Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Allowing MDMA, Psilocybin Prescriptions as Fed Changes Date

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that would allow California doctors to immediately begin writing prescriptions for MDMA and psilocybin drugs if the federal government decides to delay them.

Gov. Newsom signed AB 1021 on Saturday to prepare California doctors for the expected statewide movement on psychedelics such as MDMA and psilocybin, which have increasingly been shown to be effective for various mental health issues. MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms are currently considered Schedule 1 narcotics under the Controlled Substances Act.

“Notwithstanding any other law, if a substance listed in Section 11054 of Schedule I is exempted from Schedule I of the Federal Controlled Substances Act and placed on a list of the Act other than Schedule I, or if a product consisting of one of these substances is approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration Drug Administration and is either included in a schedule of the Act other than Schedule I or is exempt from one or more provisions of the Act to enable a physician, pharmacist or other authorized medical licensee to act The physician, pharmacist or other authorized medical licensee “Whoever prescribes, provides or dispenses this product in the course of his or her activities in accordance with federal law shall be deemed to comply with the federal law governing these actions,” the bill states.

In layman’s terms, all of this legal language means that AB 1021 actually allows all currently Schedule 1 substances (heroin, LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, cannabis, and peyote, to name a few) to be prescribed by California physicians when the appointment is rescheduled is not limited to MDMA and psilocybin, although they are currently the most likely candidates for reclassification along with cannabis. The bill actually stipulated that none of these changes would apply to cannabis, as they had already been addressed in other legislation.

“This section does not apply to cannabis or a cannabis product as defined in Section 26001 of the Business and Professions Code. “However, cannabis or cannabis products may be permitted under Section 11150.2,” the bill states.

AB 1021 does not yet allow doctors to write prescriptions, but after years of research and studies, the FDA could be ready to re-prescribe these drugs as early as next year, supported by recent results from a Phase 3 clinical trial leading to the Concluded that MDMA was effective in relieving symptoms in treatment-resistant patients with moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Thanks to the collective efforts of dozens of therapists, hundreds of participants who volunteered in MAPS-sponsored studies, and many thousands of generous donors, MDMA-assisted therapy is on track for FDA approval in 2024 to be considered,” said Rick Doblin, founder and president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which sponsored the study.

Gov. Newsom also signed a bill to test cannabis edibles on Saturday. AB 623 essentially established a so-called testing variance for edible cannabis products, which are considered lower doses than the current standard dose of 10 milligrams.

A testing variance means that it is difficult to produce cannabis edibles with an exact, very specific dose. Therefore, the law currently allows the dose to vary by plus or minus 10 percent from the 10 milligram dose, which roughly means that between 9 and 11 milligrams will pass. What AB 623 required was that the California Department of Cannabis Control determine what the variance should be for products that contain less than five milligrams of THC in total, to ensure more consistency (less variance) for people using products with lower levels Use dosage.

“Ultimately, this bill sets out the tasks [the Department of Cannabis Control] “with the responsibility to determine the appropriate testing deviations for products with a THC content lower than the current regulatory level of 10 milligrams to ensure that testing standards are consistent, accurate and appropriate for smaller dosage sizes,” the state said in its analysis of the bill .

Still on the governor’s desk is a bill that would decriminalize psychedelics in California, a bill that would severely restrict packaging options for California cannabis companies, a bill to legalize cannabis cafes, some proposed changes to the track and trace system, a bill that would allow certain elderly people with chronic illnesses to use cannabis in hospital; and a bill that would prevent employers from asking about past cannabis use on job applications.