Will California legalize psychedelic mushrooms? A Modesto lawmaker is voting ‘No’.
A state senate bill to decriminalize psychedelics in California cleared another hurdle Tuesday, though it didn’t get support from Republican Assemblyman Juan Alanis of Modesto.
Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 58 would remove criminal penalties for possession of psilocybin, mescaline and other plant-based substances that became illegal during the war on drugs.
Wiener told the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday that psychedelics may be a breakthrough in treatment of post-traumatic disorders of combat veterans, addiction and other mental health conditions. But some experts are raising concerns about safety and the need for further study.
Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, said the bills won’t authorize sale or commercialization of psychedelic mushrooms but will ensure people won’t get arrested for possession or use of the substances. Research has established the substances are not addictive, Wiener added.
The bill was passed out of the Public Safety Committee on a partisan vote and is headed for the Health Committee to consider adding a regulatory framework for the bill. Implementation could be delayed until regulations are adopted.
There’s no guarantee a floor vote will favor SB 58 or that the governor will sign the controversial legislation, which is opposed by law enforcement groups.
Alanis, the committee’s vice chairman, joined fellow Republican Tom Lackey of Southern California in voting against SB 58.
Alanis asked during the hearing if any government regulatory agency has approved the plant-based substances for treatment, mainly to establish on the record that none have. Lackey said the notion of legalizing psychedelics “and then seeing what happens is way too dangerous. I won’t support it.”
The committee heard anecdotal testimony Tuesday, from a coalition opposed to the bill, that people have died from adverse reactions to psychedelics. Opponents noted there are no regulations setting proper doses or protections for vulnerable individuals such as people with mental illness.
Doctor says bill “woefully underestimates” the drugs’ harms
Dr. Anna Lembke, medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford, urged committee members in a letter to vote against SB 58. Lembke, an author of best-selling books on the opioid crisis and drug use, wrote that SB 58 “woefully underestimates the harms of these drugs while overestimating their therapeutic benefits.”
Lembke’s letter cited studies on the adverse effects of psilocybin and other hallucinogens, including acute panic, risk of self-harm, deaths from self-inflicted injury and prolonged psychological and psychiatric problems.
“The absence of adequate reporting systems to track these harms hampers our ability to quantify them, but I can tell you from over two decades of clinical experience, as well as a review of the medical literature, these drugs contribute to non-trivial risks for individuals and the public health,” Lembke wrote.
Those favoring SB 58 said veterans are desperate to find effective treatment for PTSD and are spending thousands of dollars traveling to other countries for therapy using psychedelics, some of which long have been used by traditional cultures for healing.
Wiener removed decriminalization of LSD and another synthetic psychedelic after his similar bill last year was gutted in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The senator said he’s not denying the substances can cause harm or adverse reactions. But large numbers of people are using them and are not having those experiences, he said.
Wiener told the committee that studies in Colorado, where a ballot measure decriminalized psychedelics, did not show an increase in emergency room visits or crime.
This story was originally published June 28, 2023 at 7:31 AM.
