Northampton becomes fifth city to approve a resolution to support Question 4, the ballot question seeking to establish access to natural psychedelic medicines in Massachusetts 

BOSTON, MA, October 18, 2024 – Yesterday, Northampton passed a resolution to support Question 4 on the November ballot, which would approve and regulate psychedelic-assisted therapy in Massachusetts. Councilors Rachel Maiore and Jeremy Dubs introduced the resolution making Northampton the fifth Massachusetts city to endorse Question 4. Somerville, Cambridge, Medford, and Easthampton have also passed a resolution to support the measure. If passed, Question 4 will help veterans with PTSD, patients with end-of-life anxiety, and others who are suffering from complex mental health challenges. 

“We need to be doing more to help those who are battling mental health challenges,” Councilor Maiore said. “We owe it to our neighbors, families, and veterans to ensure they have every available option for recovery, especially when so many are struggling in silence. That’s why we are proud to approve a resolution to support Question 4, so we can move towards healing and providing those that have continued to struggle with their mental health options that may have not been available otherwise.”

“Pioneering research shows that natural psychedelics can be effective in managing treatment-resistant depression and other forms of mental illness,” Councilor Dubs said. “In 2021, Northampton City Council passed a resolution that supported the decriminalizing and regulation of psychedelic plants for therapeutic purposes. Through Question 4, we can create a regulatory framework for psychedelic-assisted therapy in which we can facilitate safe, regulated access to these promising treatments for our residents. We are proud to be among the progressive cities in Massachusetts that are speaking out in support of Question 4.”

The current options for treating mental health issues are limited and often aren’t helpful to veterans with PTSD and patients confronting end-of-life anxiety. Veterans are facing a PTSD crisis. More than 6,000 veterans die by suicide each year and countless more struggle with the trauma from their service. Current laws and medical practice allow dying patients to access medications for physical pain but offer little to address the mental suffering that is part of an end-of-life diagnosis.

Question 4 would allow adults 21 years and older to access natural psychedelic substances whose tremendous therapeutic potential in mental health has been attested to by leading medical research institutions such as Mass General and Johns Hopkins. In fact, the FDA recently called psilocybin a “breakthrough therapy” for treatment-resistant depression – meaning that it may demonstrate a substantial improvement over what’s currently available. Retail sales will not be permitted through this ballot question.