Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Cory Booker introduce legislation to amend Right to Try Act

WASHINGTON (WYMT) - On Wednesday, Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to clarify part of the Right to Try Act.

The legislation would clarify the act should allow terminally ill patients to have access to Schedule I drugs if said drugs have been through a Phase 1 clinical trial. In other words, the goal of the bill is to take away obstacles presented by the Controlled Substances Act.

The federal Right to Try law takes the FDA out of doctor-patient decisions, giving regulation back to the states. Under the terms of the federal Right to Try law, states are able to permit or prohibit Right to Try use under their own laws.

“As a physician, I know how important Right to Try is for patients facing a life-threatening condition,” said Dr. Paul. “Unfortunately, the federal bureaucracy continues to block patients seeking to use Schedule I drugs under Right to Try. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan legislation with Sen. Booker that will get government out of the way and give doctors more resources to help patients.”

“Recent studies suggest that MDMA and psilocybin could represent an enormous advancement in mental health and psychopharmacology,” said Senator Booker. “Unfortunately, many eligible patients who urgently need care do not currently have access to these promising therapies. This legislation will put the patient first and help ensure access to life-changing and life-saving drugs.”