California Governor Gavin Newsom on Saturday vetoed bills that would have allowed hallucinogens such as magic mushrooms and banned discrimination based on caste.
If passed, one bill would not have legalized the hallucinogenic component psilocybin, but would have decriminalized it and two other similar components.
The governor said steps must be taken to establish guidelines for future approval that would allow them to safely decriminalize hallucinogens, but now is not the time.
“Unfortunately, this bill would decriminalize possession before these guidelines take effect, and I cannot sign it,” Newsom said in a statement.
In terms of the caste-based discrimination bill, the Democrat said it was an unnecessary ban since California already has protections in place.
Two bills vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday would have decriminalized magic mushrooms and banned discrimination based on caste in the state
Gov. Gavin Newsom called the caste-based bill ‘unnecessary’ and said the hallucinogen bill could not be passed until guidelines are in place
Newsom – who has previously fought to legalize marijuana – said he believes the state should work “immediately” on treatment guidelines that use the hallucinogen.
“California must begin work immediately to establish regulated treatment guidelines – replete with dosing information, therapeutic guidelines, rules to prevent exploitation during guided treatments, and medical clearance of no underlying psychosis,” Newsom’s statement read.
The law would have decriminalized psilocybin for those over 21 – the hallucinogenic component in magic mushrooms, as well as dimethyltryptamine and mescaline.
Rather than full legalization, this would have ensured that people were not arrested or prosecuted for possessing the plant-based substances.
The drugs would still be illegal under federal law if the bill passed.
Supporters of the bill said it could have been a game-changer for some patients undergoing treatment for mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
In 2019, the FDA cited psilocybin as a ‘breakthrough therapy’ for treatment-resistant depression.
However, others said the bill would have given a ‘green light’ to those who shouldn’t or shouldn’t be using the drugs.
Jennifer Mitchell, a neurology professor at UC-San Francisco, opposed the bill.
“My biggest concern is that it seeks to decriminalize personal use before developing an infrastructure that will ensure safety and education,” she told the LA Times.
The law would have decriminalized psilocybin for those over 21 – the hallucinogenic component in magic mushrooms, as well as dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline. PICTURED: A Golden Teacher mushroom is displayed at Epic Healing Eugene, Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin service center
California State Senator Scott Wiener who proposed the bill to decriminalize hallucinogens
The California caste bill was passed in March by state Sen. Aisha Wahab (pictured) introduced
As for vetoing the caste bill, Newsom said California already prohibits “discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, descent, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation and other characteristics,” making the caste discrimination unnecessary. .
He added that current state law specifies that the civil rights mentioned above must be ‘liberally construed’.
“Because discrimination based on caste is already prohibited under these existing categories, this bill is unnecessary,” Newsom said in the statement.
Caste, typically associated with Indian culture, is a way of designating individuals according to their hereditary social class.
Those at the bottom of the caste system – the Dalits – have been pushing for legal protection in California and across the US for years.
Supporters argue the protection will help ensure access to housing and education, as well as the chance to advance their position.
The California bill was introduced in March by state Sen. Aisha Wahab introduced.
Wahab is the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the California Legislature.
The law would also have included caste as a sub-category of ‘ethnicity’.