The California Assembly Public Health Committee approved the psychedelic possession bill, SB 519, with new possession limits in a final vote of 8-4. This is the second Assembly committee to pass the bill after the Senate approved SB 519 at the beginning of June.
“Our racist and failed war on drugs and war on drug policy approach has done nothing to make us safer,” Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D said. She presented SB 519 on behalf of Senator Scott Wiener, D, the bill’s sponsor. “But it’s led to massive public expenditures, torn apart communities, deeply impacted brown and black communities and did nothing to make drug use safer or reduce overdoses. Indeed, the opposite is true.”
“It’s time we stopped this failed mass incarceration strategy and acknowledge that not all substances are harmful or dangerous,” Assemblymember Wicks continued. “In fact, quite the opposite has been found of psychedelics.”
However, the Public Health Committee added limits to how much of each psychedelic an individual can possess, and this has activists split.
Limitations
Under the new limitations, there is only so much of each psychedelic that someone can possess. Those include:
- Two grams DMT
- 15 grams ibogaine
- 0.01 gram LSD
- Four grams mescaline
- Four grams MDMA
- Two grams controlled psilocybin OR four grams of plant/fungi containing psilocybin
- Two grams controlled psilocyn OR four grams of plant/fungi containing psilocyn
Facilitators can have more than the legal limit if they are participating in group or social sharing settings.
Activist Response
These limits have split activists. On one side, there are organizations, like Decriminalize Nature (DN), that are crying out against the new limitations. DN wrote a letter to the California Assembly asking for them to set aside the bill or remove the limitations.
“Setting allowable amounts is just a creative way to say when can law enforcement arrest you,” DN argued. Education comes first and foremost.
However, other activists, such as David Bronner, who owns Dr. Bronner’s high quality body care products, says SB 519 should be legalized, even with limitations. “We’re proud to join hundreds of veterans, medical professionals & law enforcement experts to support SB 519,” the company tweeted following the limitations change to the bill.
Future
Even though activists remain split, SB 519 and psychedelic possession continues to move forward in California. This bill could set a precedence across the country for the future of psychedelic possession. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
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