Just when I thought July was going to end up being a slow month for psychedelic news, something truly amazing happened toward the end. Sure, there were several minor wins for various drug reform efforts throughout the month, and a bunch of new psychedelic research studies. But nothing felt like it was huge news.
Part of that might be due to the fact that the entire world went through yet another insane month. Or maybe it just seemed that way to me because I also had an insane month. Either way, there wasn’t much Earth-shattering stuff going on in the world of psychedelics.
But then last week things got real interesting. In a good way. Along with that story, this month’s recap includes a thorough update on the psychedelic policy proposals that might pass later this year and a couple of the most intriguing psychedelic research studies from the month.
Here is a slimmed-down video recap version that is available for those who prefer an easier-to-digest option:
Without further ado, let’s jump into the news:
Two of the World’s Most Prolific LSD Chemists Were Released From Prison
Last Friday the psychedelic community was treated to some completely unexpected (and uncharacteristic) good news when LSD chemist and longtime drug war prisoner, William Leonard Pickard, was granted a compassionate release from prison after being locked down since 2000.
He’ll still be under supervision for the next five years but at least he is finally no longer behind bars. And neither is his partner, Clyde Apperson, who was also compassionately released from prison this month—8 years before his 30 year sentence was complete.
Pickard was originally slated to serve two life sentences without any chance of parole but he was released early due to his old age (he’s 74), his deteriorating medical condition, the enhanced risks he faces with contracting the COVID-19 virus, and his role as the first American researcher to predict and write about the fentanyl epidemic more than two decades before it actually arrived in the U.S.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of Pickard, you should check out his psychedelic masterpiece, The Rose of Paracelsus: On Secrets and Sacraments. You can even listen along for free on the Psychedelic Salon podcast if you want to check it out.
Virginia’s Cannabis Decrim Law Took Effect
For some reason it feels like I’ve been talking about Virginia’s decriminalization measure forever, but I checked and it looks like the first time I mentioned it was just in April. But it feels like 100 years ago, which probably explains why I feel that way.
One month after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed the state’s cannabis decriminalization bill, and four months after lawmakers initially passed it, the law officially went into effect this month. That means possession of up to one ounce of cannabis in Virginia is now punishable by a $25 fine with no threat of jail time and no criminal record.
To sweeten the pot, just one day after the new law went live, Virginia lawmakers announced plans to legalize marijuana. The legalization measure isn’t set to be filed until next year, but it’s refreshing to see them fighting for a legal cannabis market so soon after decriminalizing.
A Few Psychedelic Reforms Qualified for the November Ballot
This month we found out that a bunch of potential psychedelic policy reforms might be approved later this year. Starting things off, Oregon officials announced that the state’s voters will vote in November on a first-of-its-kind measure to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic use.
Assuming voters approve measure IP 34, Oregon will become the first jurisdiction in the United States to implement a legal psychedelic therapy model, which would grant the Oregon Health Authority the responsibility of creating a licensing system that would allow Oregonians suffering from depression, anxiety, and other issues to work with licensed and trained facilitators to receive supervised psilocybin therapy.
Oregonians aren’t stopping there. Voters in the Beaver State will also be voting on a separate initiative to decriminalize low-level drug possession. This proposal isn’t specific to psychedelics but instead applies to all illegal substances.
If it passes, the state will begin using tax revenue from its legal cannabis industry to fund expanded substance misuse treatment services and drug addiction would be reframed as a health issue instead of a criminal matter. Low-level possession would become a civil infraction punishable by a maximum $100 fine and no jail time.
Activists in Washington D.C. announced that a psychedelic decriminalization measure will be on the ballot in November after watching officials count enough valid signatures. If the proposal passes, the laws against a variety of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, and iboga would be made among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities.
But this didn’t happen without a fight. Earlier in the month Congressman Andy Harris attempted to block the decriminalization effort before eventually withdrawing his attempt.
And Oakland, CA, the same city that re-prioritized enforcement of laws against certain psychedelic plants and fungi last year, may enact an innovative ordinance to allow its residents to legally conduct plant medicine healing ceremonies.
Decriminalize Nature, the group behind the effort, is attempting to establish a pilot program that would provide legal protections for residents and facilitators to participate in psychedelic ceremonies. Facilitators would be screened by local leaders with experience providing services to vulnerable populations like people who have previously been incarcerated and victims of violence.
