TRENTON, NJ — A bill decriminalizing the recreational use and sale of products containing psilocybin — the chemical found in so-called magic mushrooms that produces a hallucinogenic effect — has been reintroduced in the New Jersey Senate.
The Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act, introduced last week, seeks to legalize the manufacturing and use of psilocybin to “promote health and wellness” in the state, according to the bill text.
The bill was previously introduced last year before it was pulled for revisions, the Bergen Record reported.
If passed, the bill would decriminalize psilocybin’s use by anyone over 21 and expunge past and pending offenses involving the drug. According to the bill, those over 21 could legally “possess, store, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport” 4 grams or less of psilocybin.
The legislation was sponsored by Senate President Nicholas Scutari, a Democrat. It was co-sponsored by Democratic Sens. Andrew Zwicker and Nilsa Cruz-Perez, as well as Republican Sen. Holly Schepisi.
“Studies conducted by nationally and internationally recognized medical institutions indicate that psilocybin has shown efficacy, tolerability, and safety in the treatment of a variety of behavioral health conditions, including, but not limited to, clinical dependence disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and end-of-life psychological distress,” the bill states.
Under the bill, the state health department would issue licenses to manufacturing facilities, retailers and testing labs. Psilocybin products would have to be consumed at service centers, where employees would guide customers through their hallucinogenic episodes.
Centers also wouldn’t be allowed in residential neighborhoods or within 1,000 feet of a school, the bill states. Public advertising would also be prohibited.
If passed, New Jersey would become only the third state to decriminalize psilocybin, joining Colorado and Oregon.
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring substance that, when ingested, is converted in the body to psilocin, a chemical known for its psychoactive properties. Mushrooms are often ingested orally, but may also be brewed as a tea or added to other foods to mask their bitter flavor.
While there are many different types of magic mushrooms, psilocybin can also be ingested as dried material in capsules.
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