In this episode I host William Leonard Pickard for a discussion of drug epidemics and how the recent re-popularization of psychedelics may manifest – for better or for worse – as corporate interests manufacture new analogs and as rates of use increase generally. Leonard is a former drug policy researcher who studied at the Kennedy[…]
I’m very happy to present a conversation with Sam Chapman, the Campaign Director of the “Yes on Measure 109” campaign, and Dave Kopilak, Esq., the primary drafter of the initiative that became Oregon Measure 109, for a discussion of how the campaign to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy was conducted, the elements of the bill, and what[…]
The absence, over the last almost two years of media reporting, of prohibitionist opposition to the national psychedelic decriminalization movement similar to the anti-cannabis movement has been a mystery.[…]
We are in a severe mental health crisis. The current treatment options are not enough. We need alternatives. Our mission is to educate the public and policymakers about reasons to end the prohibition of psychedelic substances; to end penalties for use, possession, and non-commercial cultivation of naturally-occurring psychedelic substances by adults; to provide New Yorkers with legal access to psychedelic substances for mental health and well-being.[…]
I joined the drug policy reform movement in 1993 specifically with the goal of legalizing psychedelics, so I was glad to hear from Matthews. From May to September, we worked on an initiative in collaboration with Colorado attorneys and policy experts that could pass the Board of Elections’ requirements. In October, the board certified the language. Matthews’ team, the Decriminalize Denver campaign, went out into the Denver winter to collect the signatures necessary (4,726) to get the initiative on the ballot, which were approved in January.[…]
The win also maybe, possibly, clears the way for people to grow shrooms without concern for legal repercussions, but only for their own personal use (and possibly private sharing with friends). “One of the more innovative aspects of this [initiative] is at the point where the supply equals the demand. [When] the consumer is also the producer—that form of production here is also decriminalized,” said Noah Potter, a lawyer who helped craft the ballot measure’s language.[…]
The movement to “Decriminalize Denver” is the nation’s first public referendum on “magic mushrooms,” after an effort in California failed to reach the ballot last year. Initiative 301 would apply only to Denver, not the entire state of Colorado. It would place into city code the directive that enforcing laws for personal use or possession of psilocybin mushrooms “shall be the lowest law enforcement priority in the City and County of Denver,” though having the mushrooms would still technically be illegal. The mushrooms would not be available in the city’s cannabis dispensaries, and sales would still be classified as a felony. They would remain classified a Schedule I drug under federal law, as is marijuana, with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”[…]
Everyone has an interest in successful legalization
of the cannabis market. If legalization does not go well, no elected official will benefit from a political rival’s embarrassment, because no one will escape blame. It’s time to start collective planning in a big hurry before the wave hits.
It took nearly five decades, but the New York Cannabis Parade has finally gone mainstream. “We have an unprecedented lineup of elected officials this year,” says co-organizer Noah Potter, an attorney specializing in drug policy. “We’ve never had anything comparable.”
The “very bold and forward-thinking” City Councilman Rafael Espinal was the first elected official to participate in the march, and that was just in 2015. In 2018, there are seven politicians taking part; New York governor hopeful Cynthia Nixon has also come out in support for legalization.[…]
Discussions of legalizing psychedelics to date consist of more questions than answers. The medical model is insufficient but there have been few specific suggestions as to how to proceed. I propose some foundational principles.[…]
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