California Measure Would Decriminalize Psychedelics for Personal and Therapeutic Use

A bill introduced in the California legislature would decriminalize the possession and personal use of psychedelics including LSD, ketamine and psilocybin, NBC News reports. The measure would expunge criminal records for people with prior convictions related to possession of psychedelics.

“Research from top medical universities like Johns Hopkins, Yale, UCLA and NYU shows that these substances can have therapeutic and medical benefits, and decriminalizing their personal use is part of the larger movement to end the racist War on Drugs and its failed and destructive policies,” bill sponsor State Senator Scott Wiener said in a statement.

The measure would exclude peyote, to ensure its availability for traditional Native American spiritual practices, the article notes.

Voters in Oregon and Washington, D.C., approved measures last year to allow for the therapeutic use of psychedelic mushrooms.