Supporters of a November ballot question that would legalize the use and possession of some psychedelic substances in Massachusetts kicked off their campaign Tuesday in Springfield.
Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, the group backing the initiative, held a press conference at the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers. There, several of the region’s elected officials came out in support of the measure, including state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, and state Rep. Carlos González, D-Springfield.
Gumersindo Gomez, the executive director of the Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers, began the event by saying that when Vietnam veterans like himself came back from war, they had no help for the unrecognized condition they faced: post-traumatic stress disorder. He said that Question 4, as it’s known, will help a new generation of veterans struggling with PTSD.
“These people gave their best for our nation,” he said. “We have to do the best that we can for them, and I think this approach that we're taking in the state with Question 4, to help that issue, is a winner.”
González and Sabadosa said they are backing the initiative because it will help those with mental health struggles get medical help.
"This is not: 'Here's drugs, use them,'” González said. “This is a measured approach."
Those who have previously benefited from psychedelic treatment include Amherst resident Ana Demme, who struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use in the past. After overdosing in 2019, she said a friend took her to a treatment facility that uses psychedelics.
“I went for one night of service there and — on the other side of that night — I quit cigarettes, I was no longer on my eight psychiatric meds and I have been off of any street drugs since,” she said.
Opponents of the effort, however, say it will only benefit for-profit psychedelic centers. They have also raised concerns about increasing DUIs, dangers to children and pets, and the creation of a psychedelics black market in Massachusetts.
“This is a bridge too far for Massachusetts and it will not deliver on the promises that the 'yes' side is making,” Chris Keohan, the spokesperson for the coalition opposing the question, said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Keohan explained that his group is not arguing against the medical benefits of psychedelics like psilocybin, for example – the compound found in what are commonly referred to as “shrooms” or “magic mushrooms.” Rather, he said his coalition is opposed to the way the ballot question is written, allowing people to grow those mushrooms in a 12-foot-by-12-foot area of their home.
Keohan also questioned whether veterans or others needing medical treatment would be able to afford psychedelic treatment. Oregon and Colorado have already passed similar measures, and he said there, patients have seen steep, out-of-pocket costs that are prohibitive to many.
“It’s for-profit facilities that aren’t even required to have a medical professional on site,” he said.
The ballot question would not legalize the recreational use or sale of psychedelic medicines. It would create a Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission, similar to the state’s current Cannabis Control Commission, that would establish regulations for licensing, security, health and safety, and more.
Campaign cash has already begun to pour into the “yes” campaign. State campaign finance records show that from the beginning of 2024 through Sept. 1, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options pulled in $816,781, most of which came in the form of refunds and in-kind contributions from the grassroots organizing firm Outreach Team based in Ithaca, New York. The campaign has spent $704,821 so far this year.
Last year, the campaign raised $3.9 million and spent nearly all of it. That included a $1 million donation from All One God Faith, Inc. That is the company behind Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, whose top executive, David Bronner, is a psychedelics advocate. Wealthy business executives from the Boston tech industry also gave large donations, according to campaign finance records.
The Coalition for Safe Communities, which is opposing the ballot question, hadn’t raised any money before Sept. 1. But Keohan, the founder of the consulting firm CK Strategies, said that the group has begun raising money since that Sept. 1 filing deadline. Those fundraising efforts will be reflected in its next mandated report to the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Keohan said. The group has been reaching out to fundraise to first responders, district attorneys, psychiatrists, veterinarians and others, he said.
The ballot question is one of five statewide initiatives before voters this November. Several municipalities in the state, including Northampton, have already passed ordinances decriminalizing the possession of psilocybin.
