Politics

…women are being prosecuted for using marijuana… while pregnant following Roe’s repeal…

Wendy Bach, principal investigator of the report and professor at the University of Tennessee law school… “We learned that prosecutions in the year after Dobbs represent a high-water mark in pregnancy criminalization, following from increased suspicion and surveillance of pregnant people,” she said. “It is significant that… in thirty-one of those eighty-six cases, the only…

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Politics

Raids on magic mushroom dispensaries are a knee-jerk reaction…

The recreational and medicinal markets are far more intertwined than many are aware. As so often happens… we have seen this phenomenon with cannabis and opioids, and it now appears to be happening with psychedelics. A recent survey found that less than 34 per cent of Canadians who reported using psychedelics did so to self-medicate…

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Politics

Olympia decriminalizes some psychedelic drugs like mushrooms

“To me, it’s about allowing people to seek healing using things that are available in the world,” City Councilmember Clark Gilman said. The Olympia City Council declared that entheogens/psilocybin-related investigations, arrests, and prosecutions will have the lowest level of priority from law enforcement, meaning some psychedelic drugs like mushrooms will be decriminalized within city limits.…

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Politics

How should we sell psychedelics?

…so if we’re going to consider the retail sale of psychedelics… public conversation about how a retail psychedelic market might actually work has been all but nonexistent. So far, most debate over how to expand legal access to psychedelics has focused on segmented approaches like therapy, religious exemptions, or supervised retreat centers. The reports from Transform and RAND…

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Politics

Multnomah County, Portland leaders outline drug deflection plan

“We must offer people suffering from addiction alternatives to incarceration or we will be right back where we started,” Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said at a press conference. “When the drug possession laws change on Sept. 1, [2024], it is so important for us to be ready.” In Multnomah County, only people possessing…

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Politics

[Oregon] local governments weigh options for psilocybin regulations

[Oregon], local governments are considering ballot measures and ordinances… Warrenton, OR; on July 23 [2024], city commissioners approved a resolution to place a permanent moratorium on the November [2024] ballot. “I’m totally against the idea of even having (psilocybin) in this community. I’m totally against the idea that we as a society need to start…

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Politics

…exploring intentional psychedelic use in the modern world

The rather abrupt legislative overhaul [of Oregon’s Measure 110] demonstrates the fragility of reform efforts that bypass comprehensive public discourse. For those advocating for psychedelic and broader drug reform, this moment could galvanize efforts to engage in more direct, transparent dialogues with policymakers, stakeholders and the public. …underscores the need for nuanced conversation around the…

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Politics

Lessons to learn from Oregon on psychedelics ballot measure

The Massachusetts ballot measure is much more similar to the one that passed two years ago in Colorado… the campaign Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) has now submitted another 14,000 signatures to secure ballot placement… “The Natural Psychedelic Substances Act”… [Initiative 23-13 (Version A) 23-14 (Version B)]… The Massachusetts ballot measure sets up a…

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