A bill by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would decriminalize the possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs passed out of the State Assembly. It now heats back to the Senate for final sign off.
Under Senate Bill 58, it would make it lawful the possession, preparation, obtaining, or transportation of, specified quantities of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and mescaline, for personal use, as defined, by and with persons 21 years of age or older. The bill would provide penalties for possession of these substances on school grounds, or possession by, or transferring to, persons under 21 years of age.
The bill would also make lawful the cultivation or transportation of specified quantities of spores or mycelium capable of producing mushrooms or other materials that contain psilocybin or psilocyn for personal use, as defined, by and with persons 21 years of age or older.
In a tweet by Wiener:
BREAKING: The Assembly just passed our psychedelics decriminalization bill (SB 58). SB 58 allows personal possession/use of small amounts of plant/mushroom psychedelics & creates a path for facilitated group use. It’s supported by veterans, 1st responders, health professionals.
The bill passed out of State Assembly in a 43-15 vote with 22 assemblymembers not voting. Democrats who voted against the bill included Bauer-Kahan, Irwin, and Muratsuchi.
Here is how they voted.
- Ayes: Aguiar-Curry, Alvarez, Arambula, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Wendy Carrillo, Connolly, Essayli, Flora, Mike Fong, Friedman, Garcia, Gipson, Haney, Hart, Holden, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Lee, Low, Lowenthal, McCarty, McKinnor, Stephanie Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Pellerin, Rendon, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Ting, Villapudua, Waldron, Ward, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Zbur, Robert Rivas
- Noes: Alanis, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Cervantes, Megan Dahle, Davies, Dixon, Vince Fong, Gallagher, Irwin, Lackey, Muratsuchi, Joe Patterson, Sanchez, Ta
- NVR: Addis, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Chen, Gabriel, Grayson, Hoover, Maienschein, Mathis, Papan, Jim Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Schiavo, Soria, Valencia, Wallis, Weber
According to Wiener, he says SB 58 follows similar efforts in Washington, D.C.; Oakland; San Francisco; and Santa Cruz, along with ballot measures in Colorado and Oregon.
Senator Wiener Post on Twitter: Team Psychedelics — veterans & health providers — is ready to get these life-saving substances decriminalized for Californians. Let’s go!
Dec. 20, 2022: Senator Wiener Reintroduces Legislation to Decriminalize Psychedelics
SACRAMENTO – Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced Senate Bill 58, to decriminalize the possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs. SB 58 is backed by a broad coalition, including combat veterans.
Research from top medical universities shows that these substances can have significant benefits, particularly for treating mental health and substance use disorders, and decriminalizing their personal use is part of the larger movement to end the racist War on Drugs and its failed and destructive policies.
The following substances are included in SB 58: psilocybin, psilocyn, Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), mescaline (excluding peyote), and ibogaine. In 2021, Senator Wiener’s psychedelics decriminalization legislation, SB 519, passed the Senate. It passed two Assembly Committees but then stalled in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Editors Note:
Last year, Senator Scott Wiener introduced SB 519 aimed at reverses outdated War on Drugs policies criminalizing substances that can help treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Under the bill, it decriminalizes the possession and personal use of the following substances: psilocybin, psilocyn, 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“MDMA”), Lysergic acid diethylamide (“LSD”), ketamine, Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), mescaline (excluding peyote*), and ibogaine. Research from top medical universities like Johns Hopkins, Yale, UCLA and NYU shows that these substances can have therapeutic and medical benefits, and decriminalizing their personal use is part of the larger movement to end the racist War on Drugs and its failed and destructive policies.
Last year, the Bill made it out of the State Senate, but did not make it through the State Assembly.
4 comments
I’m so sick of him. He must live in a box with no contact with the world because these bills he is pushing are totally out of touch with reality. He jus crawls out for a news conference then crawls back in. We already have enough people high on drugs hallucinating and hurting and killing people. Now they want to give a green light to it? I hope he/his loved ones are personally effected by someone high on hallucinogenic drugs. Then we’ll see what song he’s singing. These people don’t care about anything but getting votes and their bank accts.
“Life saving substances?” Rubbish! We have enough to deal with trying to preserve some semblance of safety for the general public with all the heightened drug use and crime in our society. Now this! Another green light messaging to people that anything goes and there will be no consequences. Legalizing mind altering drugs legal is just ridiculous!
Yes, more drugs and more crime please! Can’t have enough of it. Keep voting the same!
He’s also the one that wants stacked and packed housing besides people driving under the influence; vote him out!
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