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Under the pending legislation, anyone hoping to be licensed to supervise people using psychedelics will need a professional health credential.

Some first responder and veterans groups are among legalization’s biggest boosters, and there is significant public support. A survey out of the University of California at Berkeley last year showed 61 percent of registered voters in the United States support regulated therapeutic access to psychedelics — though nearly half of those respondents said such drugs were not “good for society.”

This first-of-its-kind coalition brings together researchers, health care providers, educators, Veterans, first responders, mental health advocates, and safety experts committed to creating thoughtfully-regulated pathways for the supported use of psychedelics and promoting public education about the risks and benefits of psychedelics, responsible use, and how to access support.

Former Assembly Republican leader Marie Waldron and San Francisco Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener may not have a lot in common, but they’ve formed an unlikely alliance over psychedelic drugs.

Waldron has appeared twice beside Wiener in recent weeks. Most recently, they addressed reporters at a press conference to announce a new bill they coauthored that would allow adults 21 and older to use psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, DMT and mescaline under the supervision of a licensed and trained facilitator. 

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The new bill that’s now being unveiled would provide regulated access to psychedelics in a facilitated setting, without removing criminal penalties for possession outside of that context. It does not lay out any specific qualifying medical conditions that a person must have in order to access the services.

Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, and Assemblymember Marie Waldron, a San Diego Republican, are carrying a bill that would legalize psychedelic therapy. It would allow adults 21 and older to use the hallucinogenic drugs psilocybin mushrooms, MDMA, DMT and mescaline in a controlled setting and under the supervision of a licensed and trained facilitator.

After a failed attempt to decriminalize a short list of psychedelics last year, state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) is reintroducing legislation to make California the third state to legalize psychedelic-assisted therapy for adults. Gov. Gavin Newsom in October vetoed a similar bill, urging state lawmakers to first take steps toward creating regulated treatment guidelines before attempting to decriminalize possession of these drugs.

State Sen. Scott Wiener will make a third attempt to legalize the use of psilocybin, colloquially known as magic mushrooms, in California — but this time with a much narrower proposal. Unlike his effort to decriminalize mushrooms last year, he thinks his new plan will survive Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto. 

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, is back this year with another bill to decriminalize the use of certain psychedelic drugs. However, Wiener is going a different route than he did with last year’s SB 58, which Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed.

A state lawmaker whose bill to decriminalize psychedelics was vetoed last year is back with a new proposal that reaches across party lines and advocates for their medicinal use. What happened: Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener and Republican Assemblymember Marie Waldron announced a bipartisan bill that would give people 21 and over access to psychedelic substances under the supervision of licensed and trained facilitators.

Jim Carroccio was desperate. After decades of cognitive therapy, his struggles with PTSD and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder were as acute and debilitating as ever. So it was time to take a trip. Literally and figuratively. The literal trip came when Carroccio and his wife drove from their Arizona home to Bend, Oregon so Jim could undergo psilocybin therapy.

“We know that Californians are struggling with mental health and addiction challenges, and we know that psychedelics, particularly when combined with therapeutic support, can be a powerful tool to help people get their health back,” Wiener said at a Monday news briefing. “We know that California veterans and first responders have particularly benefited from these substances, and we know that many more people can as well.”

Can we find a middle lane as we consider legalizing psychedelics? A bill to decriminalize five psychedelics is progressing through the California Legislature. The substances are considered a lifeline by some. But what about the risks? A Bay Area 21-year-old died recently after taking psilocybin. It was purchased in Oakland where psychedelics are decriminalized. No instructions given.