Policy
Italian campaign on psychotropic substances has signatures verified
Co-founder and international co-ordinator at Associazione Luca Coscioni shares his thoughts on the outlook for the campaign.

Published
2 years agoon

Signatures for an Italian campaign calling for the decriminalisation of psychotropic substance cultivation have now been verified by officials.
In 2021, the campaign gathered the half a million signatures needed to trigger a referendum in less than a week. All of those signatures needed to be verified as Italian citizens in order to progress.
With the signatures now verified, one more step remains until a referendum can be called in the spring.
The campaign has focused on cannabis but pertains to the cultivation of all psychotropic substances, such as mushrooms and peyote.
It has been spearheaded by Forum Droghe, Meglio Legale, Antigone, Luca Coscioni Associations, Società della Reagione, and is supported by parties Volt Italia, Possible, Italian + Europa, and the Communist Refoundation.
Speaking to Psychedelic Health, Marco Perduca, co-founder and international co-ordinator at Associazione Luca Coscioni, which supports freedom of scientific research, commented: “I think this confirms the good idea we had in August, which was that there’s so much popularity concerning the need to amend the drug laws – in particular concerning cannabis – that the moment in which a lot of people would have been allowed to do something very quickly to support the referendum, they would have done it.
Find out more on what the referendum means for psychedelic research and the Right to Science
“We collected the necessary 500,000 signatures in less than a week and the remaining 30,000 signatures in the additional 10 days. According to the law, it’s not only necessary to submit signatures, you have to document that those who signed are certified registered voters in Italy.
“This is why it took two and a half months to count. This is the first step.”
The campaign aims to modify the wording of “cultivation” in the Consolidated Law on the Discipline of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances in Presidential Decree 309/1990.
“The second step is that a title is offered for the referendum – which, according to our reading, was a little too strict on the words that we were eliminating,” said Perduca.
“So, we found a compromise solution in which, despite the fact that the word “cannabis” will not appear in the text nor in the title, at least the conduct of cultivation, sharing and personal use are represented in the title.
Find out how UK drug policy is hindering scientific research from the CDPRG’s latest report
“The law is very complicated to amend. You cannot just take away a plant or a substance from the schedule. You have also to find other parts of the law that should be eliminated because what is penalised is the action of the plant, per se.
“So, according to our reading not only of the law but also of the jurisprudence of previous decisions of the Constitutional Court that have blocked similar referenda proposals in 1997 – we decided to go this way. But at least it is clear that it’s a referendum about cultivation and the personnel use and sharing of so-called “soft drugs”.”
Perduca highlighted that the campaign is now working on a document that will be presented by two lawyers before the Constitutional Court on February 15 together with seven other referenda.
“This document will touch upon issues such as the international implications of the deletion of the parts of the law and the constitutional requirements of Article 75 that prohibits the submission of referendum on issues – changes to the constitution, changes in the fiscal system, but also changes in laws that have enacted international treaties.
“And there could be a doubt here that we are in fact, working to do that. We are not because we are just eliminating some words, so we are not un-ratifying a document.
“The law we are working on has never been considered an implementing instrument of the 1988 Convention on Drugs. And the third part is the penal part because of course, taking away criminal sentences, we have to give satisfying arguments that the law after the elimination of the words of the referendum is an immediately applicable law.”
The Constitutional Court has until 10 March 2022 to make its decision public.
Perduca highlights that Italy is currently in a critical political situation, as, due to a new agreement that on 24 January 2021, the Parliament must elect the new president of the Republic.
“If the current head of government is going to be elected president of the Republic, there is going either going to be a reshuffling in government or – and this will pose a huge problem for the referendum – if they won’t sign an agreement there is going to be early elections.
Find out more about public opinion on psilocybin in the UK
“The referendum will push to 2023 because our law doesn’t allow us to have political elections and referenda at the same time.”
If early elections do not happen – Perduca says the campaign will request a vote on the referendum to take place on the same day of administered municipal elections at the beginning of June.
“The major obstacle now will be to reach the quorum which is 50 per cent of the population plus one vote. We are talking about 27 to 28 million people beyond the age of 18 to turn out and vote.
“The other important political element to take into consideration is that there’s going to be eight referenda before the Constitutional Court on 15 February.
“As well as this campaign, there will be one on euthanasia which is also co-promoted by the Luca Coscioni Associations, which collected twice as many signatures as this one. So, legalisation of euthanasia is a hugely popular theme, but the other six have been promoted by the parties belonging to the center-right coalition, who are all opposing the other two referendums. So, if there is this synergy between those that will ask their voters to go and vote yes for their six and at the same time vote no to the other two.
“We are counting on people to show up because we know both euthanasia and cannabis are so hugely popular. There’s absolutely no discussion that we’re going to win if there’s going to be a quorum.
“There is some hope that the turnout will be significant. If the Constitutional Court will say no to either, all six or to some of the most politically charged of the six referendums concerning the reform of the administration of justice in Italy, things will turn out in a different way.
“We are ready to fight our battle.”
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Policy
Now is the time for psychedelic access, says campaigner

