California Gov. Gavin Newsom has halted the passage of a mind-altering bill, vetoing the decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms and other hallucinogens in limited amounts.
Psychedelic mushrooms, or “magic mushrooms,” are exactly what they sound like: a species of mushroom that takes its user on a magical mind adventure. The chemical inside, psilocybin, causes everything from distorted perceptions of time to audiovisual hallucinations in the consumer.
Senate Bill (SB) 58, introduced by California Sen. Scott Wiener, would have legalized the possession of several natural psychedelics: psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and mescaline. The bill passed 21-14 before being vetoed by Newsom and is currently under review.
The coordinator of Carlmont’s Students Offering Support (SOS) program, Shelley Bustamante, expressed her concern about the effects of psilocybin, especially concerning its long-term psychological effects.
“Your brain isn’t a test tube,” Bustamante said. “You only get one.”
Bustamante also discussed her concern for the speed at which research has been conducted on the psychological effects of psilocybin.
While psilocybin was first formally discovered in 1958, the U.S. enacted the Controlled Substances Act only 13 years later, which banned most psychedelics, halting research. It wasn’t until the start of the 21st century that the Food and Drug Administration finally granted permission to investigate psilocybin, allowing a group of scientists at Johns Hopkins to begin research and experimentation.
Similarly, marijuana, which was discovered over 12,000 years ago in Asia, was only legalized in California in 2018.
“We need more studies and research before we can really trust the long-term effects of psilocybin,” Bustamante said.
Linda Brown*, a Carlmont senior, has had personal experience on this topic.
“Shrooms can be fun, but it’s not a good idea to let people grow or sell their own mushrooms,” Brown said.
The exceptional harm of misidentifying mushrooms for inexperienced mushroom growers and hunters also exists. Of the thousands of categorized mushroom species, only around 2,000 are of the edible variety.
Many species of mushroom look alike, as well. For example, the edible and widely available field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) is often mixed up with its lookalike, the “destroying angel.”
Unlike the field mushroom, ingesting a destroying angel will remove your liver’s ability to produce DNA.
Although Brown ultimately agreed with the veto, she stressed the importance of medical usage of these substances, such as in prescriptions.
Weiner, who had introduced SB 58, pointed out the applications of psychedelics in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Veterans and anyone suffering from PTSD and depression should not face criminal penalties for seeking relief,” Weiner said in his public statement.
For example, the Heroic Hearts Project hosts a yearly psychedelic retreat for veterans with PTSD. Although the precise number of members is not publicly available, the nonprofit claims a backlog of over a thousand veterans on its waitlists.
When it comes down to it, it’s essential to remember that pros and cons typically come together.
“Like a lot of things in this world, psilocybin can be very helpful, but the wrong hands always get ahold of them,” said Charles Ding, a senior at Carlmont High School.
Ding also noted that while legalizing psychedelics brings the risk of additional overdoses, the legalization of mushrooms will also help the government ensure more safety when it comes to obtaining the substance.
Administrative Vice Principal Gregg Patner mirrored this sentiment, stating that any accessibility of psilocybin has both positive and negative effects, depending on its recipients.
“Everybody needs to live their life, but there’s always the risk of abuse,” Patner said.
California’s congress is no different than its people. The votes have portrayed a divided floor since the Senate first passed SB 58 in March. In fact, Congress itself has been divided for some time now. The bill has been scraping by with an average of 56% in favor, far below the 66% majority needed to override Newsom’s veto — something the bill has yet to do during any of its floor votes.
The California State Legislature might need some magic of its own to legalize these mystical myceliums.
*This source’s name is changed to protect them from legal harm. For more information on Carlmont Media’s anonymous sourcing, check out Scot Scoop’s Anonymous Sourcing Policy.
