California’s full Assembly has given approval to legislation establishing a psychedelics work group to prepare the state for legalization.
Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocyn mushrooms (bottom left), DMT (bottom right).
The Assembly voted 58 to 0 today to pass Assembly Bill 941, filed by Assemblymember Mari Waldron (R). Passage of the bill comes a little over three months after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have legalized certain psychedelics including psilocybin, DMT and ibogaine.
This bill “would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup to study and make recommendations on the establishment of a framework governing psychedelic-assisted therapy, as defined.”
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is defined as “supervised, lawful medical use of a controlled substance for treatment, including, but not limited to, group counseling and community-based healing, under the care of, administration by, and treatment of a licensed professional in a clinical setting.”
The measure also mandates the workgroup “to send a report to the Legislature containing those recommendations on or before January 1, 2026. The bill would, contingent upon the Legislature enacting a framework governing psychedelic-assisted therapy, authorize the lawful use of hallucinogenic or psychedelic substances for psychedelic-assisted therapy.”
Assemblymember Waldron says psychedelic therapy has “the potential to save countless lives”, calling the bill “a proactive and forward-thinking approach to the mental health crisis in California, and key to unlocking the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for use in clinical settings.”
The bill must now be passed through the Senate before it can be sent to Governor Newsom for consideration.
