Bay State plant medicine advocates extol “immense potential” of psychedelics as “powerful tool in addressing our nation’s mental health crisis”
The failure of a voter referendum last November that would have regulated legal psychedelics in the Bay State was a massive debacle that warrants a thorough postmortem impugning by all parties involved.
In the meantime, some of the people and ideas that emerged from the ashes of that mess are looking ahead optimistically, pushing for change on cultural and legislative fronts.
Among the organizations wasting no time is Mass Healing, a 501(c)(3) “devoted to improving public health through psychedelics advocacy.” It was co-founded by two individuals “deeply connected to the mission of expanding psychedelic access”—CJ LoConte, a veteran and former Army officer “whose life was saved by psilocybin after VA treatments failed,” and Jamie Morey, a “mother of four, married to a veteran with severe PTSD, who has witnessed firsthand the ripple effects of untreated trauma on families.”
According to a media release, Mass Healing’s latest move is alongside state Rep. Patrick Kearney, who “released the language of a psilocybin legalization bill developed in consultation with Mass Healing leaders” last week. The “comprehensive psilocybin legalization bill, House Bill 4050, would require Massachusetts adults with qualifying health conditions to pass a health screening and take a short educational course in order to access psilocybin through a permit-based system.”
Per the release: “After reaching out to Rep. Kearney, who had previously supported the ballot question, Mass Healing proposed he introduce a permit model, similar to a version originally introduced in New York (and gaining traction with advocates nationwide), as a gold standard psilocybin legalization bill, addressing concerns about safety and accessibility that contributed to the loss of the psychedelics ballot measure last year. Rep. Kearney is one of 9 lawmakers that introduced a total of 10 psychedelics bills for the current legislative session in Massachusetts, a nationwide record for distinct proposals especially noteworthy after the failure of the ballot measure.”
“I’m so grateful to Rep. Kearney and other lawmakers who have educated themselves on this issue, choosing science over stigma, and can see the immense potential of psychedelic medicines to be a powerful tool in addressing our nation’s mental health crisis, helping to reduce suicide and substance use epidemics faced by our veterans, first responders, and average citizens,” Morey said.
She continued, “Massachusetts has long been a national leader in healthcare innovation and policy, our leading institutions—including Harvard University and Mass General Hospital—are supportive of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and our citizens want and deserve access to this care. We are so appreciative of lawmakers like Rep. Kearney for introducing legislation with the power to transform and save countless lives.”
The Mass Healing statement further addressed last year’s ballot blunder: “Despite the unpopularity of certain provisions, Question 4 earned 43% of the vote statewide and won in 37 localities, including Boston (53%) and all 8 cities and towns that had already effectively decriminalized psilocybin: Amherst (56%), Cambridge (57%), Easthampton (51%), Medford (51%), Northampton (60%), Provincetown (61%), Salem (54%), and Somerville (66%).”
It continued: “The founders of Mass Healing joined the ballot measure campaign after April 2024, when the proposal and campaign strategy to market the expansive decriminalization proposal as a medical bill were already set in stone. It is imperative that ongoing efforts to provide access to psychedelic healing in Massachusetts involve straightforwardly introducing and defending proposals on their merits.
“Mass Healing is hopeful that legislators will seriously consider one or more of the excellent psychedelics bills introduced this session, encouraged by the examples of New Mexico and other states, including neighbors in New England.”
