By Lynn Hackman, The Epoch Times
Full Article: https://www.theepochtimes.com/bill-decriminalizing-psychedelic-drugs-draws-criticism-from-orange-countys-top-cop_3778238.html
Date: April 15, 2021
“Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes is speaking out against a proposed bill that would legalize the possession and personal use of certain psychedelic drugs.
Senate Bill 519 (SB519), authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), passed the California Senate Health Committee April 14 with a vote of 6–1.
…Barnes, in an April 12 letter to Senate Health Committee chairman Richard Pan, opposed the bill.
“Drugs continue to plague California families,” Barnes said. “Drug-related deaths are increasing and the destruction caused by addiction continues to be evident on the streets of every city in our state. Those suffering from substance abuse disorder [SUD] should not be criminalized, but their addiction should not be enabled.”
The proposed bill would decriminalize certain psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, psilocyn (“shrooms”), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy”), ketamine (similar in structure to PCP), dimethyltryptamine (DMT or “Dimitri”), mescaline (excluding peyote), and ibogaine.
“The right solution to our drug problem must include a strategy that encompasses multiple components including education, treatment and enforcement,” Barnes said. “Legalizing mind-altering hallucinogenic substances does little to help those with SUD and only perpetuates the nation’s drug epidemic.”
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the drugs fall under the Schedule 1 Controlled Substances list, making them illegal to make, buy, possess, or distribute. While some cities have passed similar decriminalization laws, the drugs listed are still considered illegal under state and federal law….”
