Massachusetts’ campaign to legalize psychedelics on the ballot in 2024 has chosen to support a version that allows for home cultivation.
The campaign has announced that it will be using the more expansive version of the proposal, which was approved by the Attorney General’s Office about a month ago.
Version A is the only version that allows adults to grow their own entheogenic fungi and plants. The versions are otherwise identical. As Psychedelic Weekly first reported, the choice of Version A was partially influenced by an internal poll that was conducted by the New Approach PAC to finance the campaign.
Jared Moffat told Marijuana Moment that the goal was to pass policies that would allow for safe access to psychedelics. This is something that is feasible and voters will support. “We have had many conversations with our local coalition partners and I believe we all agreed that the best policy is to have more extensive protections for home cultivators.”
Moffat, speaking during a Zoom call with the coalition last week, said that an initial poll funded by the campaign had returned worrying results. The poll showed support below 50%, but it increased after respondents were informed about the reform and its effects.
Moffat stated that the campaign conducted another round of polling, this time with more detailed explanations about the reforms. This led to a “much stronger” response, which indicated that “it’s possible to win” with both initiatives.
Moffat said to Marijuana Moment, that polling on home cultivation as an independent policy revealed that the campaign would need to prioritise educating voters about the issue as some had difficulty “wrapping” their heads around the concept.
He said that if you focus on it and single it out, it has an impact. The campaign did not see much of a difference in the polls after explaining both versions of the entire initiative.
“That is great news, because we can now go with a much more expansive policy. As long as we are clear and do our part in explaining the ballot initiative and what it’s all about, we will have a very good chance of passing.”
They will focus now on signature gathering for a measure that would create a framework to allow lawful, medically-supervised access to psychedelics in licensed facilities. The measure would legalize possession and gifting psychedelics like ayahuasca and psilocybin, but would not allow for retail commercial sales.
The Natural Psychedelic Substances Act is summarized in the following key points:
- Adults aged 21 and over can legally possess, grow and distribute certain amounts of psychedelics.
- These psychedelics are covered by the limits of possession: DMT (1 gram), mescaline non-peyote (18 grams), Ibogaine (30 grams), Psilocybin (1 gram), and psilocin (1 gram). These weight limits exclude any materials that contain active substances or are part of them.
- Possession of amounts up to the double limit will be punished by a civil fine of $100. Amounts above this amount are still criminalized.
- The Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission will be established to supervise the implementation of this law, and the licensing of service providers and facilitators.
- By April 1, 2026, the body, which will be modeled after the existing Cannabis Control Commission in California, must adopt rules for regulated accessibility of at least one psychoactive. The rest of the substances will need to have regulations in place by April 1, 2028. The application process would need to begin by September 30th 2026.
- The Natural Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board will “study” and “make recommendations” to this commission on issues like public health, regulation, training of facilitators, affordable access and equity, traditional use of psychedelics, and future rules including possible additions of substances to the legal list.
- The tax on psychedelics bought at licensed centers would be 15 percent. Localities could also impose an additional 2 percent tax if the center is allowed to operate within their jurisdiction. The revenue would be used to finance the regulation of the program.
- No provisions are made for expunging previous convictions for actions that would become legal.
- Local governments can regulate the hours, locations and types of service centers in their jurisdiction, but cannot ban them outright.
- Adults can propagate psychedelics within a 12×12 foot space.
- Civil legal protections would apply to licensure of professionals, child custody, and public benefits to people who engage in a legalized activity involving psychedelics.
- The law will come into effect on December 15, 2024. Commission and advisory board must be established by March 1, 2020.
“We want people to understand the true case for this policy. Moffat explained that there are a few reasons for this policy. “One is that we are facing a crisis in mental health, and the tools available to people are not very effective,” he said. Making these psychedelics accessible gives people another option to improve mental health. This is the main motivation.”
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To qualify for ballot placement on the ballot, activists must first collect 74,574 valid voter signatures and submit them to the Secretary of State’s Office by the first Wednesday in December.
The measure will then be presented to the legislative body, which can choose to adopt it, suggest a replacement or refuse to act. If legislators decide to not pursue the reform before the first Tuesday of May in 2024, activists will have until the second Wednesday of July to collect at least 12 429 valid signatures.
Bay Staters for Natural Medicine has endorsed the initiative that includes a home-grow option. BSNM is an organization that spearheaded a dozen local psychedelics measures in the State and has previously criticized the statewide campaign for a perceived lack of consultation prior to filing.
BSNM helped local governments implement policies that deprioritized enforcement of laws against psychedelics. These cities include Salem, Somerville Cambridge, Easthampton Northampton Amherst.
In April , a Republican legislator in Massachusetts filed three reform bills on psychedelics, which included proposals to legalize substances such as psilocybin, and reschedule MDMA, pending approval by the federal government, while setting a cap on price for therapeutic access.
Other legislators have introduced several pieces of legislation in Massachusetts to legalize entheogenic drugs for adults, as well as separate measures.
A second bill would allow the Department of Public Health (DPH) to conduct an extensive study on the therapeutic potential of synthetic psychedelics such as MDMA.
Rep. Mike Connolly, (D), also filed in 2021 a bill that was heard by the Joint Judiciary Committee about examining the implications of legalizing substances such as psilocybin or ayahuasca.
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The post Massachusetts activists Pursue Legalization of Psychedelics With Home Grow after Polling Two Versions first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
