Voters filed in to mark their ballots on the next presidential election, cannabis legalization, and in Massachusetts, whether to legalize and regulate psychedelics. The state has made headlines as an American hub for psilocybin research. Unfortunately for local advocates like Eliza Dushku voters have decided against the measure.
“Psychedelic therapies show remarkable potential to facilitate rapid, robust, and durable healing for a range of mental health conditions. While additional research is essential, many individuals cannot afford to wait for access to these potentially life-saving options,” Brett Waters, executive director for psychedelic therapy advocates Reason for Hope, shared with GreenState.
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If Question 4 had passed, those over 21 would be legally allowed to possess, grow, and use psychedelics for personal use. Psychedelics and services around them would have regulated and licensed by the passage of Massachusetts Question 4. With voter approval, a Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission and Advisory Board would have been formed to create scaffolding around the administration of psychedelic substances.
Taxation also sat at the center of the ballot question. An excise tax of 15 percent would have beeen applied to psychedelic sales at licensed administration facilities. Localities could also add a two percent tax onto that 15 percent. Towns and cities could have also regulated how licensees distribute the substances.
The ballot question was sponsored by New Approach PAC, the same Washington D.C. entity behind psychedelic legalization in Colorado and Oregon. They raised millions from many private donors, including Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes. The opposition did not spend to deter voters, but a formal organization did form against it.
Massachusetts appears to have answered the psychedelics ballot Question in the negative. Now, Waters looks to a higher governmental power in hopes of opening access for veterans and others who may benefit from therapeutic psychedelics.
“We urge the federal government to reduce regulatory barriers and increase investment in clinical trials that can support FDA approvals while creating collaborative research partnerships with states that have legalized these therapies to ensure a more comprehensive understanding of their public health impacts,” Waters concluded.
