{"id":54284,"date":"2022-04-18T05:07:12","date_gmt":"2022-04-18T13:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/04\/18\/massachusetts-psychedelics-activists-plan-to-put-decriminalization-on-local-ballot-and-force-lawmakers-to-file-state-bills\/"},"modified":"2022-04-18T09:46:22","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T17:46:22","slug":"massachusetts-psychedelics-activists-plan-to-put-decriminalization-on-local-ballot-and-force-lawmakers-to-file-state-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/04\/18\/massachusetts-psychedelics-activists-plan-to-put-decriminalization-on-local-ballot-and-force-lawmakers-to-file-state-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Psychedelics Activists Plan To Put Decriminalization On Local Ballot And Force Lawmakers To File State Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Massachusetts activists are gearing up for a multi-pronged push to advance psychedelics reform locally and at the state level, with a campaign kicking off a signature drive last week to put a decriminalization measure on the ballot in the state\u2019s second largest city.<\/p>\n

The Bay Staters for National Medicine (BSNM) campaign launched its signature gathering effort to put the policy change before Worcester voters just days after the city\u2019s Human Rights Commission approved<\/a> a resolution urging the city manager to conduct a study on \u201cthe benefits of making arrests for growing and distributing entheogenic plants like psilocybin mushrooms among veterans and first-responders the lowest law enforcement priority of the Worcester Police Department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Separately, activists are deploying a strategy to have Massachusetts residents force state lawmakers to file legislation to both legalize entheogenic substances for therapeutic use and otherwise decriminalize certain psychedelics.<\/p>\n

Both the Worcester initiative and the statewide legislation focus on psychedelics, but they would also broadly decriminalize low-level possession of all currently illicit drugs. Activists would like to see the Worcester City Council act on the proposal this year, but if not, they expect to have the roughly 16,000 signatures by summer 2023 for placement on that November\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Bay Staters (@baystaters)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Psychedelics reform has moved quickly at the local level in jurisdictions throughout Massachusetts. If Worcester ultimately takes the step to decriminalize, it would be joining four other cities in the Bay State that have already enacted similar policy changes: Somerville<\/a>, Cambridge<\/a>, Easthampton<\/a> and Northampton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The text of the Worcester ballot initiative would make it so no government body in the city, including law enforcement, could use any funding to criminalize adults 18 and older for possessing or sharing up to five grams of any controlled substance (except \u201canimal-derived bufotenine and animal-derived kambo\u201d).<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s specific language around certain psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, MDMA and ibogaine. Local agencies couldn\u2019t use funding to prosecute adults for possessing, cultivating or sharing up to 15 grams of those substances.<\/p>\n

The measure seeks to further protect people against being criminalized for possessing or using \u201cpipes, syringes, needles, or testing strips.\u201d<\/p>\n

Activists told Marijuana Moment that they will soon be pursuing a similar psychedelics reform initiative in another Massachusetts city, Amherst.<\/p>\n

The local push is just one part of the strategy, though. BSNM is also helping to organize a statewide effort, leveraging a unique legislative process in the state whereby citizens are able to make the legislators who represent them file bills \u201cby request\u201d even if the sponsor doesn\u2019t personally back the policy.<\/p>\n

BSNM\u2019s James Davis told Marijuana Moment that they currently have about 400 people who\u2019ve signed up to file<\/a> a \u201cby request\u201d bill that would create regulated access to certain psychedelics for therapeutic use, legalize cultivation of entheogenic substances and otherwise decriminalize low-level possession of any currently controlled substance.<\/p>\n

The proposed state legislation would further seek to promote criminal justice reform by expanding expungements policies and creating a task force to recommend additional policies to aid those most impacted by criminalization while also expanding support for mental health programs.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Davis said that this \u201cgrassroots drive will push the conversation nationally\u201d and help activists as they work to \u201cbuild a holistic coalition for reform that brings together psychedelic enthusiasts, justice advocates, the addiction community, therapists, law enforcement, conservationists and scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBigger coalitions win bigger prizes. And it will be a cold day in hell before we let psychedelic services get medicalized away or made unaffordable for working class people in Massachusetts,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Massachusetts lawmakers last year heard testimony on separate proposals to decriminalize drug possession and establish a pilot program<\/a> for safe injection facilities where people could use illicit substances in a medically supervised environment to prevent overdose deaths and facilitate treatment.<\/p>\n

The decriminalization bill would replace criminal penalties for the possession of any controlled substance<\/a>\u00a0with a civil fine of up to $50.<\/p>\n

The separate, less far-reaching bill would direct the Department of Public Health to simply \u201cevaluate the feasibility\u201d of safe consumption sites and then report back to lawmakers.<\/p>\n

