Maine Lawmakers Reverse Course On Psilocybin Legalization Bill, Rejecting Measure In Final Enactment Votes

Maine lawmakers have reversed course and rejected a bill to legalize
possession of up to one ounce of psilocybin by people 21 and older.

Just a week after the measure from Rep. Grayson Lookner (D) advanced
through both chambers of the legislature for initial approval, the House
ultimately decided against enacting the proposal by a vote of 72-74 on
Monday and the Senate concurred with a tied 16-16 vote on Tuesday.

The bill, LD 1034, would not have authorized or regulated production,
distribution or commercial sales of the psychedelic substance.

Earlier this session, a committee had moved to significantly amend the
proposal to instead simply require the creation of a “Commission to Study
Pathways for Creating a Psilocybin Services Program,” but the legislation
was first approved by both chambers in its initial, as-introduced form
before the enactment votes.

Ahead of last week’s House vote, Lookner called the bill “a matter of
compassion, common sense and justice.”

“We have before us an opportunity to alleviate profound suffering,
particularly among our veterans who have borne the invisible wounds of war,
while correcting an unjust and irrational law that persists only because of
outdated stigma,” he said.

“This bill would simply decriminalize possession of psilocybin for adults
21 years of age and older. It does not legalize sales. It does not create
recreational markets,” the sponsor added. “It simply says that if an adult
chooses to possess this substance for personal use, they should not face
arrest, jail time nor criminal record.”

On Tuesday, Sen. Scott Cyrway (R) said on the Senate floor that “as a
career law enforcement officer, I know the dangers associated with these
drugs.”

“I shudder to think of what will happen if we pass this bill, which
decriminalizes drugs without a well-thought-out public safety policy,” he
said. “Despite the title claiming to legalize a therapeutic amount, the
bill is not about medicinal drug use.”

“Why would we want anyone, regardless of where they are, to acquire a
substance that can blur the lines between the real and fake and alter one’s
brain?” the senator asked.

There was no discussion on the House floor when that body rejected the
measure a day earlier.


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The proposal as originally filed had support from advocacy groups such as
ACLU of Maine and the Reason Foundation, which both submitted testimony in
favor of LD 1034 at an initial hearing.

The advancement of the measure follows a separate effort in Maine last year
to legalize psilocybin and allow adults to access the psychedelic at
state-licensed facilities. But lawmakers watered down that bill—amending it
to create a commission to further explore the reform instead—and it
ultimately did not pass.

Meanwhile, Maine lawmakers in February voted to investigate possible
conflicts of interest by a top marijuana official.

And last year, a law took effect allowing people to apply to have records
of now-legal marijuana crimes sealed.

Colorado Governor Says Bill He Signed Allowing Psychedelic Convictions To
Be Pardoned Marks A Step ‘Towards A Fairer Future’

The post Maine Lawmakers Reverse Course On Psilocybin Legalization Bill,
Rejecting Measure In Final Enactment Votes appeared first on Marijuana
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