The Law Offices of Omar Figueroa is a boutique California law firm focusing on cannabis law. We fight for justice and human rights, and advocate passionately for our clients every step of the way.
by Omar Figueroa & Lauren Mendelsohn July 9, 2024 California has been at the forefront of psychedelic policy change for years. In 2019, the City of Oakland became “the first in the nation to decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca.” Similarly, in early 2020, […]
February 21, 2024 By Lauren Mendelsohn Psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy have shown promising results in treating PTSD, depression, and various other conditions. Because of this, over the past few years, a number of jurisdictions across the country have taken steps to deprioritize enforcement of criminal laws prohibiting psychedelics. However, even […]
January 22, 2024 By Lauren Mendelsohn In a letter dated January 2, 2024, an agent at the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) confirmed that “magic mushroom” spores are legal under US Federal law and are not controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act (“CSA”) – at least while they […]
October 7, 2023 Today, in a major upset to drug policy reformers, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 58, a landmark piece of legislation that would have legalized certain activities involving a set list of psychedelic substances (including psilocybin, psilocyn, spores capable of producing “magic mushrooms,” DMT, and […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn September 14, 2023 California Senate Bill 58 (SB 58), which removes criminal penalties from some activities involving certain psychedelic substances, has passed through both the state Senate and Assembly, and is now sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk. We previously discussed SB 58 in detail here. However, the […]
by Omar Figueroa and Lauren Mendelsohn May 25, 2023 Introduction In a significant stride toward progressive drug policies, California Senate Bill 58 (which we will abbreviate here as “SB 58”) is making waves as it advanced out of the Senate and into the Assembly on May 24, 2023. We previously […]
by Omar Figueroa March 27, 2023 California has been at the forefront of psychedelic policy change for years. In 2019, the City of Oakland became “the first in the nation to decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics such as psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca.” Similarly, in early 2020, city leaders in […]
by Andrew Kingsdale January 23, 2023 Alice in Wonderland statute in New York City’s Central Park Two recent developments in New York—a new law on the books, and a revamped decriminalization bill—have laid the groundwork for legal psychedelics in the state. First, on December 23, 2022, Governor Hochul signed into […]
By Lauren Mendelsohn December 29, 2022 2022 was a significant year for cannabis, hemp, and psychedelics policy in California. We’ve summarized some of the key events below. CANNABIS Legislative Victories in Sacramento A number of cannabis-related bills were adopted in 2022 by the State legislature, which will bring about […]
by Omar Figueroa December 17, 2022 California State Senator Scott Wiener has reintroduced a bill for the 2023-2024 Legislative Session to decriminalize certain psychedelics under California law. Senate Bill 58 has significant legislative support, and is co-authored by Assemblymembers Ash Kalra (D-San Jose), Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley), Matt Haney (D-San […]