The California legislature has approved a bill meant to streamline the processing of applications to study psychedelics and marijuana, sending it to the governor.
While advocates have experienced a series of setbacks in the push to provide legal access to certain psychedelics over the past several sessions, lawmakers have now successfully advanced AB 2841, with the Assembly concurring with Senate amendments and voting on final approval last week.
The legislation from Assemblymember Marie Waldron (R) is meant to help clear a logjam of psychedelics study applications overseen by the Research Advisory Panel of California (RAPC), which has almost 70 pending proposals.
The body hasn’t met since last August following a policy change that prevented it from holding closed-door meetings. Members decided to suspend their activities because they’re prohibited under existing law from publicly disclosing applicants’ trade secrets and other confidential information.
To resolve the issue, the bill would reauthorize the panel to carry out their duties in closed-door meetings, freeing them up to process the backlog.
“While there is still much more work to be done in the legislature to expedite psychedelic research and advance the rapid development of psychedelic medicine in California, this is a victory well worth celebrating,”
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