Firm attorney Joshua S. Bauchner, Chair of the Cannabis and Psychedelics Practice Group, served as the principal author of a pro-bono amicus curiae brief filed on behalf of NORML in support of Petitioners in Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, MD, PhD; Advanced Integrative Medical Science Institute, PLLC v. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Anne Milgram in Her Official Capacity as Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; and Merrick Garland in His Official Capacity as Attorney General, No. 22-178, in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

The brief cautions the federal government against allowing history to repeat itself, providing a historical account of NORML’s efforts to decriminalize cannabis for medicinal purposes for the past half-century and the never-ending efforts of the federal government to delay, resist, and obstruct the progress of science and medicine. While the federal government is unlikely to learn any lessons from the past, NORML hopes that this Court will acknowledge and heed the legal and procedural lessons learned from those past administrative petition litigations so that innocent dying patients – who are the true victims of the government’s misbehavior – are not denied readily available medicine.

Oral argument on the application is scheduled for Friday, October 20 2023.

Efforts to decriminalize and legalize the use of psilocybin (colloquially known as “hallucinogenic mushrooms”) for medical, recreational, and scientific purposes has been advancing rapidly. In the State of New Jersey, the potential passage of the “Psilocybin Behavioral Health Access and Services Act” (the “Psilocybin Behavioral Act”), introduced by Senate President, Nick Scutari in June of 2022 would see such legalization and sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms in New Jersey businesses and medical facilities, similar to the State’s recent success in recreational cannabis facilities. If passed, the Psilocybin Behavioral Act would authorize the production of psilocybin for therapeutic use under a controlled environment, and decriminalize and expunge past convictions for certain psilocybin related conduct, including possession.

Although the Psilocybin Behavioral Act posits itself as mental health, rather than revenue generation for the State, it does take some inspiration from the current Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (“CREAMM”) Act. Specifically, applicants will be eligible to pursue four different types of licenses, including, a psilocybin product manufacturer, psilocybin service center operator, psilocybin testing laboratory, and psilocybin service facilitator, as well as a psilocybin worker permit.

You can read the full brief here.