Massachusetts political strategists have filed quietly paperwork to place a therapeutic psychedelics initiative on the 2024 state ballot.
The newly formed Massachusetts for Mental Health Options committee (MMHO) submitted initial documents to state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. This was to signal their intention to secure ballot placement for this measure. Details are still sparse.
The group’s mission, according to a statement that was filed last week, is to “expand the mental health treatment options available in Massachusetts by creating new pathways for accessing natural psychedelic therapy.”
The filing states that the upcoming ballot question will focus on “creating an access to natural psychedelic medicines therapy and removing criminal sanctions for personal possession of such drugs.”
Some are uncomfortable with the recent development, which was first reported in Psychedelic Week by Mason Marks. It’s unclear to what extent the committee engaged with local reform groups who have worked successfully to enact decriminalization of psychedelics in six Massachusetts cities, including most recently Salem.
Marks, a professor of law at Florida State University College of Law, and co-founder of Project on Psychedelics Law & Regulation (POPLAR), at the Petrie-Flom Center of Harvard Law School, said that there is evidence that suggests the new committee could be linked to the New Approach PAC national, which played a key role in getting psychedelics measures on the ballots in Colorado and Oregon in the past year.
David Bronner, of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps who has financially supported New Approach, and funded various efforts around the country to reform marijuana laws and psychedelics, revealed at a Denver conference last month that he supports similar reform initiatives in Massachusetts and Arizona.
Bronner wrote in an email to the Washington Post on Sunday, “things remain exploratory as they relate to the coalition and policies coming together.” He said that he had reached out to state donors and allies to find out more. They told him that they needed to file a formal application before they could even begin this exploration.
“Conversations in all directions are taking place to determine if this policy is viable. If so, the policy will incorporate input from all stakeholders, iterate, learn from, or improve upon CO on both decrim, and regulated accessibility, within Mass’s one issue constraints.” He was referring to the rule which states that ballot initiatives must cover only a single topic.
Danielle McCourt, of DLM Strategies, and Meredith Learner Moghimi, of MLM Strategies are the two people who have filed the paperwork on behalf of MMHO. The funding source for the project is still unknown, as well as the final form of the initiative. It’s only a few weeks until the deadline for submitting an initiative petition, which is August 3. This means that more information could be available sooner rather than later.
On 7/3/23, the Massachusetts for Mental Health Options was organized as a question-and-answer committee.
Filer Page: https://t.co/yKgODITphM
OCPF Organizations July 5, 2020
Moghimi, when asked to comment on the campaign by the State House News Service, suggested that they contact Ben Unger who works for New Approach. This further indicated a link between the PAC’s new Massachusetts effort and New Approach.
Unger , like Bronner , said the committee was “still very much at the exploratory stage.”
He said, “The coalition has not yet been formed and the policy continues to be vetted and discussed.” As you can imagine, there are many details to be worked out.
Massachusetts, where adult-use marijuana was legalized at the 2016 ballot, has been a major center for psychedelic policy reform over the past few years. The state boasts the most cities that have decriminalized measures of any other, led largely by grassroots activists, such as those from the non-profit Bay Staters for Natural Medicine.
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Salem is not the only locality that has adopted this reform. Somerville and Cambridge, Easthampton Northampton, Amherst, and Easthampton have also done so.
A Republican legislator has recently introduced three reform bills on psychedelics, which include proposals to legalize substances such as psilocybin, and reschedule MDMA, pending approval by the federal government, while also setting a cap on price for therapeutic access.
Other legislators have introduced several pieces of legislation in Massachusetts, including separate measure for legalizing certain entheogenic drugs for adults.
A second bill authorizes the Department of Public Health (DPH) to conduct a study on the therapeutic effects of MDMA and other synthetic psychedelics.
Rep. Mike Connolly, (D), also filed a 2021 bill that was heard by the Joint Judiciary Committee in . The hearing focused on the implications of legalizing substances such as psilocybin or ayahuasca.
The first Congressional Marijuana Banking Bill was filed 10 years ago, marking a milestone as lawmakers make what they hope is a final push
The post Massachusetts campaign quietly takes first step to put psychedelics reform on the 2024 ballot appeared initially on Marijuana Moment.
