HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3829        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1494

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Mike Connolly

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a task force to study equitable access to entheogenic plants.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3829        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1494

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act establishing a task force to study equitable access to entheogenic plants.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

There shall be an interagency task force to study the public health and social justice implications of legalizing the possession, consumption, transportation, and distribution of naturally cultivated entheogenic plants and fungi. The task force shall consist of 21 members: 1 member shall be appointed by the senate president, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 member of the Board of Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions or its agreed upon designee; 1 member of the Cannabis Control Commission; 2 members with professional advocacy or academic experience with drug-related harm reduction policies and methods, at least 1 of whom should be a practitioner of traditional, ceremonial plant medicine practices; 3 members with training in medicine, social work, public health, or law and expertise in addressing health disparities and access to care; 4 members with professional, advocacy, or academic experience promoting racial equity and economic justice, at least 1 of whom shall be a representative of a Massachusetts recognized Native American tribe; 2 members with professional scientific expertise in the physiological and psychological effects of the full spectrum of entheogenic plants, fungi, and natural materials containing indole amines, tryptamines, phenethylamines, including psilocybin, ayahuasca, cacti, and iboga; the attorney general of Massachusetts or their designee; the secretary of the executive office of health and human services or their designee; the secretary of the department of veterans’ services or their designee; the secretary of the executive office of public safety and security or their designee.

The task force shall: (i) compile and review research regarding the physiological and psychological effects of entheogenic plants and fungi; (ii) compile testimony and data on the experiences of communities across the United States—including Somerville (MA), Cambridge (MA), Denver (CO), Oakland (CA), Santa Cruz (CA), Ann Arbor (MI), sovereign native lands, Washington D.C. and Oregon—as well as international jurisdictions that pursued harm reduction strategies with respect to entheogens—including Portugal, the Netherlands, Jamaica, Peru, and Brazil; (iii) compile and review research regarding the impact of controlled substances prohibition on marginalized groups, including indigenous people, veterans, people with physical and mental health disabilities, Black people, people of Latino and Hispanic heritage, people of Asian descent, people of color, people in poverty, and people identifying with the LGBTQ community; (iv) compile and review research on the political and cultural origins of prohibition policies for controlled substances; (v) develop recommendations for legalizing and eliminating Massachusetts state penalties for possession, consumption, transportation, manufacture, and distribution of entheogenic plants and fungi in a manner that maximizes equitable access and sustainable manufacture of these plants; (vi) identify opportunities for public education on harm-reduction for controlled substances, including revisions to policies related to the licensing of physical and mental healthcare workers and therapists across the Commonwealth; (vii) develop recommendations regarding pardons, parole, diversion, expungement, and equity measures for people with criminal records related to possession, consumption, and distribution of entheogenic plants and fungi and other controlled substances; (viii) hear and consider public testimony by Massachusetts residents who have used entheogenic plants and fungi and/or endured experiences related to incarceration for controlled substances possession.

The task force shall file a report of its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, by filing the same with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on public health, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on the judiciary, the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on public safety and homeland security not later than June 2022.