The Somerville City Council passed a resolution on July 11 to endorse the “Natural Psychedelic Substances Act,” an upcoming proposition on the November ballot that would legalize the usage of psychedelics in Massachusetts. If enough voters vote “yes” to the act, which will appear as Question 4 on their ballots, it would allow adults 21 and older to legally grow, possess and use specific amounts of psychedelics that have been shown to have therapeutic benefits for certain mental health conditions.
In recent years, Somerville has emerged as a leader in the fight to legalize psychedelics in Massachusetts, voting unanimously in January 2021 to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi. The city is the first in Massachusetts to endorse the “Natural Psychedelic Substances Act,” introduced to the council by Councilor Willie Burnley Jr. The Cambridge City Council followed suit on Aug. 5.
The act intends to decouple psychedelics from the black market and provide safe and supervised access with appropriate regulation and taxation. Under the measure, a regulated framework would allow the supervised use of psychedelics at licensed therapy facilities throughout the state. While the bill does not allow for retail shops or storefronts that sell psychedelics — meaning that individuals cannot take the products home — it removes criminal penalties for limited personal use by adults 21 and older.
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