CA Psychedelic Decriminalization Bill Advances, Pot Becomes Legal in Three States This Week, More… (6/30/21)

The Rhode island legislature is on the verge of passing a bill allowing drug checking and safe consuption sites, Mexico's Supreme Court again declares marijuana prohibition unconstitutional, and more. 

Marijuana Policy

Marijuana Legalization Goes into Effect in Three States. The use and possession of limited amounts of marijuana by people 21 and over became or becomes legal in three states this week. All three are states that legalized the plant legislatively this year. Legalization went into effect in New Mexico on Tuesday and will go into effect Thursday in Connecticut and Virginia. In South Dakota, where voter-approved legalization was supposed to go into effect Thursday, a court challenge supported by Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has delayed implementation pending a state Supreme Court decision later this summer. New Jersey, where voters also approved marijuana legalization, saw its law go into effect in February, while New York, which did it via the legislature, saw its law go into effect in March. In none of these states have legal sales begun, but now 44% of the US population lives in places where pot is legal.

Psychedelics

California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Wins Committee Vote. The Assembly Public Safety Committee voted Tuesday to approve a bill decriminalizing the possession and use of psychedelic substances, Senate Bill 519. The measure passed out of the state Senate earlier this month. The Assembly committee approval came after bill sponsor Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) agreed to remove GHB from the lists amidst claims it was a "date rape" drug. The bill must also be approved by the Assembly Health Committee before heading for a possible floor vote.

Harm Reduction

Rhode Island House Approves Bill to Allow Drug Checking, Safe Injection Site. The House on Tuesday voted to approve a bill, House Bill 5245, that would allow for the establishment of facilities where people could test and use drugs under medical supervision. Then the House voted to approve a Senate companion bill that passed the Senate in March. The measure now goes back to the Senate for a final vote. If signed into law, the bill would still face an uncertain future because federal law and policy around safe injection sites remains unsettled. A US appeals court in Pennsylvania blocked efforts there to open a safe injection site, but the subject has not been taken up by the Supreme Court.

International

Mexico Supreme Court Declares Marijuana Prohibition Unconstitutional. In an 8-3 ruling on Monday, the Mexican Supreme Court deemed unconstitutional the prohibition on recreational marijuana used, once again prodding the legislature to act to remedy the situation. The court had earlier declared pot prohibition unconstitutional and imposed deadlines on the Congress to act, but those deadlines have repeatedly fallen by the wayside, felled by infighting in the Senate and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The lower chamber passed a legalization bill in March, but the bill has been stalled in the Senate.

Mexico President Suggests Possible Referendum on Marijuana Legalization. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he will respect Monday's Supreme Court ruling telling the government to legalize marijuana, but also said he might seek a referendum on the issue. “Of course we’re going to respect what the court has decided and we’re going to evaluate. We’re going to see what effects it has,” Lopez Obrador said. But he added that his administration was still evaluating the path forward and, "if we see … that it’s not working to address the serious problem of drug addiction, that it’s not working to stop violence, then we would act," perhaps with new legislation or a popular referendum.

Mexico Cartel Battle Claims 18 Lives in Zacatecas. Authorities in the north-central state of Zacatecas said they found the bullet-riddled bodies of 18 men in the wake of an apparent gun battle between the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels. The killings came two days after the bodies of two kidnapped police officers were found hanging from an overpass in the city of Zacatecas. The state is a prize sought by multiple cartels, including the Sinaloa, Jalisco, Gulf and Northeast cartels as well as remnants of the Zetas who call themselves "Talibans."