After clearing three Senate committees, SB 519 passed the Senate floor vote 21-16 this past Tuesday June 1st. The bill now moves back to the Assembly for further discussion and debate. This bill would remove criminal penalties for possession or sharing of psychedelic substances, such as LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin mushrooms. Many activists and lawmakers are cheering the passage of SB 519 in the Senate, showing that California continues to lead the reform charge. Medical cannabis was first legalized in California in 1996. Recreational cannabis came two decades later in 2016.
New Senate Bill
Under SB 519, psychedelics would be legal for those over 21. There are a few limitations. Mescaline, which comes from Peyote, is not legalize under this bill. This isn’t for its psychoactive properties, but “because of the nearly endangered status of the peyote plant and the special significance peyote holds in Native American spirituality.”
Additionally, the Department of Health would be required to establish a working group to study possible regulatory systems that California could adopt to help regulate and make psychedelics safer for the general public. The Department would have until the beginning of January 2024 to provide their report to the state’s Congress.
Other Reform Measures
Psychedelic possession isn’t the only reform measure happening in California. Recently, the California Senate approved a bill to create safe consumption areas in major cities across the state. These would allow people to get the help they need to recover from a potential overdose, and they could offer addiction help.
Another reform measure comes from the Assembly, California’s equivalent to a House of Representatives. Consumption lounges legalized in 2016 under the California recreational cannabis bill approved by voters. Only cannabis could be sold and consumed in these areas. Cannabis infused food and drink remained illegal.
In 2017, West Hollywood passed a bill to allow for cannabis consumption lounges in the area that offer both cannabis and infused food and drinks, but this is only for the local area. However, under AB 1034, food and drink mixed with cannabis would be legalize for lounge use.
“The bill would allow a local government to grant approval to operate…consumption cafes/lounges where adults could consume cannabis and cannabis products, in addition to the existing authorization for consumption in licensed retail settings,” according to a local law reporter.
Future
California continues to lead the country in reform measures. But all three of these bills need to pass the opposing chamber before the governor would have a chance to sign or veto each one. As more information develops, we will update you with the latest.
Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.