Dear Editor,
I am a grandmother and a retired elementary school teacher, and I have twice benefitted from taking psychedelic plant medicines. That is why I’m voting Yes on Question #4.
I don’t fit the stereotype, but I was desperate for help. I have a life second to none, but it unfortunately includes dealing with a serious health issue as well as PTSD. Therapy and anti-depressants have been essential tools, but they aren’t a quick fix and don’t work well for all.
Research at Johns Hopkins, Mass General, Dana Farber, and many others gave me the courage to try the unusual treatment. I can say, unequivocally, that psilocybin (mushroom) therapy has eased my fears and made living with these challenges much more manageable. My problems haven’t gone away, but I am no longer weighed down by the fears as I once was. I have a much greater perspective now.
Question #4 will take this unique treatment out of the shadows and provide a regulated and licensed framework to make it available to others, but not through retail sales like cannabis. And the home grow portion of this ballot acknowledges the current use of these medicines by those who are desperately seeking a solution to our growing mental health crisis. Patients need the safety of being able to be open and honest with their providers.
Question 4 is compassion on the ballot. Please vote yes! www.MAforMentalHealth.org
Judi Fitts
Resident of Watertown
Judi,
You wrote, “Question #4 will take this unique treatment out of the shadows and provide a regulated and licensed framework to make it available to others, but not through retail sales like cannabis. And the home grow portion of this ballot acknowledges the current use of these medicines by those who are desperately seeking a solution to our growing mental health crisis. Patients need the safety of being able to be open and honest with their providers.”
Well said! I am a healthcare professional. I see unchecked mental health at my job. I agree and endorse your position and will follow your lead on election day.
Thank you for your letter.
Judi, while I wish nothing but the best for you and others seeking behavioral healthcare, I cannot support Question 4. If passed, the law would allow “facilitators” — that is, those assisting patients — to be licensed if they possess nothing more than “prior experience” with psychedelics. That is, you wouldn’t have to have a medical degree or social work degree before you set up shop. You would not even have to have a “professional license or professional degree.” You’d only need a license from the state to begin advising patients. Plus anyone over age 21 could grow their own mushrooms and distribute them freely (that is, without charge) to any other adult. I voted for the law that legalized marijuana, but I won’t vote for this law. If it were rewritten to allow psychedelic therapies provided ONLY by licensed medical professionals, and excluded the language allowing anyone to grown the stuff in their basements and hand it out free to friends, it would get my vote.