After trying various treatments, Wendy Lynn said psilocybin is what got her out of her wheelchair. However, her hopes of having the psychedelic legalized for medical use were shut down this year in the Legislature.

A survivor of familial trafficking and early pregnancy at the age of 12, Lynn experienced a resurgence of trauma after giving birth to her daughter at 31. Her ailments left her bedridden for two years.

When conventional medications caused her to lose her eyesight and her voice, psilocybin was the only treatment that provided relief.

“After my doctor told me I’d be a really good candidate for psilocybin, I was able to walk on my own, and I haven’t needed my wheelchair since,” Lynn said.

Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, the sponsor of SB 5201, which would have legalized the medical use of psilocybin, said his support for the bill became personal after seeing the aftermath of the war in Gaza.

According to a report by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 6,407 veterans lost their lives to suicide. Salomon said he believes psilocybin could become an effective alternative treatment for veterans who are experiencing post-war PTSD.

Currently, psilocybin, a naturally occurring hallucinogen, is illegal in Washington. However, due to the deprioritization of law enforcement, the substance is functionally decriminalized, Salomon said. In 2023, Oregon was the first state to legalize access to psilocybin through a licensed psilocybin service center.

Aarone Loehr, executive director of Coalition for Better Community Health, who helped draft the bill, said that this movement is not an attempt to decriminalize or promote recreational use, but purely for medical purposes.

“When this is overseen properly and safely, as in Oregon, there have been 18,000 doses provided in Oregon,” Loehr said. “Only 10 calls to emergency services, and many of those were just panic attacks. We have an opportunity to really help people.”

Megan Veith, policy director for the Washington State Department of Health, said that, despite the health benefits of psilocybin, more research is needed to fully understand the impact of the compound.

Ultimately, the people who find themselves using psilocybin to treat their ailments have typically gone through many medical challenges.

“The people who are seeking this medicine are warriors,” Lynn said. “As someone who has had a near-death experience, this is not fun. What makes it tolerable and doable is that I get to come home to my family a healthier version of myself.”