Next week, Massachusetts could become the third state to decriminalize the psychedelic mushroom psilocybin. Oregon was first, in 2020, followed by Colorado in 2022. Some 26 local governments have also done this or acted to deprioritize policing and punishment of those who use so-called "magic mushrooms." If it passes, Massachusetts Question 4 would allow persons 21 or older to possess or use a personal amount of five specified psychedelic substances derived from fungi or plants, and to grow plants and fungi that contain them, Governing.com reports. It would also create a commission and advisory board to regulate the licensing of services that administer them and establish a regimen for taxing sales. A poll by University of Massachusetts Amherst found that 43 percent of voters support the measure. Exactly the same share oppose it. This dead heat is in dramatic contrast to the disproportionate funding the “for” and “against” campaigns have received. Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, the leader of the campaign in support of Question 4, has received more than $7 million in donations. Contributions to the Coalition for Safe Communities, which opposes it, are just over $100,000.
Caroline Cunningham, a consultant for the campaign against Question 4, believes that many donations in support of it are from people with direct investments in psychedelic industries. There are profits to be made from making plant-based psychedelic products (Question 4 doesn't allow retail sales) and providing therapy that uses them, she says. The top individual donor, at $1.25 million, is All One God Faith Inc., best known as the manufacturer of Dr. Bronner’s soap. The CEO (cosmic engagement officer) of the company, David Bronner, is the grandson of its founder. He’s a board member of the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit established in 1986 to foster "evidence-based” approaches to psychedelics. Opponents of Question 4 say they don’t have a problem with scientists and physicians exploring the potential benefits of psychedelics. Boston is hub for this kind of research, Cunningham says. What they don’t like are its provisions around personal use. Lt. Sarko Gergerian of the Winthrop, Mass., Police Department is a vocal proponent of Question 4. A mental health counselor as well as a police officer, he's had training in the therapeutic use of psychedelics and seen their benefits. Personal use is already happening, he says. "What Question 4 allows us to do is carefully and intentionally bring these practices above board into the light, where we can have a bit more of a view and a bit more control over what's going on."
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