On February 17, 2021, California Senator Scott Wiener introduced SB-519, a bill that if passed, would decriminalize a host of both natural and synthetic psychedelic drugs. In this post, I’ll unpack what the law would do in its current form. Before I get into the specifics of the bill, there are three things that are
We have worked on several ketamine acquisitions, and one of the most important aspects of any deal is due diligence. Shortly after term sheets or letters of intent are executed, most buyers send out a due diligence request list to the seller. This post will focus on the healthcare regulatory issues a buyer will want
We’ve written a lot recently about the law concerning the religious use of psychedelics (see here and here). This is an incredibly broad area of the law that is still developing. Our focus has generally been on the federal laws and decisions affecting religious use of psychedelics, though today we turn our attention to an
Over the last year, a handful of cities have passed decriminalization measures for psilocybin and other plant psychedelics. Denver was the first jurisdiction to pass a decriminalization measure, and Oakland, Santa Cruz, Ann Arbor, and most recently, Washington, D.C., followed suit. Each of these decriminalization measures is different, but fundamentally they are the same in
On November 3, 2020, voters in Oregon approved Measure 109, paving the way for a regime of psilocybin for therapeutic uses in a few years. Oregon and Psilocybin: Does the Approved Ballot Measure Language Stand a Chance Oregon Psychedelics: Petition to Legalize Psilocybin for Therapy Moves Forward Oregon Psychedelics: Psilocybin on the Ballot this November!
I was talking to another lawyer about last week’s vote by Oregonians to legalize psilocybin therapy here in the state. We discussed how licensed facilities won’t be up and running for a few more years, and how, in the meantime, people will have to make do with general decriminalization under Measure 109 and maybe, in
We are on record here at the law firm in support of Measure 109. We have friends and colleagues who have worked on the campaign and clients who have written checks, large and small. Legal psilocybin in Oregon? We like the sound of that. But do we unconditionally and unapologetically love the ballot measure? No,
Religious organizations that want to use psychedelics for religious purposes and comply with U.S. law are forced to petition the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to do so. The petition process is set out in a set of interim guidelines published by the DEA (Interim Guidelines).
The history of psychedelics in religion is long and mysterious, going back multiple millennia to prehistory. While the exact origins of these practices are too far back to determine, archeological evidence suggests mushrooms, DMT and other psychoactive substances have been used in religious ceremonies and rituals for at least 6,000 years. International treaties such as the Single Convention
Last week, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelics Studies (MAPS) made a very big announcement: it had raised $30 million to complete its promising study of MDMA (ecstasy; molly) for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already has granted MAPS “breakthrough therapy” approval based on earlier trials. With its recent cash
