We’ve discussed at length the DEA’s process for seeking religious exemptions to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). You can read about that in my posts linked at the bottom of this one. Critics of the religious exemption petition process claim that the DEA rarely, if ever, responds to petitions. They also complain that they are
Ketamine is a Schedule III drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Physicians who dispense or administer it therefore must comply with a host of federal and state laws and regulations. This includes registering with the DEA at each location where the physician administers ketamine. But what about physicians who travel to a patient's
I recently published a nationwide psychedelics law roundup post. But in doing so, I realized that it's been a while since we did a comprehensive California psychedelics update. Today, I'll walk through the two key proposed California psychedelics laws and where they stand. California's push to decriminalize (almost) all psychedelics In 2021, California Senator Scott
The Oregon Psilocybin Licensing Subcommittee meeting on February 3, 2022 dove into religions that use psilocybin, and how Oregon's Measure 109 would protect and regulate such religions and religious practices. Rather than discussing recommendations and licensing regulations, the Subcommittee allowed two guest speakers to present on religious psychedelic practices. Psychedelic Religious Practices: Pastor Bob Otis
Want to use psychedelics for religious purposes in the U.S.? The government should let you, but it's not going to make it easy. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for religious exemptions to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) for illegal psychedelics. Since then, only a few groups have been granted such exemptions
You've probably heard of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), which provides certain tax exemptions for qualifying charitable organizations. You also probably know that there are many psychedelic religious groups worldwide. The question I want to answer today is "can psychedelic religions obtain 501(c)(3) status?" What is 501(c)(3) status and how do religions
In this post, I'll do a brief state psychedelic law roundup. I won't cover local (city or county) measures or all the states. Instead, I'll summarize some of the recent action or more significant developments in states across the country. Washington State Psilocybin Law On January 6, Washington lawmakers introduced the Washington Psilocybin Services Wellness and
In late January, the Oregon state legislature filed a pre-session, psilocybin social equity bill to supplement the state's groundbreaking Measure 109 program. That legislation is new Senate Bill 1580, sponsored by ten Democratic state lawmakers. Its first public hearing was yesterday and it goes to Senate work session tomorrow. Oregon’s New Legal Psilocybin Program This
As the Oregon Health Authority moves forward with creating a program for the legal consumption of psilocybin following the enactment of Measure 109, other efforts to normalize the medical use of psilocybin continue. This week the Ninth Circuit ruled on a case concerning whether a physician may administer psilocybin without incurring liability under the Controlled
The DEA violates religious freedom through its opaque and arguably illegal process for applicants seeking religious exemptions to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). I've made this point before. But today, I want to look at one of the more nefarious ways in which the DEA's exemption process violates religious freedoms. To do that, I first
