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Sen. Jeff Steinborn: How New Mexico Created Psilocybin Access Through the Legislature Jul 16, 2026

Senator Jeff Steinborn didn't know much about psilocybin therapy when a constituent called him the week before the 2024 legislative session. What followed ended with New Mexico becoming the first state legislature in the country to pass a psilocybin access program. SB 219 passed through the Legislature by a large margin, but the path wasn't always certain.

Steinborn walks through the committees that nearly killed it, the veterans who showed up and changed the room, and the decisions that made it work: getting the Department of Health in before a single word was drafted, building a bipartisan coalition in a space that has historically split along party lines, and knowing which messenger to send into which room.

If you work in psychedelic policy, this is the clearest account yet of what it actually takes to get a bill across the finish line.
About the Guest

Jeff Steinborn has served in the New Mexico Legislature since 2013, first as a Representative and as a Senator since 2017. He is an organizer and environmental advocate by profession and has been a leading voice on cannabis policy, environmental protection, and more. He was the chief sponsor of Senate Bill 219, the first psilocybin access program passed by a state legislature in U.S. history, signed into law in April 2025.
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Amanda Gow: Building the Mental Health Clinic That Psilocybin Therapy Needs Jun 10, 2026

Amanda Gow didn't set out to build a psilocybin service center. She set out to build a mental health clinic that uses psilocybin as a tool.

After 15 years working in trauma-focused youth services, she saw firsthand how often the people who needed mental health care the most had the fewest real options. Her answer was Bendable Therapy, a psilocybin-assisted therapy model staffed entirely by licensed mental health professionals, built around deep preparation, in-depth integration, and ongoing group support. And they're doing the research to back it up.

Bendable's IRB-approved study found depression and anxiety scores dropped by roughly half, with 70% of participants moving from significant to minimal anxiety within 30 days. Nearly half were on psychiatric medications that would have disqualified them from a traditional clinical trial. Adverse events were rare. Now they're recruiting for a new study on psilocybin for complex regional pain syndrome, with fully funded sessions and travel stipends for participants.

Sam and Amanda get into what makes the Bendable model work, what the research is actually showing, and why preparation and integration may drive outcomes more than the session itself. They also dig into the cost question honestly: not just whether psilocybin therapy is expensive, but expensive compared to what? And what would it take to get private insurers and employers into this conversation?

About the Guest

Amanda Gow is a licensed mental health professional, Oregon-licensed psilocybin facilitator, and co-founder of Bendable Therapy in Bend, Oregon. She brings 15 years of experience in youth services and trauma-focused care to a model built around clinical rigor and access. Bendable is an active IRB-approved research site and runs a nonprofit to expand psilocybin services to underserved populations.

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