Easthampton became the fourth city in Massachusetts to decriminalize psychedelics in a 7-0 vote with two abstaining members on October 20. However, this city council order is different from many of the other decriminalization bills across the country.
The resolution, proposed by Council Member At-Large Owen Zaret, D, is non-binding. Therefore, it doesn’t require the police force to deprioritize possession of psychedelics like other bills. Additionally, unlike the other bills in the country, the Easthampton resolution allows for the decriminalization of all controlled substances, not just psychedelics. This is a unique step forward for not only psychedelic decriminalization, but for all controlled substances as well.
“I’m grateful to the Council for being so forward thinking about a cutting edge topic,” Council Member Zaret said after the vote. “There were some hard concepts to undo for some of us. This is a step forward to helping people have access to effective therapies and also halting unnecessary arrests and incarceration.”
There are exceptions to the rule. Lophophora, the genus of the peyote cactus plant, is not decriminalized under the Easthampton city council resolution. Additionally, no animal-derived controlled substances are decriminalized.
“This is a victory for the health and safety of our communities,” the advocacy group Bay Staters for Natural Medicine said in an Instagram post following the vote. This group has been working with local Massachusetts lawmakers to pass the decriminalization resolutions. “These medicines will revolutionize the field of mental health, and this is a step toward a community model that puts people over profit. This signals to our state lawmakers we will not tolerate an over-regulated purely clinical model that makes these medicines unaffordable for working class people.”
Other Cities
The other cities in Massachusetts cities that have decriminalized psychedelics are Northampton, Somerville, and Cambridge. Unlike Easthampton, the resolutions in each of these other three cities are binding. They require psychedelics to be the lowest priority for law enforcement.
These other cities appear to agree with what Council Member Zaret said. Substance misuse is a “public health issue, it’s not a criminal issue.”
Zaret continued. “We need to start a really aggressive campaign to, A) highlight the fact that this is a public health issue and, B) be more, be more aggressive about how we’re treating that,” he said.
For now, Massachusetts, along with Michigan, lead the charge for psychedelic decriminalization. California looks to join soon. As more information becomes available, we will update you with the latest.
Make sure to check back for more cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic related news.