2021 saw some serious progress towards the decriminalization of psychedelics. We had California getting close to the finish line with a historic bill; Seattle becoming the largest US city to decrim drugs; Detroit decriminalising psychedelics; and the city of Toronto voting to request a decrim exemption from the federal government.
2022 seems to be continuing this trend. There’s been a steady stream of initiatives by advocates and local politicians, all pushing for institutional and legislative changes to restriction on psychedelics.
Here are some recent highlights:
Washington State Psilocybin Bill
Following in its neighbor Oregon footsteps, a group of bipartisan lawmakers in Washington State have introduced legislation to legalize the use of psilocybin in certain situations. The Psilocybin Wellness and Opportunity Act would allow individuals to consume products containing psilocybin if under the care of a trained and state-licensed psilocybin service administrator.
Thrilled to announce SB5660 The WA #Psilocybin Services Wellness & Opportunity Act, which I had the privilege to help draft. Thanks to Sen Salomon @SenLizLovelett @DecrimNatureSEA & John Rapp
@HarrisBricken#psychedelic #health #law @UNHLaw @PetrieFlom
https://t.co/p5p7ei9BME pic.twitter.com/cqWlC79LY4— Mason Marks, MD, JD (@MasonMarksMD) January 5, 2022
Utah Bill to Look at Mental Illness & Psychotherapy Drugs
Bill, H.B. 167, was sponsored by Republican Representative Brady Brammer this month.
The bill wants to create a Mental Illness Psychotherapy Drug Task Force to research and make recommendations on controlled drugs currently available for legal therapeutic use. The goal is to find alternatives for treating symptoms of mental illnesses.
If the bill passes it would be a major step in getting lawmakers to see the benefits of therapies like psychedelics.
Virginia Politicians Wants to Reduce Penalties for Psychedelics
The state of Virginia is getting a decrim push with two bills that will remove criminal penalties for the possession of psychedelics.
HB 898 proposes to decriminalize the “possession of certain naturally occurring hallucinogens or psychoactive substances”. The other Senate bill focuses more on psilocybin, making the possession a minor civil penalty, with a small fine instead of criminal charges
https://www.instagram.com/p/CY70qi-uLr1/
Top Federal Drug Official is Bullish on Psychedelic Reform
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a government agency, seems to be taking psychedelics seriously. NIDA Director Nora Volkow said the “train has left the station” on psychedelics and that there’s “an incredible opportunity to also modify the way that we are doing things.”
These topics were raised at a recent psychedelics workshop hosted by the NIDA and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Don't miss out on the @NIDAnews, @NIAAAnews, & @NIMHgov-sponsored virtual Workshop on Psychedelics as Therapeutics: Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities, Jan. 12‒13, 2022. Learn more and register: https://t.co/S1zttkoYXq pic.twitter.com/C2Qrk6FN9a
— NIDAnews (@NIDAnews) January 10, 2022
Two government agencies hosting a workshop on psychedelics as therapeutics? The time they are a changin’…