On December 6, 2022, the Sebastopol City Council unanimously approved and adopted the Surveillance Technology and Community Safety ordinance proposed by the Sonoma County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California in collaboration with Chief Ron Nelson of the Sebastopol Police Department. Sebastopol is the […]
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by Omar Figueroa October 6, 2022 United States President Joe Biden announced today a Statement on Marijuana Reform which included the mass pardon of thousands of persons convicted of the federal offense of simple possession of cannabis. President Biden also urged state Governors to follow his lead by issuing mass […]
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By Lauren Mendelsohn August 15, 2022 Last week, Senate Bill 519 — which would have removed criminal penalties from certain activities associated with LSD, psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, mescaline, ibogaine, and MDMA — was amended and gutted of all meaningful parts in a hearing before the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week. […]
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by Omar Figueroa April 2, 2022 On April 1, 2022, the United States House of Representatives passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act with a bipartisan majority and a decisive margin of 220-204. This is the second time that the MORE Act has made it through the House. […]
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By Lauren Mendelsohn and Omar Figueroa July 20, 2021 There are at least two efforts underway in California to decriminalize psilocybin, the active compound in “magic mushrooms,” and at least one to decriminalize various other psychedelic substances. This post will provide a quick update as to the current status […]
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by Omar Figueroa July 14, 2021 United States Senators Cory Booker, Ron Wyden, and Chuck Schumer have released their long-awaited federal legalization bill, the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act. The text of the discussion draft can be found here, and a summary can be found here. The Senate’s 163-page Cannabis […]
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By Transactional Attorney Daniel Dellafosse June 18, 2021 On May 28, 2021, the “Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021” (the “MORE Act of 2021”) was introduced in the United States Congress. Senior Associate Attorney Lauren Mendelsohn wrote a brief blog post describing a few key details […]
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by Lauren Mendelsohn May 28, 2021 Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced the “Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2021” (the “MORE Act of 2021”) in the United States Congress. The MORE Act of 2021 is a landmark bill, as it would legalize cannabis nationwide. The MORE […]
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January 14, 2021 by Omar Figueroa California has been at the forefront of psychedelic policy change for years. In 2019, the City of Oakland became “the first in the nation to decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca.” More recently, on November 15, 2020, […]
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January 11, 2021 by Omar Figueroa 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or “Ecstasy” as it is colloquially known, has been the focus of intense research in recent years. For example, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced that the Food and Drug Administration has designated MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) […]
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