By Phil Tenser
BOSTON —Should Massachusetts allow anyone over age 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances, including so-called magic mushrooms, under licensed supervision?
Emily Oneschuk, of Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, and Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, of the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society, debated the issue appearing on Massachusetts ballots as Question 4 in the upcoming election.
WCVB NewsCenter 5 is proud to partner with WBUR and stream the debate during our week-long, joint effort to educate voters on the Massachusetts ballot questions. The effort also includes nightly reports on Channel 5 about the questions to help you reach a decision.
"We're in a mental health crisis and the options we currently have just aren't serving people the way we need to and people need more options," Oneschuk said during the debate. "I've met hundreds of other people who this has helped and it feels, you know, incredibly important to bring this other option when I know that so many people are struggling."
"If you're saying this is good for medical reasons, you ought to know that the majority of doctors oppose this bill," said Ghaemi. "And the reason is the drugs are very harmful and they need to be given under medical supervision. We're not saying they might not be effective for some things, but you have to choose carefully who to give them to so that you give them in an effective setting without harming them."
Question 4 summary:
Approval would allow anyone over age 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances, including so-called magic mushrooms, under licensed supervision. It would also allow individuals to grow and possess limited quantities of those substances in their homes and would create a commission to regulate those substances.
Question 4 Background:
Several Massachusetts communities have already moved to effectively decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, but this measure would apply statewide. It would encompass psilocybin and psilocin in mushrooms and dimethyltryptamine, mescaline, and ibogaine in other plants.
A yes vote would create a Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission responsible for setting rules around the licensing, training and safety requirements. It would also create a Natural Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board to make recommendations about regulation and taxation issues, while establishing an excise tax of 15% on these substances.
Property owners would be allowed to prohibit the use, cultivation or sale of these substances on their premises.
If approved, the law would take effect on Dec. 15.
Arguments:
Supporters say psychedelics should be decriminalized because they believe they do a lot of good.
“It’s not a magic pill. It’s not the easy button, but it's an option for people that I think we all deserve to have,” said Oneschuk, a Navy veteran who credits psychedelics with helping her out of a dark place after her brother was shot and killed.
Oneschuk said she tried cognitive therapy, yoga and going to the VA before using psychedelics at a retreat in another country.
“This retreat brought me up just enough to start feeling good again. It didn't fix everything. It wasn't a magic pill but it was this breath of relief where I can feel OK again,” she said.
Opponents say the ballot question fails to include important protections.
“We’re not arguing against the medicinal benefits. It just needs to be done right. It needs to be done safely. And the way this is written doesn’t do that,” said Chris Keohan, the spokesperson for The Coalition for Safe Communities.
He points out there is no community opt-out, something that was included in the marijuana ballot question. He also notes the proposed law allows for 144 square feet or a 12 by 12-foot room for growing psychedelics in your home.
“The average size of a bedroom here in Massachusetts is 144 square feet. That’s an astronomical sum of mushrooms. They wrote into the question it could be shared with friends and family, but they’re still describing it as personal consumption," he said.
Opponents also argue it’s a giveaway to corporations looking to make money in this space.
“If you look at Oregon, where they have this in place now, they’re charging between $750 and $3,500 per visit,” Keohan said.