office was directly involved in the rejection of their event, ACLU Legal Director Rita Bettis Austen said in a media call Tuesday. "Based on responses to open record requests, which are not complete and the subject of separate litigation, we can actually see a pretty clear picture that IDAS and the governor's office staff were meeting during that time to come up with a justification for this predetermined denial, really regardless of what the actual content of the event were," she said. The complaint also notes past incidents of alleged discrimination against the Satanic Temple, including the high-profile vandalism of its display at the Capitol during the holidays in 2023 and the denial of a proposed multi-day reading of John Milton's "Paradise Lost" in 2024 under rules that allegedly have not been applied to other religious groups. Austen said the temple believes the 2024 holiday event denial is partly in retaliation for complaints over these prior incidents. Previously: Iowa Capitol satanic idol vandal sentenced to probation in plea deal that drops hate crime "Members of the Satanic Temple of Iowa have the same right to express their beliefs as all other religious groups do, and Iowa officials treated the Iowa congregation worse than other groups because they don't approve of their religion," she said. "It's wrong, its illegal under the Iowa Civil Rights Act." Mortimer Adramelech, a minister with the Iowa congregation, said in a statement that his church believes in principles including compassion, empathy and respect for others' freedoms. "It's frustrating because displays and celebrations like the one we would like to have at the Capitol help educate people more about The Satanic Temple members and the values we embrace," he said. "Instead, state officials have tried to silence us while promoting other more popular religions." While Tuesday's filing is a necessary legal prerequisite to a lawsuit, Austen declined to comment on their potential timing and strategy for future litigation. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@ or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Satanic Temple, ACLU say Iowa officials violated Civil Rights Act
10-06-2025
- Politics
Satanic Temple accuses Iowa officials of religious discrimination
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Satanic Temple Iowa on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing state officials of discriminating against the group because of its members' religion, having denied them access to the state Capitol building for a December holiday display and event. The group's holiday observances garnered national attention in 2023 after a Mississippi man destroyed their Iowa Statehouse display depicting the horned deity Baphomet, which was permitted in the rotunda along with a Christmas tree and other religious holiday installations. The temple's application for a display and event in December 2024 was denied, a decision that the organization says violated its members' constitutional rights and Iowa civil rights law. Messages seeking comment were left with the state's Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the use of public space in the Iowa Capitol; and with Gov. Kim Reynolds' office. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the complaint with Iowa's civil rights office Tuesday on behalf of Mortimer Adramelech, minister of Satan for the Iowa Satanic Temple congregation. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU Iowa's legal director, said the complaint with the civil rights office is the first step required before a legal claim of discrimination under Iowa civil rights law can be filed in court. The state's ACLU chapter hopes the complaint will be enough for state officials to reverse course. The ACLU of Iowa also filed a lawsuit in April after Gov. Kim Reynolds' office withheld or redacted requested records related to the Satanic Temple's display and event, citing executive privilege. The complaint references a decision by Adam Steen, administrative services director, to deny the group's application because obscene materials and gratuitous violence are not permitted in the building that regularly hosts children of all ages. Steen told the group the costumes they proposed for the event included sticks that could be 'used as weapons on children' and 'positions the event to be harmful to minors.' The Satanic Temple alleges that was an 'absurd, unfounded concern' used to justify the denial and that their application specified the event would be family friendly. The complaint cites open records that the organization says make it clear the governor's office and Steen were meeting at the time to prepare a response. 'The simple truth is the State of Iowa does not want to allow Satanists to enjoy the same access to the Iowa State Capitol as other 'mainstream' religions, in particular Christianity, and in particular during the Christmas holiday season,' the complaint reads.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Satanic Temple accuses Iowa officials of religious discrimination
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Satanic Temple Iowa on Tuesday filed a complaint accusing state officials of discriminating against the group because of its members' religion, having denied them access to the state Capitol building for a December holiday display and event. The group's holiday observances garnered national attention in 2023 after a Mississippi man destroyed their Iowa Statehouse display depicting the horned deity Baphomet, which was permitted in the rotunda along with a Christmas tree and other religious holiday installations. The temple's application for a display and event in December 2024 was denied, a decision that the organization says violated its members' constitutional rights and Iowa civil rights law. Messages seeking comment were left with the state's Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the use of public space in the Iowa Capitol; and with Gov. Kim Reynolds' office. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the complaint with Iowa's civil rights office Tuesday on behalf of Mortimer Adramelech, minister of Satan for the Iowa Satanic Temple congregation. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU Iowa's legal director, said the complaint with the civil rights office is the first step required before a legal claim of discrimination under Iowa civil rights law can be filed in court. The state's ACLU chapter hopes the complaint will be enough for state officials to reverse course. The ACLU of Iowa also filed a lawsuit in April after Gov. Kim Reynolds' office withheld or redacted requested records related to the Satanic Temple's display and event, citing executive privilege. The complaint references a decision by Adam Steen, administrative services director, to deny the group's application because obscene materials and gratuitous violence are not permitted in the building that regularly hosts children of all ages. Steen told the group the costumes they proposed for the event included sticks that could be 'used as weapons on children' and 'positions the event to be harmful to minors.' The Satanic Temple alleges that was an 'absurd, unfounded concern' used to justify the denial and that their application specified the event would be family friendly. The complaint cites open records that the organization says make it clear the governor's office and Steen were meeting at the time to prepare a response. 'The simple truth is the State of Iowa does not want to allow Satanists to enjoy the same access to the Iowa State Capitol as other 'mainstream' religions, in particular Christianity, and in particular during the Christmas holiday season,' the complaint reads.