With respect to psychedelics, Rep. Mike Connolly (D) also filed a bill last year\u00a0that received a Joint Judiciary Committee hearing<\/a> on studying the implications of legalizing entheogenic substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

None of those bills have received votes.<\/p>\n

Psychedelics reform is also advancing outside of Massachusetts in state legislatures across the country.<\/p>\n

For example, a Hawaii House committee on Thursday approved a Senate-passed resolution<\/a> to request that the state form of a psilocybin working group that would explore the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.<\/p>\n

The Colorado House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would align state statute to legalize MDMA prescriptions<\/a>\u00a0if and when the federal government ultimately permits such use, sending it to the Senate.<\/p>\n

Maryland lawmakers\u00a0sent a bill to the governor this month<\/a>\u00a0that would create a state fund to provide \u201ccost-free\u201d access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n

Also this month, Georgia lawmakers advanced a bipartisan resolution that calls for the formation of a House study committee to\u00a0investigate the therapeutic potential of psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0like psilocybin and make recommendations for reforms.<\/p>\n

The governor of Utah last month signed a bill to create a task force to study and make recommendations\u00a0on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs<\/a>\u00a0and possible regulations for their lawful use.<\/p>\n

A Missouri House committee also held a hearing last month on a GOP-led bill to\u00a0legalize a wide range of psychedelics for therapeutic use<\/a>\u00a0at designated care facilities while further decriminalizing low-level possession in general.<\/p>\n

Connecticut lawmakers are also taking interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, with a legislative committee passing a bill last month that would provide certain patients with\u00a0access to psychedelic-assisted treatment<\/a>\u00a0with substances like MDMA and psilocybin.<\/p>\n

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) signed a separate bill last year that includes language requiring the state to\u00a0carry out a study into the therapeutic potential<\/a>\u00a0of psilocybin mushrooms. A\u00a0workgroup<\/a>\u00a0has since been meeting\u00a0to investigate the issue.<\/p>\n

The Washington State legislature recently sent a budget bill to the governor\u2019s desk that includes a proposal to\u00a0direct $200,000 in funding to support a new workgroup<\/a>\u00a0to study the possibility of legalizing psilocybin services in the state, including the idea of using current marijuana regulatory systems to track psychedelic mushrooms.<\/p>\n

Last month, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill to\u00a0decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0and promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.<\/p>\n

Rhode Island lawmakers introduced\u00a0a pair of drug decriminalization bills last month<\/a>\u2014including one focused on psilocybin and buprenorphine that would authorize doctors to prescribe the psychedelic mushroom.<\/p>\n

An Oregon Senate committee also recently advanced a bill to ensure that equity is\u00a0built into the state\u2019s historic therapeutic psilocybin program<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s actively being implemented following voter approval in 2020.<\/p>\n

A bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel in January,\u00a0only to be pushed off until 2023<\/a>. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alone\u00a0was later defeated in a key committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that his bill to\u00a0legalize psychedelics possession<\/a>\u00a0stands a 50\/50 chance of reaching the governor\u2019s desk this year. It already cleared the full Senate and two Assembly committees during the first half of the two-year session.<\/p>\n

Washington State lawmakers\u00a0also introduced legislation in January<\/a>\u00a0that would legalize what the bill calls \u201csupported psilocybin experiences\u201d by adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania bill meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms for certain mental health conditions may be in jeopardy, with the sponsor saying that the chair of a key House committee is\u00a0expressing reservations even after the legislation<\/a>\u00a0was amended in an effort to build support.<\/p>\n

New Hampshire lawmakers filed measures to\u00a0decriminalize psilocybin and all drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Legislation was\u00a0also enacted by the Texas legislature<\/a>\u00a0last year requiring the state to study the medical risks and benefits of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and a military-focused medical center.<\/p>\n

At the congressional level, bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in January, urging that the agency\u00a0allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.<\/p>\n

Read the text<\/a> of the Worcester psychedelics initiative and the statewide reform bill below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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DEA Says Illegal Marijuana Trafficking From Mexico Is Declining Amid State Legalization Movement<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype<\/a> and Apollo<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Massachusetts Psychedelics Activists Plan To Put Decriminalization On Local Ballot And Force Lawmakers To File State Bills<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Massachusetts activists are gearing up for a multi-pronged push to advance psychedelics reform locally and at the state level, with a campaign kicking off a signature drive last week to put a decriminalization measure on the ballot in the state\u2019s second largest city. The Bay Staters for National Medicine (BSNM)Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":54285,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54284"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54286,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54284\/revisions\/54286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}