Massachusetts Question 4 on Psychedelics: What You Need to Know

Preparing micro doses of psilocybin, a derivative from of magic mushrooms. / Photo via Getty Images

Come November 5, Bay State voters will face a trippy query on their ballots: Question 4 will ask whether to give a thumbs up or down to the Regulated Access to Psychedelic Substances Initiative (read it here), which would create therapeutic, supervised, and regulated access to natural psychedelics—specifically, two compounds found in “magic mushrooms” (psilocybin and psilocin), and the three plant substances dimethyltryptamine (DMT), mescaline, and ibogaine—and legalize the growth and possession of these psychedelics for personal use. It’s a cause championed by growing numbers in the medical community, as well as by Eliza Dushku Palandjian and her husband, Peter Palandjian, who donated to the effort to get the question onto the ballot. (See our October cover story, “Eliza Dushku’s Bold New Journey.”)

As proponents point out, this is not a dispensary model, where anyone can buy psychedelics from a licensed outlet to take home for recreational use (à la cannabis). Instead, people will be able to use these substances under the supervision of trained psychedelic therapists or grow them at home for personal use.

It’s that last aspect of the ballot question that’s raising concerns from organized opponents. Chris Keohane, spokesperson for the Coalition for Safe Communities, says home growth is a danger to children and pets, and the allowable 144 square feet for it is an “astronomical amount of space that will inevitably lead to a black market.” Keohane also believes the for-profit clinic model is problematic, pointing to Oregon, where psilocybin therapy is legal and some clinics charge as much as $15,000 for treatment, putting it out of reach for many people.