[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 28, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           INTRODUCTION OF THE RIGHT TO TRY CLARIFICATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2023

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Right to Try 
Clarification Act. This legislation would expand access to life-
changing treatments by including in the federal Right to Try Act 
Schedule I substances that have completed phase 1 clinical studies.
  Oregon has a long legacy of ensuring that end-of-life patients have 
access to the full spectrum of treatment options to alleviate their 
condition and improve their quality of life. Patients and doctors 
deserve to discuss treatments--including psilocybin--that researchers 
find provide immediate and sustained relief from pain, anxiety, and 
depression for people battling terminal illness.
  Federal restrictions have obstructed access to end-of-life care for 
too long, this legislation will change that and ensure that all 
patients have the Right to Try.
  The psychedelics laws in this country are broken, including our laws 
governing patients' access to new and promising end-of-life care. 
Forty-one state legislatures have passed Right to Try laws to allow 
terminally ill patients access to treatments, including psilocybin, 
that are still in investigational stages. Both psilocybin and MDMA have 
demonstrated tremendous care potential in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical 
trials.
  The Drug Enforcement Agency, however, has refused to accommodate 
Right to Try laws and denied terminally ill patients their freedom to 
elect their preferred treatments. These patients deserve to be able to 
discuss and pursue treatments with their doctors that researchers are 
finding provide immediate, substantial, and sustained relief from 
anxiety and depression for people battling terminal illness. That is 
why the Right to Try Clarification Act is necessary to ensure patients 
have the Right to Try these treatment options.
  I look forward to working my co-leads Representatives Nancy Mace, 
Madeline Dean, Andy Biggs, and Luis Correa to enact this legislation 
and clarify and strengthen the Right to Try.

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