Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot measure that sought to decriminalize plant-based psychedelics like psilocybin mushrooms or ibogaine, and eventually allow centers where patients age 21 or older could take the drugs under supervision.
The Associated Press called the race just before 4 a.m. on Wednesday, with more than 56% of residents voting “no” on the measure.
The proposed law also would’ve created a five-person panel similar to the state’s Cannabis Control Commission to iron out a slew of details around how the therapeutic centers would open. Had the measure passed, the drugs would’ve been decriminalized in Massachusetts, but not under federal law.
In addition, Question 4 aimed to allow residents to possess and grow mushrooms and similar drugs within their homes, provided they locked the drugs away from children and cultivated them in rooms of approved size.
Backers of the measure argued that psychedelics hold benefits for patients with mental health conditions, and Massachusetts has long been a leader of medical research into their potential use to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Opponents of Question 4, however, maintain the measure’s passage would’ve fueled the underground market for the substances. They also said out-of-pocket costs at similar centers in other states fall between $800 to $2,500 per treatment.
Earlier polls showed voters were largely split on the measure, with older voters less open to changing the law.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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