Missouri Officials Transfer $11 Million In Marijuana Revenue To Fund Drug Treatment, Veterans Health And Legal Services
Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulators Discuss Challenges, Updates To New Licensing Rules
Pennsylvania Governor Signs Budget Bill Excluding Marijuana Legalization Provision He Requested, But With 280E Tax Relief For Industry
Las Vegas Casinos Would Be ‘Smart’ To Consider Legal Marijuana’s Opportunities, Former Top Nevada Cannabis Official Says (Op-Ed)
Bipartisan Congressional Lawmakers Push FDA To Approve MDMA Therapy For PTSD
Marijuana Use Linked To Better And More Frequent Sex, Study Finds—But Dosage Is Critical
Legalizing Marijuana Leads To ‘Substantial Decrease’ In Intimate Partner Violence, Study Shows
Study Of Reddit Marijuana Posts Shows How Being Super High Or Sober Affects Types Of Submissions To r/Trees
Federal Science Agency Begins Selling ‘Most Carefully Quantified Cannabis Ever Sold’—For $174 A Gram
Federal Report Looks At Improving Marijuana And Hemp Testing To Detect Cannabinoids, Toxic Elements And Moisture
NCAA Votes To Remove Marijuana From Banned Substances List For College Athletes
California State Fair Will Allow Marijuana Sales And On-Site Consumption For First Time
Marijuana Rolling Paper Company Will Pay $4.20 To Volunteers To ‘Smoke Joints For Science’
NFL Sued By Player Who Was Fined Over $500,000 For Positive THC Tests Caused By Prescribed Cannabis Medication
Brands And Advocacy Groups—From ACLU To KFC—Launch 4/20 Promotions To Mark The Marijuana Holiday
Illinois Marijuana Retailers Have Already Sold $1 Billion In Legal Products So Far This Year, Governor Announces
Maryland Sees More Than $1.1 Billion In Marijuana Sales During Legal Market’s First Year
Oregon’s First-In-Nation Psilocybin Industry Is Struggling To Find Paying Customers A Year After Launching
States Have Generated Over $20 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue Since First Markets Opened, New Report Finds
Arkansas Medical Marijuana Dispensary Gets License Revoked Over Alleged Violations
Bipartisan Congressional Lawmakers Push FDA To Approve MDMA Therapy For PTSD
GOP-Led Congressional Committee Approves Bill To Ban Most Consumable Hemp Products Such As Delta-8 THC
Senators Approve Bill To Let VA Doctors Recommend Medical Marijuana To Veterans In Legal States
Hawaii Governor Signs Bill Creating Expungement Task Force That’s Expected To Consider Marijuana Conviction Relief
Black Pennsylvania Lawmakers Lay Out Marijuana Legalization Framework Emphasizing Equity
Medical cannabis for veterans approved in Senate vote (Newsletter: July 12, 2024)
GOP-led committee demands cannabis rescheduling explanation (Newsletter: July 11, 2024)
Congressional vote to block cannabis rescheduling (Newsletter: July 10, 2024)
Federal cannabis testing report looks at potency & contaminants (Newsletter: July 9, 2024)
Florida poll shows cannabis ballot measure passing (Newsletter: July 8, 2024)
Published
on
By
Connecticut lawmakers have revived an effort to decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin, despite the governor’s office recently indicating that it has concerns about the psychedelics reform.
A new bill filed by the legislature’s Joint Judiciary Committee and cosponsored by Rep. David Michel (D) would make possession of up to one-half an ounce of psilocybin punishable by a $150 fine, without the threat of jail time.
A second or subsequent violation would carry a fine of at least $200 but not more than $500. A person who pleads guilty or no contest on two separate occasions would be referred to a substance misuse treatment program
Police would be require to seize and destroy any amount of the psychedelic they find under the measure, HB 5297. Possession of more than a half-ounce of psilocybin would be considered a Class A misdemeanor.
An earlier version of the psilocybin decriminalization bill passed the House last year but did not advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers and activists held an informational forum last month to discuss the therapeutic potential of substances such as psilocybin and potential pathways to allow for regulated access.
“We are inspired by the leadership of the Judiciary Committee to continue the conversation on how to responsibly decriminalize psilocybin and stand ready to assist the legislature and the governor in working through any concerns,” Jason Ortiz, policy director of Connecticut for Accessible Psychedelic Medicine who also serves as director of strategic initiatives for the Last Prisoner Project, told Marijuana Moment.
“While the bill is a great start, there’s still room for improvement by including home cultivation and retroactive relief for those who were criminalized for simply seeking a better quality of life,” he said.
