California activists say they will submit a ballot measure in the coming week to legalize most psychedelics including DMT and ibogaine. They also plan to include mescaline and psilocybin. This is the third initiative relating to psychedelics that organizers hope will qualify for next year’s ballot. Gavin Newsom, a Democratic state senator, vetoed the psychedelics bill in California earlier this month.
The Psychedelic Wellness and Healing Initiative 2024 is a relatively permissive proposal: people would not face criminal penalties for using or possessing psychedelics and would be able grow psychedelic fungi and plants at home.
Dave Hodges is an organizer of the campaign, and founder of Church of Ambrosia in Oakland. He said that the measure aims to provide safe, legal access for psychedelics to be used for medical treatment, for therapy, or for spiritual purposes.
Hodges, in an interview with Marijuana Moment this week, said that the initiative would take an approach similar in nature to what was permitted in California’s early days of medical cannabis. The only way to purchase psychedelics legally would be with a doctor’s prescription. However, the entities that manufacture and distribute these substances would have a light level of regulation.
“We’re not just saying that everyone gets psychedelics!” ‘” Hodges said. “We are saying that you should first talk to your doctor, and then if he recommends you give them a try, you can get them.”
The campaign website had a draft of the proposed measure that was available as of Wednesday. However, Hodges explained that organizers were still working on it before filing. He explained that the proposal was initially intended to legalize psychedelics in a more general sense, but recently, it has shifted its focus towards doctor-recommended usage.
He added that under the revised structure a doctor’s prescription would no longer be needed for adults to possess or use psychedelics or to grow psychedelic plants or fungi in their homes. The only requirement would be to buy the substances from authorized sellers.
Comparing the current California law on cannabis businesses, commercial psychedelics would have a relatively lax oversight. In its current draft, the proposal states that psychedelics will be “regulated as closely as possible to non-psychoactive products produced by agriculture.”
As of January 1, 2020, any business could grow, manufacture and sell psychedelics in wholesale quantities as long as they are operating on land that is zoned commercial agriculture and has been approved by the Department of Food and Agriculture of the State for food production.
Starting April 19, 2025 any business incorporated in California with a California seller’s permit – required by most retail businesses within the state – will be able sell psychedelics.
Organizers worked on the measure nearly a full year. Hodges, however, said that the recent veto by Newsom of SB 58 , which would have legalized certain psychedelics, and studied a framework for regulated sale, was a major factor in the decision to place it on the ballot for 2024.
In a statement stating his veto, the Governor said that he rejected the bill by Sen. Scott Wiener(D) as it would have eliminated penalties around psychedelics prior to setting up regulated guidelines.
Hodges stated that “We have accelerated this because of 58.” “Gavin’s veto of 58 and his reasoning for calling it was really a signal to us that this what we needed.”
Californians have no other chance to access psychedelics. “We consider this to be very important and we are committed to making it happen,” said he.
Hodges, in response to Newsom’s veto of the measure, said that it was a “great step forward” but also had serious flaws when it came to public safety and quality assurance.
Two more ballot proposals related to psychedelics have been submitted with the intention of qualifying them for ballot next year.
The group Decriminalize California is backing a measure that would legalize adult-use psilocybin. State officials recently gave the measure approval to start collecting signatures. The group’s activists have attempted to place the reform on the ballot twice in previous cycles but failed due to difficulties in gathering signatures during the pandemic.
The TREAT California Act is another measure that could be implemented. would spend $5 billion on the creation of a state agency devoted to advancing research and developing psychedelic therapy. The initiative would not alter the legal status of any substances. However, it would grant California a constitutional right to conduct research using all psychedelics except for peyote. In September, the attorney general’s office published the title and summary for that measure. Signature gathering started earlier this month.
Hodges stated that he does not oppose any of the other proposals but he believes his Psychedelic Well-Being and Healing Initiative will best ensure access to Californians.
He said that initially, organizers planned to present the proposal earlier to state officials “Now we are looking at the Christmas madness. “That’s the next big chance.”
As soon as the office of the Attorney General in the state issues a title Hodges stated that he plans to submit proposed language by Friday, and He said that to qualify for the ballot in 2024, the campaign must collect
He said that if we missed the April 23 deadline but still gathered enough
Hodges expressed confidence when asked about the high costs of gathering signatures in Hodges said that he expected members of the Church of Ambros
He said, “We are confident that we can do it.” We have 100,000 church members who want to make these things happen. “It’s only a question of giving them a place to
Hodges responded to Marijuana moment’s questions about the specific One provision states that psychedelics grown or sold “for spiritual reasons The measure does not distinguish between spiritual and medical sales, or whether a doctor
Hodges added that authors would also have to include a provision for endangered The current draft would legalize plants containing mescaline, including the Overharvesting peyote led to some jurisdictions declaring
While one provision states that doctors can write psychedelics recommendations for Hodges stated that this was not the intention of the proposal, and that
He clarified that the intention was to save a child’s life by
Meanwhile, some California municipalities are pushing reform at the local level. Last week, the city of Eureka adopted a resolution to HTML0 This is at least the fifth jurisdiction to adopt the new policy. San Francisco Oakland HTML
A number of municipalities have adopted the local approach to decriminalize noncommercial leaders adopted a similar resolution on psychedel
Since Denver voters passed a law decriminalizing the possession Salem, Somerville Cambridge Easthampton Northampton have all passed Four cities in Michigan adopted similar measures, including Ferndale HTML0
In 2020, Oregon will decriminalize possession of any drug This past May, the state approved its first legal ps
And in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed a psychedelics regulation bill into law in May, setting rules for a psychedelics legalization law that voters passed last year.
Based on statistical modelling of policy trends, an analysis published last year in the American Medical Association journal concluded that most states will legalize psychedelics before 2037.
A national poll conducted in March found that a majority of U.S. citizens support the legalization of psychedelic therapy and are for federal decriminalization of substances such as psilocybin and MDMA. Both have been recognized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “breakthrough treatments.”
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The post California Activists To File New Psychedelics Ballot Initiative This week appeared initially on Marijuana Moment.
