If you own or operate a small business, chances are you’ve encountered municipal red tape at some point. A permit delayed with few explanations. A zoning issue that threatens your expansion. A compliance notice that puts your livelihood at risk. When a local board of health, zoning board, or planning commission pushes back, the process can feel intimidating, confusing, and stacked against you.

In a significant shift in drug policy, Massachusetts lawmakers recently voted to advance legislation that would legalize and regulate psilocybin therapy, a move focused explicitly on “therapeutic access for veterans, first responders, and other qualifying patients”. This development marks one of the first times a state legislature has formally embraced psychedelics not just as a criminal justice or decriminalization issue, but as a clinical tool for mental health care. 

Social consumption was contemplated early, and the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) later incorporated it into regulations. However, local “opt-in” authority became the legal bottleneck. As the CCC has explained, changes in state law in 2022 were necessary to allow cities and towns to authorize on-site consumption in the first place.