A former law enforcement officer turned Republican state representative has offered three pieces of legislation that would see a broad range of psychedelic drugs made legal for adult use.

Mushrooms, as they’re usually referred to, could help those suffering from mental health issues, said state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga.

“People are suffering from debilitating mental health issues such as PTSD, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, and depression. These psychedelic compounds and plant medicines are offering hope and healing to those that were once hopeless,” state Boldyga added.

According to the Southwick Republican, who calls himself “widely regarded as the most conservative member of the Massachusetts Legislature,” the so-called war on drugs has led to “disastrous consequences” and prevented society benefiting from what prevailing research has demonstrated are medicinally useful substances.

“Plant medicines have been used for thousands of years by various cultures around the world, they truly are revolutionizing how we approach mental health and wellbeing,” Boldyga said.

To alleviate some of the negative impacts of the war on drugs, Boldyga has introduced H3589 “An Act concerning the legalization of certain natural plants and fungi,” H3605 “An Act concerning the legal use of the plant medicine known as psilocybin for therapeutic, spiritual, and medicinal purposes” and H3574 “An Act concerning the use of a prescription medicine that contains (MDMA).”

“The clinical research, hundreds of years of meta-analysis, and countless stories of lives saved doesn’t just serve as a wake-up call, it’s a call to action,” Boldyga said.

The state rep’s plan may seem outlandish, but a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2022 showed that even a single use of the drugs, especially when coupled with therapy, can have long-term, positive impacts on the mental health of those suffering from a variety of diseases.

“The researchers report that the substantial antidepressant effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy, given with supportive psychotherapy, may last at least a year for some patients,” the research hospital said with the release of their study.

“Our findings add to evidence that, under carefully controlled conditions, this is a promising therapeutic approach that can lead to significant and durable improvements in depression,” Natalie Gukasyan, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said along with the study.

In January, Oregon became the first U.S. state to allow adults to use psilocybin mushrooms, sometimes called “magic mushrooms.” In November of last year, voters in Colorado voted to remove the criminal penalty for the possession of magic mushrooms.

All of the substances Boldyga has proposed legalizing remain prohibited under federal law.