California Psychedelics Decriminalization Bill Put On Hold Until 2022 By California Sponsor

A California bill meant to decriminalize the use and possession of a wide range of psychedelic substances was put on hold by its sponsor, state Senator Scott Wiener.

The bill had made significant progress in the state legislature by passing a full senate vote as well as two Assembly committees.

If approved, the legislation would remove criminal penalties for the possession, personal use and social sharing of some natural and synthetic drugs in the psychedelic spectrum, including psilocybin, DMT, ibogaine, LSD, mescaline and MDMA for those 21 and older. 

Sen. Wiener Puts On The Breaks: While the bill has moved quickly up the legislative ladder, Wiener chose to re-introduce it again next year in an effort to further educate skeptical legislators and build more public support.

“SB519 advanced deep into the legislative process — honestly, way further than I anticipated since it’s a new idea in the Legislature,” said the senator in a tweet. “But we need more time to build support in the Assembly to achieve final passage.”

Wiener said he and his coalition will spend the next year continuing to build support in the Assembly.

In a recent interview with Benzinga, the Senator told us that he viewed this legislation as a step towards full drug decriminalization, following the path Oregon took in 2020.

“Until we get there, we know that psychedelics have huge promise in treating mental health and addiction problems, and so we want to stop criminalizing people for using these substances, whether it's for a spiritual or recreational use or for a health issue,” Wiener said.

Benzinga Photo.