The campaign in support of Question 4, an initiative on the November ballot that would legalize certain psychedelics, has raised over $5 million.
Mescaline (top left), ibogaine (top right), psilocybin mushrooms (bottom left), and DMT (bottom right). All four would be legalized under Question 4.
Question 4, put forth by the nonprofit Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), 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.
As of the end of 2023, MMHO had raised around $4 million in support of Question 4. So far this year, the group has raised an additional approximately $1.1 million, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. This includes roughly $1 million that has come in between June 1 and September 1.
Currently, only Colorado and Oregon have legalized psilocybin or any other psychedelic that’s on the federal controlled substances list.
