FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2023
Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation
Constitutional Requirements on Public Education.
Initiative Constitutional Amendment.
SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on July 14, 2023.
The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides a calendar of deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:
DECRIMINALIZES PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. For individuals 21 and over, decriminalizes under state law the cultivation, manufacture, processing, distribution, transportation, possession, storage, sale, and personal use of psilocybin mushrooms, the hallucinogenic chemical compounds contained in them, and edible products and extracts derived from them. Allows “qualified healthcare practitioners” to use psilocybin mushrooms for research, treatment, and therapy. Requires state to implement qualification requirements and protocols for psilocybin-assisted therapy created by an unspecified “independent professional certifying body.” Authorizes sealing of criminal records for prior psilocybin-related offenses if sentence is completed. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Net reduction in costs, not likely to exceed a few million dollars annually, to state and local governments related to enforcing psilocybin-related offenses, handling the related criminal cases and sealing of records in the court system, and incarcerating and supervising people convicted of psilocybin-related offenses. Annual state costs to regulate psilocybin businesses and treatment providers, ranging from minimal to tens of millions of dollars. These costs could eventually be partially or fully offset by regulatory fee revenue. (23-0004.)
The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1946 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 23-0004.
The proponent of the measure, Ryan Munevar, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than January 10, 2024. The contact information for the proponent is ryan@decrimca.org.
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CONTACT:
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