California nearly decriminalizes psychedelics – but governor hits brakes

California will have to put more work into decriminalizing hallucinogens before Governor Gavin Newsom will sign a bill, said a statement from the governor on Saturday, announcing that the bill had been vetoed.

The rejected law, which was anticipated to take effect in 2025, would have done away with criminal penalties for people possessing natural psychedelics for personal use. It also would have required the state to form a group to study and make recommendations about the drugs’ therapeutic use.

Newsom, a Democrat who championed legalizing cannabis in 2016, said in a statement on Saturday that more needed to be done before California decriminalized the hallucinogens.