{"id":79860,"date":"2025-01-21T12:16:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/massachusetts-lawmakers-filed-a-dozen-psychedelics-related-bills-ahead-of-last-weeks-legislative-deadline\/"},"modified":"2025-01-22T19:46:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T03:46:39","slug":"massachusetts-lawmakers-filed-a-dozen-psychedelics-related-bills-ahead-of-last-weeks-legislative-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2025\/01\/21\/massachusetts-lawmakers-filed-a-dozen-psychedelics-related-bills-ahead-of-last-weeks-legislative-deadline\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Lawmakers Filed A Dozen Psychedelics-Related Bills Ahead Of Last Week\u2019s Legislative Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccessful reform requires both divestment from criminalization and reinvestment in harm reduction, opportunities and public good.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

By Jack Gorsline, HorizonMass<\/strong><\/p>\n

Psychedelic advocates across the Bay State scored some short-term wins last week\u2014a dozen, to be exact\u2014as commonwealth lawmakers submitted 12 psychedelics-related bills prior to the legislative filing deadline last Friday.<\/p>\n

This surge in activity follows the November 2024 defeat of Question 4, the Legalization and Regulation of Psychedelic Substances Initiative, which aimed to legalize therapeutic access to as well as decriminalize the possession and use of psilocybin<\/a>, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine and mescaline for adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n

Leading the post-election push for psychedelics in Massachusetts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jamie Morey and Graham Moore, former campaign staffers for the ballot initiative, have taken the lead in fostering ongoing advocacy for psychedelics reform in Massachusetts. They are co-executive directors of Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), the New Approach PAC-backed campaign organization that will dissolve at the end of this month.<\/p>\n

Speaking for this article, Morey expressed gratitude \u201cto the many lawmakers who responded to our outreach and worked with us to get this historic number of psychedelic bills filed after the disappointing defeat of the ballot question.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morey, who is also the founder of Parents for Plant Medicine<\/a>, continued, \u201cOur small group of grassroots activists was able to make a compelling case to legislators that the majority of Massachusetts citizens do want access to psychedelic healing.\u201d She also highlighted the efforts of her fellow former campaign organizers, particularly CJ LoConte, an Army veteran who played a prominent role in the Question 4 campaign, for helping draft and support the proposals.<\/p>\n

Tim Morris, a Billerica resident and longtime psychedelics booster on the South Shore, was also instrumental in coordinating outreach with Rep. Marc Lombardo (R), who filed HD.188<\/a>, a bill \u201crelative to removing criminal penalties for limited psilocybin possession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry Morgan, a UMass Amherst undergraduate student, additionally played a key legislative outreach role for the budding coalition. He heralded Lombardo\u2019s bill as \u201ca crucial shift in our advocacy beyond medicalization or commercialization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDrug use remains a fundamental reality we cannot simply criminalize away,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cWe must confront the enormous and growing public health crisis of chemical adulteration in the black market to protect consumer health\u2026Successful reform requires both divestment from criminalization and reinvestment in harm reduction, opportunities and public good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe grant program [in HD 188],\u201d Morgan added, \u201cwill strengthen an ecosystem of autonomous and independent harm-reduction organizations that will address these systemic issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breakdown of the psychedelic proposals on Beacon Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n

The newly filed bills address a range of issues, from research to decriminalization and legalization. Among them are three pilot program proposals for controlled psychedelic use:<\/p>\n