Last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing doctors in the state to immediately begin prescribing certain Schedule I illegal psychedelic drugs—like psilocybin and MDMA—should they be federally rescheduled.
AB 1021, which is sponsored by California Assemblymembers Buffy Wicks, Isaac Bryan, and Corey Jackson, dictates that if the federal government reschedules any Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, California doctors will automatically be able to prescribe and dispense said drug to patients with certain conditions.
In addition to rescheduling, doctors will also be able to prescribe these drugs if they are granted an exemption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Newsom also signed a separate bill that amends THC variance testing requirements for marijuana.
The decision follows continued support for psychedelic use in the medical field. Psilocybin and MDMA have recently been designated as breakthrough therapies by the FDA.
A recent peer-reviewed study published last month in the academic journal, Nature, found that medically administered MDMA treatment reduced symptoms in patients with moderate to severe PTSD.
The study and its findings, which included a Phase 3 clinical trial, mean that federal regulators could consider approving the drug for medical use as soon as next year.
Another bill pertaining to psychedelics still awaits Newsom’s approval. SB58, sponsored by State Sen. Scott Weiner, would independently legalize psychedelic substances like psilocybin and mescaline in smaller quantities at the state level.
In an interview with Politico California, Newsom expressed mixed feelings about SB58, saying that though he acknowledges the “profound therapeutic potential” of psychedelics, his outlook on drug reform has changed with fatherhood.
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