California Gov. Newsom vetoes bill to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms

Psychedelic mushrooms will not be decriminalized soon in California — Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill Saturday that would have made them legal.

The bill cleared both houses of the California legislature with little trouble, but Newsom said he wanted to see more guidelines and evidence for the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

“Unfortunately, this bill would decriminalize possession prior to these guidelines going into place, and I cannot sign it,” the governor said in a statement.

Two states, Oregon and Colorado, have already decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms. The California bill would have allowed state residents to possess small amounts of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in “magic” mushrooms.

Researchers in recent years have studied potential therapeutic uses for psilocybin, and in 2019 the Food and Drug Administration designated it as a potential “breakthrough” therapy. However, it is still illegal at the federal level, and selling it would have remained illegal in California even if Newsom had signed the bill.

Proponents of the idea said they were disappointed but not shocked by Newsom’s decision and vowed to work with him to draft future legislation.

“This is a setback for the huge number of Californians — including combat veterans and first responders — who are safely using and benefiting from these non-addictive substances and who will now continue to be classified as criminals under California law,” said State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat representing San Francisco.

With News Wire Services