New California bill would decriminalize psychedelic drugs, erase criminal records

Psilocybin mushrooms – commonly referred to as magic mushrooms or “shrooms” – are wild mushrooms that contain psilocybin, a naturally-occurring psychoactive and hallucinogenic compound. 

Psilocybin is one of the most well-known psychedelics. 

And California may be one of many states to decriminalize it. 

A new bill, introduced Thursday by democrat state Sen. Scott Wiener, would decriminalize several substances including psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, ketamine, DMT and mescaline. 

Scott Wiener, what a fun-gi. 

Two of the substances – psilocybin and ketamine – are already being used in psychedelic-assisted therapy by patients and doctors who use the health and wellness benefits to treat mental health disorders like depression and PTSD, NBC News reports. 

“The war on drugs has been a complete failure,” Wiener said “It hasn’t stopped people from using drugs and it hasn’t stopped addiction.” 

So, he’s essentially saying the answer is to give up and just decriminalize them. 

Last year, Oregon became the first state in the country to legalize psilocybin with the passage of Measure 109. But, unlike the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, mushrooms will be stored and administered at controlled, licensed facilities. 

“Psychedelic use can come with some risks, but criminalization only increases those risks by creating an unregulated market in which difficult-to-verify dosages and the presence of adulterants like fentanyl threaten public health, said Ismail Lourido Ali, policy and advocacy counsel at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. 

California’s bill would also expunge criminal records for people with prior convictions related to possession of psychedelics, according to NBC News. And, it would create a commission to recommend a regulatory body to oversee psychedelic-assisted therapy for the treatment of mental health disorders.