State Sen. Scott Wiener re-introduces proposal to legalize psychedelics

SAN FRANCISCO – State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has re-introduced laws that will legalize psychedelic medication, one 12 months after the same proposal stalled within the legislature.

Wiener introduced the introduction of Senate Invoice 58, which might decriminalize the possession and private use of sure substances, together with psilocybin, psilocyn, Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), mescaline (excluding peyote), and ibogaine.

The senator introduced SB58 at a briefing in San Francisco on Monday, flanked by a medical psychologist and a retired police officer, amongst others.

On the briefing, the senator cited researching exhibiting that a number of kinds of psychedelics might help relieve severe circumstances together with opioid habit, melancholy, anxiousness and post-traumatic stress. 

“We have now a whole community of therapists who’re serving to folks. And folks’s lives are being saved each single day. However they’re doing so within the shadows, below a regime of criminalization,” Wiener stated. “And that isn’t wholesome or productive for anybody.”

The senator additionally famous that army veterans could possibly be among the many teams that may profit from psychedelics, saying the VA has launched trials inspecting the substances as a doable remedy.  

Wiener launched the same measure to decriminalize psychedelics within the legislature final 12 months. Whereas it handed two committees within the Meeting, the proposal stalled within the Meeting Appropriations Committee.

In keeping with Wiener’s workplace, the measure has a number of co-authors from the Bay Space, together with Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco),  Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Fremont), Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland).

It was not instantly identified when SB58 would have its first legislative listening to.