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 regulatory framework similar to what exists in Oregon but, unlike in Oregon, it calls for the creation of a five-member commission like the Cannabis Control Commission to oversee the system of service centers. The commission model has come under fire at the Cannabis Control Commission; the state’s Inspector General has called for the agency to be placed under receivership. …in Oregon, Oregon Public Broadcasting has reported that the majority of the clients who have taken advantage of the centers have come from out of state… 80 percent of his clients are from out of state… In Massachusetts under “The Natural Psychedelic Substances Act”… adults 21 and older could legally possess, grow and share certain amounts of psychedelics. The covered psychedelics and possession limits are: DMT (one gram), non-peyote mescaline (18 grams), ibogaine (30 grams), psilocybin (one gram) and psilocin (one gram). Those weight limits do not include any material that the active substances are attached to or part of … health insurance companies do not cover psilocybin treatments because psilocybin is currently illegal under federal law, just as marijuana is. “If people cannot afford these treatments, then they’re not truly legal. That means they’re only legal if you have extreme levels of wealth,” said James Davis, the head of the Bay Staters for Natural Medicine, a grassroots organization pushing for the legalization of psilocybin which has come out in opposition to the ballot measure. “The better model is allowing people to grow and share. We don’t need a whole other unelected agency.”
Original Article (Commonwealth Beacon & Marijuana Moment & Ballotpedia):
Lessons to learn from Oregon on psychedelics ballot measure & Massachusetts campaign turns in final signatures to put psychedelics legalization on the November ballot & Massachusetts regulated access to psychedelic substances initiative (2024)
Artwork Fair Use: Karlunun