The ordinance would also call for the creation of a task force that would help guide the creation of the framework and study the impact of the pilot program, with the goal of reporting back on its findings within two years after the program is enacted. Decriminalize Nature is hoping that the ordinance will be approved by October 2020.
Cannabis Laws Are About to Relax, Man
There are a stunning amount of cannabis reform efforts that are still currently going strong even with the COVID-19 pandemic making things more difficult for signature collection.
First, it looks like Arizona’s legalization measure will likely make it onto the November ballot after activists turned in 420,000 signatures to qualify. Gotta love that number. That should be enough signatures, but the state still hasn’t announced whether it will accept them. So we’ll have to stay tuned on that one.
Similarly, Nebraskans might get a chance to vote on a medical marijuana measure in November if the 182,000 signatures that were submitted are verified by the state.
Activists in Montana have said that according to official county data, the state’s two legalization measures will qualify for the November ballot, although just like in Arizona and Nebraska, we are still waiting on state officials to verify.
Not only are voters in New Jersey definitely going to be able to cast ballots in favor of the state’s legalization measure in November, but polling data indicates that nearly seven in ten will do so.
Idaho’s medical marijuana measure is still up in the air. Cannabis activists threatened to sue after the state ignored their request to gather signatures electronically, which was prompted when the COVID-19 pandemic ruined in-person petitioning efforts. In response, the Idaho secretary of state dismissed the campaign’s request. But all hope is not lost yet; a federal judge argued in favor of electronic signature collection and the matter is still unsettled at this time.
There are two other states that already knew they would be voting on cannabis reform measures in November, but just to be thorough, let’s go ahead and breeze through them real quick.
South Dakota will be voting on both a medical marijuana measure and one for legalization. Mississippi has two separate medical marijuana measures on its ballot, which has frustrated advocates because they feel like the state’s lawmakers are intentionally trying to undermine the reform effort in the state.
At the federal level, it looks like the House of Representatives might vote on a cannabis legalization bill in September, although it’s far from a done deal at this point.
This is in strong contrast to the official stance of the Democratic Party, which rejected an attempt to add a legalization amendment to the party’s 2020 Policy Platform. Instead, the party will be fighting for decriminalizing cannabis possession, expungements of prior marijuana-related convictions, federal rescheduling, legalizing medical marijuana, and allowing states to decide on their own laws. But just like presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, the party has stopped short of endorsing adult-use legalization.
Meanwhile, on the international front, the Netherlands is considering the possibility of experimenting with cannabis legalization in 2021 and Argentina made changes to its existing medical marijuana law by allowing for home cultivation and sales in pharmacies. Going one step further, the measure will also guarantee access to medical marijuana to all patients free of charge, regardless of the health coverage, which is just completely mind-blowing to me here in America, the land of the broken healthcare system.
Americans Are Using More LSD—or Are They?
One of the pieces of psychedelic news I’ve seen making the rounds a lot lately involves a study that found that LSD use in the United States rose more than 50 percent from 2015 to 2018. The most common explanation for this phenomenon making the rounds right now says that Americans have an increased need for drug-induced escapism to deal with depression, anxiety, and stress from the general state of global affairs. But is the increase in use even true?
The study has been criticized for its small sample size—the results were based on a subgroup consisting of mere 592 people instead of the full sample (168,562). I agree with Drug Checking Day, who suggested that the Global Drug Survey would be a better data set to reference when looking at use trends because it collected information from a much larger amount of LSD users. In other words, I wouldn’t lend this study too much credence.
Using Psilocybin to Treat OCD?
Neuroethicist Eddie Jacobs (from King’s College London and the University of Oxford) penned a new scientific review putting forth the idea that psilocybin might be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder. The review highlights the fact that not much research has been conducted on this potential therapeutic application for psilocybin.
In fact, aside from anecdotal reports and case studies from the first era of psychedelic research, the only modern study that explored this area was conducted in 2006. But the situation is evolving as we speak: a few clinical trials are currently investigating the efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of OCD. This is a space that will likely prove important in the future to the players in the burgeoning psychedelic industry, scientific researchers and patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder, so be sure to keep your eyes open.
That’s all for this month’s update. Remember to always test and weigh your drugs and until next time—keep thinking wilder.
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