Psychedelic activists in Washington state are pushing to get a voter initiative on the ballot to legalize psychedelics for personal use.
The measure would legalize the cultivation and possession of “natural psychedelics” — including psilocybin mushrooms, DMT and mescaline — for adults over 21. It expressly forbids the use of psychedelics in public areas.
It wouldn’t create a regulated retail market, but would allow for “paid supportive services” provided by unlicensed providers. The services would include “support, supervision, guidance, avocational education, or related services in order to mitigate risk, reduce harm, or enhance benefits from the use of natural psychedelics.”
The measure would also explicitly ban the sale of psychedelics outside of receiving legitimate paid supportive services.
Initiative organizers, the Responsible Entheogen Access and Community Healing Coalition Washington, wrote online that “Washingtonians are capable of making informed choices regarding their use of natural psychedelics, as they do with alcohol and cannabis.”
Minn. home growers sue for right to sell
Activists in Minnesota are suing the state to allow home cannabis cultivators to sell their plant products without a license, claiming that the state’s constitution gives individuals the right to sell the products of their own “farm or garden.”
According to MinnPost, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has asked the presiding judge to dismiss the case.
The suit cites a 120-year-old provision in the state’s constitution that says, “Any person may sell or peddle the products of the farm or garden occupied and cultivated by him without obtaining a license therefor.”
In its response, the state said the Minnesota constitution does not allow individuals to sell controlled substances without a license.
North Dakota Hemp Faces New Regulations
Hemp retailers in North Dakota are bucking new cannabis rules that recently went into effect.
According to North Dakota Monitor, new cannabis rules that went into effect at the beginning of July are causing headaches for hemp retailers.
The new rules create more stringent guidelines for labeling marijuana products with proof of a certificate of analysis from a certified lab about the products’ cannabinoid content. The labels will also have to list all ingredients and allergens, recommend a serving size, provide consumer warnings, display nutritional data and include a warning to prevent consumption by minors. Companies are also prohibited from making any health claims on the label.
The law also defines THC more broadly, and prohibits the sale of products containing the cannabinoid precursor THCa and any additional precursor or any other THC variants.
The new regulations are meant to halt the sale of hemp-derived intoxicants, but hemp retailers told reporters that they represent more hassles for an already tough to manage industry.