On Monday, a California lawmaker introduced legislation that would decriminalize possession and use natural psychedelics such as psilocybin. This is the main psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms. Scott Wiener (state senator) introduced the bill. This follows similar legislation that a San Francisco Democrat had introduced last August, which was ultimately discarded by the legislature.

According to media reports, law enforcement organizations will likely oppose the bill due to concerns about potential safety issues associated with easing restrictions on psychoactive drugs. However, veterans and mental health professionals support the bill. They want the compound’s potential benefits to be available to all.

“Psychedelics have tremendous capacity to help people heal, but right now, using them is a criminal offense,” Wiener said in a statement. “These drugs literally save lives and are some of the most promising treatments we have for PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction.”

Mental Health and Psychedelics

Studies and clinical research on psychedelics like psilocybin has shown their potential to treat serious mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. A peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Psychiatry 2020 showed that psilocybin assisted psychotherapy is an effective, quick-acting therapy for a group comprising 24 patients with major depression disorder. Another study, published in 2016, found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy produced significant and sustained reductions in anxiety among patients living with serious cancer.

Senate Bill 58 (SB58) was presented Monday. This legislation would legalize small amounts natural psychedelic drugs such as mescaline (DMT), psilocybin and ibogaine (SB58). Although the bill doesn’t legalize the selling of psychedelic drug, it does allow their possession and use. Chad Harman, CEO of psychedelics-focused biotech firm Psycheceutical, said that SB 58 “is a huge advancement for the progress of the psychedelic movement.”

“A careful review of the science and facts surrounding these potentially life-saving compounds is exactly what we have been fighting for, and now the State of California is showing signs of being on board,” Harman wrote in an email. “Not only does this decriminalization bill confirm growing momentum and acceptance from the scientific and medical communities, but it could set the precedent needed for other states to follow suit.”

Bill adopts similar measures as last year

Wiener introduced the measure last year. However, the new legislation does not contain synthetic psychedelics like LSD and MDMA (ecstasy), which were in the earlier version. A legislative committee removed the decriminalization provisions from Senate Bill 519 (SB 599) and left legislation to fund a study.

“While I am extremely disappointed by this result, I am looking to reintroducing this legislation next year and continuing to make the case that it’s time to end the War on Drugs,” Wiener said in an August statement after learning of the changes made to SB 519. “Psychedelic drugs, which are not addictive, have incredible promise when it comes to mental health and addiction treatment. We are not giving up.”

Joshua Kappel, an attorney with the cannabis and psychedelics law firm Vicente Sederberg, said that Wiener’s new bill could advance the use of psychedelics for mental health, similar to a ballot measure passed by Colorado voters in last month’s midterm elections.

“California’s SB 58 is smart drug policy. Kappel sent an email to Kappel stating that John Hopkins University, UCLA and other universities have discovered the benefits of psychedelic assisted therapy in treating addictions, depression, and PTSD. Chronic News. “Similar to what the voters recently passed in Colorado through Prop 122, SB 58 decriminalizes the same natural medicines and creates a pathway for supervised therapeutic use.”

Although the bill is supported by some mental health professionals and veterans groups, it is likely to face opposition from law enforcement groups that opposed Wiener’s original bill.

“Without more evidence that these hallucinogenic drugs are no more dangerous than cannabis, we cannot support legalizing them,” the California District Attorneys Assn. Opposition to previous versions of the bill was written. “Hallucinations can be dangerous to users and bystanders alike, and it is not clear that the benefit of legalizing these drugs outweighs the cost to the common welfare.”