Atlanta City Council Considers Psychedelic Therapies for Employee Healthcare

LOS ANGELES- A proposal from an Atlanta City Council member is under consideration, aiming to include coverage for psilocybin and ketamine as mental health treatments in the city’s healthcare plan for firefighters, police, and other government workers.

The legislation, supported by 11 of the Council’s 16 members, highlights the limited effectiveness of traditional mental health treatments for some individuals and points to recent research demonstrating the potential efficacy of alternative therapies like ketamine-assisted and psilocybin-assisted treatments.

Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, the lead sponsor, emphasized the importance of providing a broad range of mental health services to city employees, particularly first responders. Bakhtiari recounted meeting a West Virginia police officer who used ketamine to treat PTSD after witnessing a colleague’s suicide, which inspired her to advocate for including these treatments in public employees’ health plans.

The resolution directs Atlanta’s human resources department to explore the feasibility of adding coverage for ketamine and psilocybin therapies. This includes reviewing scientific evidence, safety considerations, regulatory landscape, liability, cost implications, and applicability based on job classification. The findings are to be reported to the City Council by December 10.

Bakhtiari previously filed a measure to decriminalize a range of psychedelics in Atlanta, though it did not become law. At the state level, a Georgia House committee has also discussed the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health conditions affecting military veterans.

Interest in workplace coverage for psychedelics is growing. The nonprofit Enthea, a licensed provider of psychedelic health plans, announced it would cover ketamine treatments nationwide and psilocybin in states where permitted. Enthea has partnered with companies like Dr. Bronner’s to offer psychedelic-assisted therapy to employees.

At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is advancing psychedelic medicine research, with a combination of personal recovery stories and clinical data driving bipartisan acceptance. The FDA is reviewing a new drug application for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, which has been granted priority status. Both MDMA and psilocybin have received “breakthrough therapy” status from the FDA.

In the legislative arena, President Joe Biden signed a measure under the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act to fund clinical trials on psychedelics for active-duty military members. Additionally, congressional appropriations leaders have allocated $10 million to facilitate psychedelic studies.

If Atlanta moves forward with this proposal, it could become a pioneering city in providing psychedelic therapies as part of its employee healthcare benefits.