Psychedelics ballot question would preempt local control

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth has published a summary of a statewide ballot initiative that would legalize natural psychedelic substances, without an avenue for individual cities and towns to opt out.

Question 4 would legalize the possession and sale of natural psychedelic substances, including psilocybin, psilocin and mescaline, for people 21 and older, and would allow these substances to be grown by those 21 and older in a 12-foot-by-12-foot area of secured personal property.

The proposed law would also license and regulate facilities for the sale and use of these products, creating a statewide commission and advisory board to assist in their regulation. Municipalities would only be allowed to regulate the time, place and manner of these operations.

Unlike the 2016 law that legalized marijuana in Massachusetts, which allowed municipalities to opt out of recreational cannabis sales, the psychedelics ballot initiative would require all municipalities to allow natural psychedelic substance licenses within their borders, as well as the cultivation of these substances on personal property.

In April, the MMA expressed concerns about the proposed law in testimony to the Legislature.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s voter information booklet covers all five statewide ballot questions, with summaries and arguments for and against each question. The question summaries were written by the Attorney General’s Office.