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A New Bill Could Make Psychedelics Legal In California
A bill making its way through Sacramento could decriminalize some psychedelic drugs in California.
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A bill making its way through Sacramento could decriminalize some psychedelic drugs in California.
San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener introduced SB-519 in February. If passed, it would allow Californians 21 and older to possess certain psychedelics for personal use. These include mescaline, LSD, MDMA, DMT, psilocybin, psilocyn and ibogaine — but not ketamine.
The bill has already passed the state Senate and was approved by the California Assembly's public safety committee last week.
Wiener told KPCC's public affairs show AirTalk about recent medical studies that suggest psychedelics can have mental health benefits.
"You can basically end someone's addiction to heroin using psychedelics. You can literally — someone with a PTSD diagnosis — you can treat them in a way that they will no longer have a PTSD diagnosis," said Weiner.
The bill also wants to move the state away from locking up people for nonviolent drug offenses. A second committee on health must approve the measure before it goes before the full Assembly.
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