Legalization Of Psychedelic Drugs Is On The Ballot In Massachusetts

[RandySF]

Legalization of psychedelics is on the ballot in Massachusetts in the November election. If the voters say yes, the ballot measure would lead to the creation of a five-person commission and 20-member advisory board to regulate the psychedelics industry under the auspices of the Massachusetts legislature.

Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to allow individuals to have access to psychedelic substances as a form of mental health treatment, in particular, for post-traumatic stress disorder and clinical depression.

According to Axios, a yes on Question 4 would facilitate legalization of five psychedelic substances for people ages 21 and older. These are psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine, ibogaine and mescaline. All five are Schedule I drugs, which means that the federal government deems currently that they have “no accepted medical use.” Of the five substances, psilocybin (the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms”) has perhaps shown the most promise as a treatment for several serious mental health conditions, including anxiety among patients with terminal illnesses. But psychedelics have also been associated with possibly substantial harms in some instances.

A yes vote would trigger the state’s commission and advisory board to establish a regulatory framework for the psychedelics. Once finalized, retailers would not be able to sell psychedelics as they do cannabis. Rather, a licensed “facilitator” would provide the drugs as part of a behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment, as outlined in the ballot measure petition.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2024/10/04/legalization-of-psychedelic-drugs-is-on-the-ballot-in-massachusetts/