Meanwhile, as the legislation is being introduced, the office of Gov. Ned Lamont (D) has signaled that it may face a major barrier to enactment.
“The governor has concerns about broad decriminalization of mushrooms,” spokesperson David Bednarz said last month, noting that at the time it was “a bit too early to speculate” because a 2024 bill had not yet been filed yet.
As the prior version to decriminalize possession of psilocybin advanced last year, Lamont also reportedly threatened to veto it, despite having championed and signed into law legislation to legalize cannabis in 2021.
Lamont signed a large-scale budget bill in 2022 that includes provisions to set the state up to provide certain patients with access to psychedelic-assisted treatment using substances like MDMA and psilocybin.
Prior to that, he also signed separate legislation in 2021 that required the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to create a task force to study the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms.
But broad decriminalization of so-called “magic mushrooms,” apparently, may be a bridge too far from his perspective.
Separately, a Connecticut lawmaker also introduced different legislation last session that would have appropriated an unspecified amount of state funds to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the current fiscal year to establish a “psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program.”
A growing number of states are pursuing psychedelics reform legislation this session, with a focus on research and therapeutic access.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
For example, the governor of New Mexico recently endorsed a newly enacted resolution requesting that state officials research the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and explore the creation of a regulatory framework to provide access to the psychedelic.
An Illinois senator recently introduced a bill to legalize psilocybin and allow regulated access at service centers in the state where adults could use the psychedelic in a supervised setting—with plans to expand the program to include mescaline, ibogaine and DMT.
Last week, a second Arizona Senate committee approved a bipartisan bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers where people could receive the psychedelic in a medically supervised setting, sending it to the floor.
Earlier this month, an Alaska Senate committee advanced a bill that would create a task force to study how to license and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy in anticipation of eventual federal legalization of substances like MDMA and psilocybin.
Lawmakers in Hawaii are also continuing to advance a bill that would provide some legal protections to patients engaging in psilocybin-assisted therapy with a medical professional’s approval.
This month, an Indiana House committee approved a Republican-led bill that would fund clinical research trials into psilocybin that has already cleared the full Senate.
Bipartisan California lawmakers also recently introduced a bill to legalize psychedelic service centers where adults 21 and older could access psilocybin, MDMA, mescaline and DMT in a supervised environment with trained facilitators.
A Nevada joint legislative committee held a hearing with expert and public testimony on the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin last month. Law enforcement representatives also shared their concerns around legalization—but there was notable acknowledgement that some reforms should be enacted, including possible rescheduling.
The governor of Massachusetts recently promoted the testimony of activists who spoke in favor of her veterans-focused bill that would, in part, create a psychedelics work group to study the therapeutic potential of substances such as psilocybin.
A New York lawmaker have introduced a bill that would create a pilot program to provide psilocybin therapy to 10,000 people, focusing on military veterans and first responders, while the legislature also considers broader psychedelics reform.
A Missouri House committee considered a proposal last month that would legalize the medical use of psilocybin in the state and mandate clinical trials exploring the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.
House Bill To Remove Marijuana As Barrier To Federal Employment Or Security Clearances Has Moot Provisions, Congressional Budget Office Says
Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.
Virginia Bill To Protect Public Workers From Being Fired For Medical Marijuana Heads To Governor’s Desk
Activists Renew Effort To Use Opioid Settlement Funds To Study Ibogaine For Addiction In Ohio After Kentucky Plan Falls Through
Kyle Jaeger is Marijuana Moment’s Sacramento-based managing editor. His work has also appeared in High Times, VICE and attn.
Missouri Officials Transfer $11 Million In Marijuana Revenue To Fund Drug Treatment, Veterans Health And Legal Services
Alabama Medical Marijuana Regulators Discuss Challenges, Updates To New Licensing Rules
Pennsylvania Governor Signs Budget Bill Excluding Marijuana Legalization Provision He Requested, But With 280E Tax Relief For Industry
Las Vegas Casinos Would Be ‘Smart’ To Consider Legal Marijuana’s Opportunities, Former Top Nevada Cannabis Official Says (Op-Ed)
Bipartisan Congressional Lawmakers Push FDA To Approve MDMA Therapy For PTSD
Medical cannabis for veterans approved in Senate vote (Newsletter: July 12, 2024)
All the cannabis news you need, all in one place. Copyright © 2017-2024 Marijuana Moment LLC ® and Tom Angell
Connecticut Lawmakers File Psilocybin Decriminalization Bill Despite Governor’s Concerns – Marijuana Moment
