In Massachusetts, an initiative to legalize certain psychedelics has been officially placed on the November 2024 presidential election ballot.
Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocybin mushrooms (bottom left), and DMT (bottom right).
Today, Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin announced that Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) has submitted enough valid signatures for their initiative to be voted on this November.
The proposed law would legalize the possession and personal cultivation of up to one gram of DMT, 18 grams of non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams of Ibogaine, one gram of psilocybin, and one gram of psilocin. Possessing up to twice this amount would be punishable by a fine of up to $100.
The initiative aims to “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy,” including “creating access to natural psychedelic medicine therapy and removing criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.”
The law would allow licensed service centers to supply psychedelics, overseen by a newly-created Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission, modeled after the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
Psychedelics under the initiative would be subject to a 15% excise tax. The initiative would take effect on December 15, 2024, with the commission formed by March 1, 2025.
In Massachusetts, six different cities have passed ordinances decriminalizing the possession of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. Salem was the most recent in May, joining Cambridge, Somerville, Easthampton, Northampton, and Amherst.
