By Sean Camacho

America is facing a silent crisis. Millions of Americans are living with invisible illnesses like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which decrease quality of life and, amid limited treatment options, create a vicious cycle of endless medications and, for many people, hopeless therapies. This lack of innovation and the unwillingness to address this issue head-on, both societally and legislatively, has left nearly one in five adults in the United States suffering.

Colorado has long been seen as a leader in public health; however, when it comes to the mental health crisis, we’re falling behind. In 2024, Colorado had the second-highest prevalence of mental illness in the nation and a suicide rate 63% higher than the national average. We need to make a change and reassert ourselves as a leader in innovation and reform, and right now that leadership must be applied to mental health. But rather than wringing my hands, I took action and provided real leadership. We are starting this turnaround by championing innovative policies that improve mental health care. That’s why SB26-031 (“Use of Prescription Product with Controlled Substance” is a bill that modernizes Colorado law by ensuring automatic alignment at the state level once novel treatments are approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and rescheduled by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

At its core, this bill is straightforward. It ensures consistency with federal approval and scheduling and gives practitioners and patients dependable access to new treatments — no bureaucratic delays. Because, frankly, those who need help cannot afford to wait.

More broadly, this legislation positions Colorado as a leader in modernized mental health solutions, preserves patient access, and accelerates the pace of innovation — something the mental health space desperately needs.

The last time there was a new FDA-approved drug to treat GAD was in 2007, it has been even longer for PTSD. For patients who receive treatment for a major depressive episode, only one-third will achieve remission with current therapy options. We need breakthrough treatments.

Encouragingly, several psychedelic therapies for serious mental diagnoses have received the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation, reflecting both the urgent unmet need and promising emerging data. A new treatment class is emerging with the use of these compounds, with research illustrating enhanced areas of connection within the brain that have the potential to treat depression, anxiety and PTSD. Importantly, these emerging treatment options are not a daily prescription medication.

When there are evidence-based reasons to change the way we’re doing things, we should embrace that. We should support the evolution of mental health care; and to me as a legislator, that means passing policies that ensure timely access to safe and effective innovations. Colorado should not stand in the way of veterans or other patients seeking treatments backed by medical evidence.

As a veteran myself, I support all innovative therapies that help those who serve. Tragically, 17 veterans die by suicide every day. This is particularly personal to me: an airman who served in my unit committed suicide. These tragedies affect individuals and families across the state. If I can support legislation that helps treat PTSD and other mental health illnesses where current medications are failing, that is a responsibility I take seriously.

Beyond the personal toll, mental illness carries a steep economic cost — $282 billion per year in the United States. A modernized framework that addresses our outdated system would allow the health care system to invest more in prevention and early intervention, tackling the issue at its roots.

As a legislator, I am responsible for ensuring these difficult conversations take place. The hardest part about mental illness for many is talking about it, and collectively, we need to shed the stigma. Colorado needs to be at the forefront of modernized mental health treatments and the personal toll, mental illness carries a steep economic cost — we owe it to the thousands of Coloradans and millions of Americans who are silently fighting this battle every single day.

Senate Bill 31 will be a catalyst for change in our state. It doesn’t create or approve new treatments; it removes barriers and empowers innovation. It creates government efficiency in support of systems readiness and positions our state to keep pace with evidence-based advancements.

The mental health crisis won’t improve if we rely on the status quo. My work is about ensuring we’re ready for innovative solutions the moment they become available. Colorado is at our best when we lead, and on this, we are leading the way.

Sean Camacho represents District 6 in the Colorado House of Representatives in Denver.