Getting answers: Question 4 - Legalizing some psychedelic substances

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Voting ‘Yes’ on Question 4 could legalize the use of some psychedelic substances to treat anxiety and PTSD.

“Access to these psychedelic herbal medicines has made my life possible,” says Ana Demi.

Demi said her life was saved by taking psychedelic drugs after she fell into an addiction and mental health crisis. “My OCD really kicked in and I went to Dartmouth’s psychology department to get help the way we were taught to get help. They immediately prescribed me medication and about two months later I started having side effects from the medication,” she explained.

Demi said her obsessive-compulsive disorder and mental health stopped responding to the “cocktail of medications” she was prescribed. She found herself using recreational drugs to cope, eventually overdosing in 2019. Her friend then introduced her to psychedelics and the results were immediate.

“This is the clear example of how neurological therapy can rewire someone who has been on eight different psychiatric medications and all these different street drugs for a total of six years and has been able to quit cold-turkey with no detox symptoms.” Demi noted.

Now others can legally access it. By voting yes on this year’s Question 4, Massachusetts residents are legalizing the use of five different types of psychedelics and giving them the chance to grow them at home.

“This ballot question is poorly written and poorly conceived,” said Chris Keohan of the Coalition for Safe Communities.

The Coalition for Safe Communities has opposed the proposal, citing private donors and an industry that exploits vulnerable populations. “To use people like her as a crutch…I find it disgusting…I would like to work with her. I would lobby the Legislature right now to say, ‘Let’s find a way to make this happen in a way that is thoughtful and protects the very people who need it,'” Keohan added.

Keohan is quick to acknowledge that psychedelics, used responsibly, can help in desperate situations. He said the home growing option is definitely not. The proposal also invites residents to see what they can do with psychedelics or fungi within a 40-by-40-foot space and access to 144 square feet. Adopting Question 4 could allow residents to grow psychedelics at home.

“144 square meters is astronomical. You can order the grow kit online now, it’s completely legal… 14 square meters will inevitably lead to a gray market,” Keohan said.

It’s something that Ryan McCollum, coordinator of the Yes to Question 4 campaign, admits some residents are already doing illegally. “Decriminalizing it is the first step. Decriminalizing people who do not allow home growing, which many already do, is also the first step in this,” he said.

Psilocybin is a psychedelic drug that the Drug Enforcement Agency has not approved for medical use and can lead to abuse and dependence. Psilocybin can be associated with hallucinations, possible panic attacks, nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness and lack of coordination, and overdose can lead to psychosis or death.

Several local elected officials have already voted yes on Question 4, including Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia and West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt.

“From where I sit, I see no reason to have something illegal that could potentially help people, and then have safeguards for something like this. I think moving forward and taking the next steps is very important and I am happy to support this,” said Reichelt.

“We have an opportunity here in the Commonwealth to lead the way in responsible psychedelic use,” Garcia added.

However, Keohan and the Coalition for Safe Communities do not see this as a responsible route for alternative medicines. “If this ballot question were written in a more thoughtful manner… if this ballot question did not allow for home growth, required an on-site medical professional, and required price caps for people with PTSD, end-stage cancer, and psychosis, then the Right to the people on the other side who offer this false hope, I would work on the ‘yes’ side.”

Two states have already legalized the use and growth of psychedelics. Oregon was the first to do so in 2020 and Colorado followed shortly after in 2022.