Gavin Newsom risks being ‘Gov. Mushroom’ if he decriminalizes hallucinogens in California | Opinion

Gavin Newsom should not want to go down in history as Governor Mushroom. But the California Legislature, with a bill to legalize certain hallucinogens, is giving him a politically dangerous psychedelic opportunity.

With numerous moderate Democrats voting no or not at all, the liberal faction of the Legislature approved Senate Bill 58 by Scott Wiener of San Francisco. Stating that decades of prohibitions have failed to deter drug use and increased their dangers, SB 58 would decriminalize a family of naturally occurring hallucinogenic substances in small doses for adults.

Opinion

The substances include psilocybin/psilocyn (mushrooms), Dimethyltryptamine (“DMT”), and mescaline (excluding peyote). They are all ingredients of one kind of mushroom or another.

Wiener, unafraid to push the edge of the politically possible in Sacramento and a serious policy-minded legislator, has an argument for SB 58 with both data and compassion.

“We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis,” he says. “It’s time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being.”

But the medical argument for hallucinogens is largely anecdotal. The gold standard of medical research is large randomized trials with patients receiving an actual dose of a hallucinogen or a placebo. Presently hallucinogens are illegal under both state and federal laws, which pose serious impediments to research.

As a legislative analysis stated, “Psychedelic drugs show initial promise as potential treatments for mood, anxiety and SUDs. However, these are still investigational products.” Dr. Tiffany Farchione, director of the Division of Psychiatry in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said that “sponsors evaluating the therapeutic potential of these drugs should consider their unique characteristics when designing clinical studies.”

In contrast with the anecdotes of hallucinogens causing no harm and with potential upsides, there are credible reports to the contrary. Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University, is among the vocal opponents of the bill. “Despite what you may have read or heard in the media, hallucinogens … are associated with significant harms,” she wrote. Potential risks include acute panic, self-harm resulting in death and chronic psychological problems.

What’s more, earlier versions of SB 58 (not what the Legislature passed) proposed some purely recreational purposes for legalization. Wiener originally proposed to make it legal for adults to host “dosing events.” Such events could charge “reasonable fees.” So much for compassionate care based on research. This was all about Californians legally and temporarily visiting a parallel mental universe for the price of admission.

Two of the country’s most libertarian states, Oregon and Colorado, have decriminalized the possession of these substances for adults. The question is whether liberal-leaning California should join this small and select herd.

Here is where the issue goes beyond fungi for a governor seeking legitimacy and stature on the national stage.

Gavin Newsom deserves to be showcased on a recent edition of 60 Minutes for how he is seeking to expand mental health services in this state to place homeless and others in conservatorship and mandatory care, if necessary.

As a loyal supporter of President Biden and his bid for a second term, however misguided this may be, Newsom has earned his party’s license to debate the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The much-ballyhooed verbal duel is now formally scheduled on Nov. 30 to be moderated by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

It’s one thing for Newsom to charge hard against oil companies, assault weapons and book banning.

It is entirely another thing for the governor to champion hallucinating.

A politician never knows when some wordsmith is going to coin a nickname that will stick for life. It unexpectedly happened to then-governor Jerry Brown in 1976. Seeking the national limelight at the time much like our governor today, the legendary Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko waxed how Brown seemed to be courting the “moonbeam vote,” the nonconformist Generation Zers of the time.

From that point on, there was nothing Brown could do. He has been Governor Moonbeam ever since.

Newsom, with too many numbers in his head, can go toe to toe with anyone on economics, education and health care.

There are no compelling statistics on how the nation should manage psychedelic mushrooms and its retail derivatives.

Newsom can put this issue in his rearview mirror with a veto of SB 58. Or he can risk being Governor Mushroom for the rest of his political career.