CA Legislature Seeks to Legalize Psychedelic Drugs

Senate Bill 519 reads as follows:

This bill would make lawful the possession for personal use, as described, and the social sharing, as defined, of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ketamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), by and with persons 21 years of age or older. The bill would provide penalties for possession of these substance on school grounds, or possession by, or sharing with, persons under 21 years of age. The bill would also provide for the dismissal and sealing of pending and prior convictions for offenses that would be made lawful by the passage of this bill, as specified. The bill would require the Department of Justice to identify those records and provide them to local jurisdictions to initiate the required proceedings.

According to an article by Nick Cahill of Courthouse News SB 519 was first proposed in February of this year by State Senator Scott Wiener (D. San Francisco) and must still by approved by the Senate and Assembly, set for this summer. If passed into law this legislation would effectively allow for the legal use and possession of psychedelic drugs with no consequences. Former police officer Marty Ribera, told the California Globe in this article by Evan Symon, “ It’s not like alcohol or marijuana, which are both very controlled with severe punishments for misusing them. No, these are dangerous right out of the gate and can cause permanent psychological issues.” Mr. Ribera is currently a drug counselor and has made multiple statements that express his concern for the negative effects psychedelic drugs can have on people. We will likely see more statements similar to those made by Mr. Ribera as discussion of SB 519 continues.