Over the weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoes Senate Bill 58 (SB 58), nullifying the state’s attempt to become one of the few countries to loosen regulations on plant-based psychedelics. This law was an effort to increase access to psychedelic treatments and eliminate penalties for people seeking these drugs.
The bill would criminalize the possession of small amounts (4 grams) of certain plant-based hallucinogens (mescaline, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and psilocybin, a hallucinogen found in magic mushrooms) for adults 21 years of age and older. It was criminalized. The bill would also allow possession of related drug paraphernalia and home cultivation of psilocybin-containing mushrooms for personal use.
State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced the bill in late 2022 and believes it would improve mental health care without impacting public safety. “Should we threaten people with arrest and jail for using mushrooms? Of course not,” says Weiner. “If you want to make drugs unsafe, the most effective thing you can do is criminalize them and push everyone into the shadows, where they are less likely to seek information or help.”
in letter Newsom wrote of his decision: “Psychedelics have been shown to relieve people suffering from certain conditions, such as depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other addictive personality traits. This is an exciting frontier, and California is But he said the state will first need to improve its administration, including dosing information, rules to protect patients from abuse during treatment, and ways to ensure there is no underlying mental illness. “Regulated treatment guidelines” are needed, he continued. “Unfortunately, this bill decriminalizes possession before these guidelines go into effect, so I cannot sign it,” he continued.
Psychedelics can have serious negative effects in some users, including psychosis and suicidal thoughts, and one of the groups most vocally opposed to the bill has reported that some users have become psychotic and died after ingesting psychedelics. It was the “Psychedelic Safety Education Coalition,” an organization that includes parents of children who have experienced this.on the news interview and Editorial, they claimed they were not opposed to decriminalization, but first wanted the government to train first responders and put in place a system to track the health effects of psychedelics. (WIRED was unable to reach representatives of the group for comment.)
Despite the fact that several local governments in California have passed psychedelic decriminalization measures, support at the national level remains hotly debated. (Reports show his 49 percent of American voters support decriminalization 2023 UC Berkeley Psychedelic Survey.) Newsom positions himself as a member of the Democratic Party. most visible leader, he had a lot at stake when this bill arrived on his desk. “While we firmly believe that Californians should not be jailed for using psychedelics, we also understand the difficult position Governor Newsom is in,” said founder Jeannie. Fontana says. treat californiais organizing a ballot initiative aimed at devoting $5 billion in state funding to psychedelic research and mental health care.
