2023 has started off as a good year for psychedelic decriminalization.
The year started with Oregon implementing its legalized psilocybin therapy programs, and a few days later, the state of New York announced a bill to legalize some psychedelics for adults 21 and older. We then had bills introduced by Hawaii, Virginia, and Missouri.
Continuing the trend, we have several other states voting on psychedelic reform bills.
California Senate Committee Passes Psychedelics Legalization Bill
Senate Bill 58 was introduced by Senator Scott Wiener, California’s legislative decrim champion. The bill would legalize personal possession of psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, and ibogaine — and it has passed through the California Public Safety Committee by a 3 to 1 vote.
The law would allow the “…possession, preparation, obtaining, transfer, as specified, or transportation of the above-mentioned substances for personal or facilitated use”.
The bill also permits “group counseling and community-based healing” and legalizes “any spores or mycelium capable of producing mushrooms or other material which contain psilocybin or psilocyn.”
The bill still faces many steps. It now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for approval, and then onto a vote by the full Senate.
Minnesota Reviewing Bill To Create Psychedelics Legalization Task Force
The Minnesota state House committee on Thursday took up a
bill to establish a task force to study and advise on the potential legalization of psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine.
The Psychedelic Medicine Task Force would:
“advise the legislature on the legal, medical, and policy issues associated with the legalization of psychedelic medicine in the state.”
and…
“survey existing studies in the scientific literature on the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic medicine in the treatment of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, and any other mental health conditions and medical conditions for which a psychedelic medicine may provide an effective treatment option…”
Oklahoma bill passes, championing increased study of psychedelic mushrooms
A bill calling for the study of psilocybin has passed the Oklahoma House.
The bill would allow universities and research facilities to conduct research into psilocybin and psilocyn. It passed the House in a 66-32 vote and now moves on to the Senate for review.
Keep in mind that Oklahoma is a very conservative state, so this move forward shows the continued support for psychedelics in traditionally Republican strongholds.
Because of this conservative demographic, this version of the bill had been amended to remove any direct decriminalization language. However, it did retain protections for people facing prosecution over psilocybin possession, if they could show they’re dealing with certain medical conditions like PTSD.