Published
1 week agoon
21st November 2023By
News Editor
Activists in Oakland recently filed a ballot put forward by Dave Hodges seeking to legalise safe and legal access to psychedelics for therapeutic uses.
In the face of critics, Hodges has said now is the time for safe access to psychedelics.
The Psychedelic Wellness & Healing Initiative would enable the sale, possession and use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes if passed. Psychedelics that would be allowed under the ballot include Psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, and Mescaline.
If passed, the initiative would give doctors and mental health specialists the right to recommend psychedelics to ease the debilitating symptoms of a range of problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, addiction, suicidality and traumatic brain injury (TBI), among others.
Hodges has said: “Now is the time for safe, controlled medical access for patients in need. The way to solve the problem is not by continuing to ignore it.”
Hodges’ solution is to create a structure for use that includes proper dosages and access to experts who can help users benefit from appropriate treatment.
The updated initiative language emphasises safety, and gives doctors and mental health specialists the right to recommend psychedelics to ease the debilitating symptoms of a range of conditions.
Research by the University of Michigan and Columbia University shows non-LSD hallucinogenic use on the rise and Hodges has stated that increase means that the initiative providing guidelines for use is needed more than ever.
Hodges said he hopes Californians will read the initiative, share their thoughts about it over the holiday week and offer feedback via the initiative website, PW4CA.com, by 27 November, 2023, the deadline for modifications.
“Now is the time to provide medical and therapeutic access to psychedelics,” Hodges said. “The way to do this is through the initiative.”
Policy
Transform Drugs releases groundbreaking book: How to regulate psychedelics

Published
2 weeks agoon
15th November 2023
UK charity Transform Drug Policy Foundation has published a new book ‘How to Regulate Psychedelics: A Practical Guide’ that sets out how psychedelics can be legalised and regulated for non-medical adult use.
While an increasing amount of research is pointing to the potentially beneficial effects of psychedelic treatment on mental health conditions, many people across the globe are using psychedelics outside of the clinical setting.
The book includes a set of proposals for post-prohibition policies, covering psychedelics including psilocybin, LSD, DMT and Mescaline.
Previously, Transform’s guides on regulating stimulants and cannabis have been used to advise governments around the world on drug policy. This book seeks to inform the debates on psychedelic drug reforms taking place across the world.
Co-author and Public Affairs and Policy Manager at Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Ester Kincová, stated: “Despite psychedelic drugs being illegal, their non-medical use within society has been steadily increasing.
“Punitive enforcement has not decreased use or eliminated supply, but it has made use more unsafe.
“Legalising and regulating psychedelics is a pragmatic move to reduce harm. This is no longer a theoretical debate, states in the US are already recognising the need and making moves to regulate for non-medical adult use.”
Scientific Chair of Drug Science, Professor David Nutt, added: “Once again Transform have come up with a well thought out and practical plan for the regulation of another group of currently illegal drugs – in this case psychedelics.
“Their ideas would be both easy to implement and to engage with and will, if adopted, radically enhance the safe use of these remarkable agents.”
Proposals for regulation
The book includes a four-tiered regulation model “that attempts to manage the variety of psychedelic preparations and the different ways in which they are used”.
These include:
- Private use, home cultivation, foraging and not-for-profit sharing.
- Membership-based non-for-profit associations for plant-based products.
- Licensed production and retail adaptable to different products and environments
- Regulated commercial guided or supervised use
Additionally, a decriminalisation model is proposed which suggests that possession for personal use should no longer be an offence of any kind or be subject to any sanctions; Drugs for personal use should not be confiscated; cultivation of small amounts of plant-based drugs for personal use should be decriminalised, among other suggestions.
The book also includes topics such as embedding social justice, equity and human rights into policy design, how to think about psychedelics regulation, why regulate psychedelics and why now, and psychedelics and the UN drug treaties.
To read the book, please visit transformdrugs.org/.
Policy
Oakland ballot seeks to legalise medical psychedelics

Published
1 month agoon
30th October 2023By
News Editor
Activists in Oakland have filed a ballot that seeks to legalise safe and legal access to psychedelics for therapeutic uses.
The Psychedelic Wellness & Healing Initiative would enable the sale, possession and use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes if passed. Psychedelics that would be allowed under the ballot include Psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, and Mescaline.
If passed, the initiative would give doctors and mental health specialists the right to recommend psychedelics to ease the debilitating symptoms of a range of problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, addiction, suicidality and traumatic brain injury (TBI), among others.
Additionally, it would create a statewide framework for regulating the possession, use, cultivation and production of substances for medical and therapeutic use.
The initiative has been introduced by proponent and founder of the Oakland-based Church of Ambrosia, Dave Hodges, to the California Attorney General’s office for the 2024 ballot, and will need 546,651 valid signatures to qualify.
The filing follows California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent veto of Senate Bill 58, the bill that sought to decriminalise the use of certain psychedelic drugs.
Hodges emphasised that SB58 would have been a step forward, but that it had major flaws concerning its lack of provisions to ensure access, public safety and quality control. That veto, Hodges said, compelled him to move quickly on the initiative filing.
When the California Attorney General certifies the initiative for circulation, backers will have about four and a half months to gather the required signatures for ballot placement.
Signature collecting will begin in early December.
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