California’s bill that would decriminalize psychedelics, SB519, has been gaining some traction in recent weeks, and Karens are getting triggered.
The Citizens Commission On Human Rights, a non-profit established by the Church of Scientology, has started a petition to defeat the bill, claiming that it’s “very dangerous”.
Don’t worry, only 289 people have signed the petition.
Cities across the US are taking the first step toward legalizing psychedelics – deprioritization.
Under state and federal laws, it is still illegal to use, possess, transport, or cultivate entheogenic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms, but many cities are passing resolutions to make investigating these cases the lowest priority of law enforcement.
So far, psilocybin is deprioritized in Denver, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Washington DC, Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Somerville, Cambridge, and Northampton. Easthampton, Massachusetts; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Arcata, California will likely be the next to join the list as early as this fall.
Since 1996, a US measure has prohibited the use of federal funds for “any activity that promotes the legalization of any drug or other substance in Schedule I”.
Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed an amendment to this measure for the second time, which would allow researchers to study the benefits of Schedule I drugs, including psilocybin. Although 49 more reps voted in favour of the amendment than in 2019 (including 7 republicans), it was unfortunately rejected by the House with 140-285 vote.
AOC Tweeted, “We’ll keep bringing it up until the times catch up. We’re undeterred!”
Another $35 million was just invested into US psychedelics companies.
Palo Santo, a US venture capital investment fund, invested $35 million into psychedelic research, exceeding its $30 million goal. The portfolio consists of 20 early-stage psychedelic companies with high growth potential including Atai Life Sciences, Reset Pharma, Field Trip Health, Tactogen, Eleusis, Bexson Biomedical, and more. Palo Santo’s team of investors will actively support each company in the portfolio by connecting founders, advisers, and industry leaders through their vast network in the healthcare space.
An activist group called Decriminalize California is working to speed up the legalization of magic mushrooms.
The group submitted a new initiative called the California Psilocybin Initiative, which would legalize the possession, cultivation, retail sale, and social sharing of psilocybin mushrooms for adults 21 and over. If the Office of the Attorney General accepts the measure, the group would have 180 days to collect 623,212 signatures from registered voters for the initiative to be added to the 2022 ballot. While California’s SB519 bill would decriminalize several psychedelic drugs, this initiative takes a new approach by focusing solely on psilocybin.
If you live in the golden state, you may want to limit your next order of shrooms to 4 ounces. California’s bill that would decriminalize psychedelics (SB519) was approved by the Assembly Public Health Committee with a 8-4 vote, making it the second of three committees to pass the bill. However, a new amendment was added that limits the allowable amount of each substance. If enacted, users 21 and older would be able to possess 2 grams of psilocybin or psilocin, or 4 ounces of a plant or fungi containing psilocybin or psilocin.
Harvard Law School hopes to bring safety, innovation, and equity to the psychedelics industry with a three-year initiative called the Project on Psychedelics Law and Regulation (POPLAR).
POPLAR will study regulations surrounding ethics, intellectual property, opportunities for federal support, and equitable access to psychedelic therapy. “By analyzing social, legal, and political barriers to access in this context, we hope to advance the understanding of [psychdelics] potential impact as therapeutics,” said one Harvard professor.
If you’ve been following along with the Daily Mushroom newsletter, you know that earlier this month, the California Senate approved a bill that would decriminalize possession of psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms. Well, that bill (SB 5119) was just approved by The Assembly Public Safety Committee – one of three assembly committees needed to advance the legislation before reaching the governor’s desk.
Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s sponsor, turned to Twitter to celebrate the win. “Another step toward ending the failed & racist War on Drugs & expanding access to mental health & addiction treatment.”
Texas passed a bill allowing the state to study psilocybin’s therapeutic potential in treating veterans with PTSD. While Governor Greg Abbott did not sign off on the bill, it has gained support from veterans groups and mental health advocacy organizations.
Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Cori Bush (D-MO) introduced a new bill, the Drug Policy Reform Act (DRPA) that would end incarceration for possessing any illicit drug. The bill will be filed on June 18, exactly 50 years after Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs that has contributed to racial inequality and higher incarceration rates than any other country. The DRPA would make it illegal to deny employment for simple drug possession or to require drug testing to receive federal benefits, and would also reinvest funds in harm reduction programs.
