I'm posting because I live in California and I'm still smarting a bit from the governor's veto of State Senate Bill 58. For those who may not be aware, this bill just barely made it through our legislature. Though it started out decriminalizing all psychedelics in the state, committee after committee pared it down to decriminalizing psilocybin/psilicin, DMT and mescaline. It would also have made possession of spores (still a felony in CA!) and home-grow legal. But Governor Newsom vetoed it.
This subforum was intended for discussion of reform. I'm posting about a call to coordinated action toward a meaningful outcome, not just discussion. Is this the right place? Are ya with me on this?
SB-58 was ambitious, and I am still more surprised that it made it as far as it did than I'm surprised at the governor's veto. The governor's veto message was written from a point of view that legitimates only therapeutic use under strictly controlled conditions. Per a UC Berkeley study from last summer: “61% of voters also said they do not perceive psychedelics as ‘good for society’ and 69% do not perceive them as “something for people like me.” Governor Newsom is playing to his audience, and the majority are all in favor of better therapy for vets, yet they are still scared of psychedelics. Most Californians still believe Ronald Reagan's lies, even though most of the state has moved way past his politics.
The next step is figuring out for ordinary citizens like myself (and for you, if you're still with me on this) what might be the politically “best” way to help get something close to SB-58 into law. Cannabis legalization (both medical in 1996 and recreational in 2016) happened in California through the voter initiative process. There are at this time at least two decrim initiatives (signature gathering efforts) underway. One is from decrimca.org, and the other is from the Church of Ambrosia. Both of them are even more ambitious than SB-58 and given the study results I pointed to above, I don't think either one has a chance to get on a ballot soon and even less chance to win in a state-wide election.
My own state senator is a guy with a good heart, as well as a co-author of SB-58. Yet I wouldn't know that unless I'd reviewed the bill and found his name on it. I think it's understandable that he is not yet ready to stick his neck out and support decriminalization with a full voice. This, despite our district being overwhelmingly “blue” in orientation.
From the veto message: “California should immediately begin work to set up regulated treatment guidelines — replete with dosing information, therapeutic guidelines, rules to prevent against exploitation during guided treatments, and medical clearance of no underlying psychoses.” This suggests that a version of SB-58 that permits research and therapeutic use only would get the Golden Signature. Yet, what good would it do? There would still be a lack of funding for research, there'd still be very little new data about risks or efficacy. There'd be zero new data about how the state can support safe use and harm reduction. It would still take 10 more years at least before “normal” people in California can legally grow their own medicine and use it responsibly. I'm not willing to put any effort into that because it just doesn't seem worth it.
Here's what I would be willing to put effort into, if there's a “there” there:
- Legalize spore possession (like 48 other states) - Legalize mushroom possession, even if it requires something analogous to a state-issued “cannabis card” - Legalize home grow for personal use and for sharing
That's my bottom line. Without those, I'm not “in.” I'd be willing to put up with having to get a card from the state bureaucracy, willing to sign a paper that says I promise to follow safe-use guidelines and report any exploitation I see. I'm willing to get a psychiatrist to sign a form for me saying that I'm not at risk of developing psychosis (hell, three practicing MD psychiatrists with full board certifications regularly trip with me).
What about you? Would you be willing to register yourself with state government and promise to be careful and to never sell mushrooms or DUI, in return for canceling the already small chance that you could be prosecuted?
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