There are a lot of drug legalization initiatives up for a vote in states across the country this election day. Voters in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota, among others, will be voting to legalize marijuana. Massachusetts is going one step further, as its citizens will determine whether to legalize some psychedelics.
This election Day, voters in Massachusetts will vote yes or no on question 4, a proposal that, if approved, would legalize psychedelic substances like psilocybin, mescaline, DMT, and ibogaine. If the measure is approved, anyone 21 and over will be able to use any of those psychedelic substances under licensed supervision and will be able to grow a limited amount for personal use.
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This all comes as waves of research have shown that psychedelics can offer tremendous therapeutic benefits for anyone suffering from PTSD and depression, particularly among military veterans, who often use psychedelics as a part of their mental health treatments.
If passed, citizens of Massachusetts will be able to purchase natural psychedelic substances from approved locations. The measure would also allow for the regulation and taxation of psychedelic substances. It would create a new advisory board called the Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission and Natural Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board to help regulate the burgeoning market.
Massachusetts would not be the first place in the US to legalize psychedelics. The District of Columbia already did so in November 2020 with the passing of Initiative 81, which decriminalized substances containing psilocybin and made arrests for their possession the lowest priority for police in Washington DC. The state of Oregon was the first to decriminalize psychedelic drugs, along with pretty much everything else, which was a very popular decision at the time. But after the law was poorly implemented by state officials, critics say, Oregon recriminalized low-level drug possession, once again making it a misdemeanor crime.
Those opposed to the legalization of psychedelics in Massachusetts say that there aren’t enough public safeguards to protect the public from a series of mind-altering substances that have not been as thoroughly researched as they wish they would be. Chris Keohan from the Coalition for Safe Communities thinks that the risks posed to children and pets are too great, arguing that the absence of required medical supervision in treatment centers is a huge mistake.
He’s also not a fan of the amount of space people can use to grow their own shrooms. “This allows for 144 square feet of grow in your home, which is an astronomical amount of space to be able to grow. It’s actually equivalent of the average bedroom here in Massachusetts,” Keohan told the New Bedford Light.
Buddy, by trying to warn people of dire consequences you just accidentally created one of the best talking points imaginable.
