Marijuana Moment reports
The Berkeley, California City Council has approved a resolution to deprioritize the enforcement of laws prohibiting psychedelics.
Members voted to adopt the measure on Tuesday evening as part of a consent calendar—just hours after a bill to legalize the possession and facilitated use of certain psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca advanced through a state Assembly committee.
The local resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Sophie Hahn, was previously approved by the Council’s Health, Life Enrichment, Equity & Community Committee.
“Berkeley has long been a leader on progressive legislation when it comes to criminal justice and cannabis reform in particular,” Hahn said ahead of the vote. “Today’s resolution builds on that legacy.”
Overall, the proposal calls on police to scale back the enforcement of laws against all entheogenic substances, excluding peyote-derived mescaline.
The whereas section of the resolution notes that several California municipalities—such as Oakland and Santa Cruz—have already moved to enact local psychedelics reform.
It adds that “there are criminal justice concerns associated with investigating, arresting, and incarcerating people for personal use of entheogens/psychedelics, and it is important to balance criminal justice concerns with public health concerns when crafting just and responsible policy.”
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Berkeley, California City Council Approves Psychedelics Reform Resolution
Sean Hocking
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