Legalized Mushrooms: a devastating blow to Psilocybin in California
Even before the crisis, the organization Decriminalizes California was challenged more than ever. California would have been the first U.S. jurisdiction to allow possession, cultivation, and sale of adult psychedelic, legalized mushrooms. At a time when activists are generally sticking with local actions, which are simply decriminalizing entheogenic substances.
Tuesday’s deadline was for signing the proposed psilocybin legalized mushrooms vote in California and the initiative campaign. They announced that after being forced to suspend the collection in the course for the coronavirus pandemic,the initiative would not reduce the number of signatures.
But campaign activists were committed to realizing it and managed to bring volunteers across the state to persuade the masses to sign petitions in favor of the legislative push. That ended abruptly last month, when due to the COVID-19 pandemic the state legislature promoted social distancing and issued an order to stay at home.
Challenges facing Decriminalize California
Ryan Munevar, campaign manager for California Decriminalize, told Marijuana Moment that “The pandemic was utterly devastating. “At the worst time possible, it hit us. At the greatest upturn in both voluntary and signatory collections. We had to shut down and a host of other grassroots campaigns have been wiped out, as well as a lot of well funded major campaigning.
However, inside a Hail Mary pass, the group joined together with other camps affected by the pandemic. They were trying to get the state administration to electronically collect signatures. And a request made to the state officials all over the country by several drug policy reform campaigns.
“We still haven’t received any single indication that an extension or electronic signature will be permitted by the Californian government,” Decriminalize California said on Tuesday in an email blast.
The reverse doesn’t mean activists throw the towel in full. Munevar, who will also participate in a larger campaign to provide means to gather digital signatures in the country. Munevar said that the group will “get out of the box” with a future campaign, and we will win next time around.
“I think we ‘re going to get a chance at this one because there’s no disease or comet or other beast emerging from the ocean floor,” he added.
In like manner, the campaign to legalized mushrooms make several concessions might require the initiative to be taken during a non-presidential election,.Which normally shows reduced youth participation. Munevar also said that he might need to redesign the measure to make psilocybin legal for adults 21 or older than 18.
What are the initiatives?
Decriminalize California stated that, after three conditions have been reached, it will start gathering of signatures at a potential election:
1. So we don’t get drowned in all political white noise after the elections in November 2020.
2. After the prohibition was formally lifted in California and citizens relocated, it maybe two to three months back.
3. The US Postal Service is still financed and active and is running out of money at present.
The psilocybin legitimization campaign is only one of many efforts to reform drug policies, which have been shut down by the COVID-19 outbreak. In like manner, California campaigners have also demanded a remote signing method for the independent initiative to change the state’s legal weed policy. Together with Oregon campaigners have suspended campaigns in person in the context of the pandemic. And for an initiative to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic purposes.
How about the other states?
In Washington, DC, lawyers asked the mayor and local legislators to accept signatures for their polling request to decriminalize psychedelics.
In Nebraska, efforts to legalize medical cannabis face similar challenges. And, because of the health crisis, an adult legalization campaign on marijuana in Missouri officially is over for the year.
Idaho militants announced that their campaign to legalize medical cannabis was suspended. Although they still “make sure to send requests online download to IdahoCann.co and encourage all volunteers who have downloaded a petition to email them, This is respective of how many signatures they have collected,” to turn them over to the offices of their county clerk.
In Arizona, a legitimization campaign calls upon the state Supreme Court to instruct the State Secretary to enable individuals. Through an existing electronic system that is currently available to individual candidates seeking public office, And to digitally sign ballot petitions.
North Dakota advocates said they were suspending the campaign for the November election to legalize marijuana as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak earlier this month.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, (D) accepted in New York that reform is “effectively finished” in the legislature by 2020. On Saturday, he also said that the policy reform may be challenging for legislators to consider via video conference on a remote basis
Take it easy, greasy. You've got a long way to slide
The planners are already pivoting, as their attempts in 2020 have collapsed. They support progressives in California and elsewhere in seeking democratic change beyond other ballot measures. “We are now researching a legitimate way to pressure California into allowing electronic signatures,” they wrote. “To find out if they would be interested in forming the National Movement for electronically signed projects, referendums recalls and votes. We will also reach out to all other state initiatives around the Union which have paused their mid-signature collections.”
“It would break yet another obstacle between the public and their legislatures for every policy moving electronically,” written by Decriminalize California. Which ensures that the expense to put through any potential legislation would go much lower.
