Is Massachusetts… in trouble?
…multiple sources say the Massachusetts psychedelic ballot campaign run by New Approach PAC may have made technical errors while collecting signatures for its 2024 ballot initiative. If the rumors are true, it is unclear what kind of error created the urgent need to collect signatures anew. The conspiratorially-minded might wonder whether these rumors could serve as pretext for the campaign to substitute a different version of its ballot initiative.
On September 6, 2023, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified two psychedelic voter ballot petitions submitted by the campaign: 23-13 (Version A) and 23-14 (Version B). Certification means that according to Campbell, the petitions meet the state’s constitutional requirements, and proponents can start collecting signatures. Petitions Versions A and B are nearly identical. Both would create a regulated program for the non-medical, supported adult use of five psychedelic substances: psilocybin, psilocin, ibogaine, mescaline, and dimethyltryptamine. The petitions have only one difference. Version A would allow people to legally cultivate psychedelics at home, and Petition Version B would not. After a backlash from local activists who support home cultivation, including Bay Staters for Natural Medicine and New England Veterans for Plant Medicine, New Approach agreed to pursue only Version A, which would allow home cultivation. However, Psychedelic Week has been unable to verify that the 74,574 previously collected were for Version A, and it isn’t clear whether new signatures will be collected for Version A or B. [A Massachusetts company that bills itself as “the first and only licensed provider of psychedelic health plans” announced on Tuesday 11/14/2023 that it will cover psilocybin-assisted therapy in states where it’s legal. “Given the evidence of effectiveness seen in clinical trials in the U.S. and elsewhere, we have decided to give our employers the option of including psilocybin-assisted therapy in their benefit plans,” said Sherry Rais, CEO and co-founder of Enthea, a third-party health insurance benefits administrator. “Oregon and Colorado have already legalized the use of psilocybin, and we expect others to do so next year.”]
Original Article (Psychedelic Week & Marijuana Moment):
Is Massachusetts psychedelic ballot campaign in trouble? & Health benefits provider will cover psilocybin-assisted therapy in States where it’s legal
Artwork Fair Use: Ji-Elle
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