As California's lieutenant governor in 2016, Gavin Newsom supported Proposition 64, the ballot initiative that legalized recreational marijuana in his state. As governor, he acknowledges the "exciting" potential of "psychedelic medicines" to "address mental health." Yet Newsom dealt blows to both of those causes on the same weekend in October, vetoing bills that would have decriminalized four naturally occurring psychedelics and authorized Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés.
Senate Bill 58, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D–San Francisco), passed the California State Legislature in September by a 43–15 vote in the Assembly and a 21–14 vote in the Senate. The bill, which was similar to a groundbreaking ballot initiative that Colorado voters approved in 2022, would have eliminated criminal penalties for adults 21 or older who use psilocybin, psilocyn, mescaline, or dimethyltryptamine. In addition to possession for personal use, the bill covered noncommercial production, distribution, and transportation.
