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by: Hamza Fahmy
Posted:
Updated:
by: Hamza Fahmy
Posted:
Updated:
(KRON) – The Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Act, a bill aimed at permitting the use of psychedelic mushrooms for therapeutic purposes, was killed in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
“We’ve been working for four years to legalize access to psychedelics in California, to bring these substances out of the shadows and into the sunlight, and to improve safety and education around their use,” said California State Sen. Scott Wiener, who also penned the bill in February earlier this year.
The act, otherwise known as SB1012, would allow professionals to administer the consumption of psychedelic mushrooms to anyone over the age of 21. The bill also calls for licensed psychedelic-assisted therapy facilitators to supervise the administration of these substances.
“Psychedelics have massive promise in helping people heal and get their lives back on track. It makes enormous sense for California to lead in creating regulated access under the supervision of a licensed professional,” Wiener said.
SB1012 comes a few months after California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed SB58, a bill, also introduced by Wiener, which sought to make hallucinogens legal to carry in limited quantities in addition to legalizing psychedelic-assisted therapy.
In Newsom’s veto statement, he expressed his support of the potential therapeutic benefits of the substances, but only one “regulated treatment guidelines were designed.” He also “urged” the legislature to send him legislation in 2024 that includes therapeutic guidelines, bringing us to Wiener’s most recent efforts behind SB1012.
Despite Wiener’s efforts and initial support from the governor, the bill was killed on Thursday. Nevertheless, Wiener says he will still continue to work on expanding access to psychedelics.
Wiener isn’t alone in his efforts, as psychedelic therapy advocates believe that not allowing the legal use of said substance will only criminalize those seeking help through the substance.
“Californians will continue to seek out psychedelics for all sorts of reasons, including to help alleviate mental health challenges like PTSD, depression and anxiety. Many will do so without guided support and use psychedelics on their own, which increases risks. Veterans and others will continue to leave the country or go underground to seek unregulated services that may be unsafe. We’re not backing down, and will keep pushing to ensure facilitated access to psychedelics becomes a reality in California and that Californians are protected from harm.”
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Bill authored by SF senator allowing use of psychedelic therapy killed by senate – KRON4
