SLOW YOUR ROLL — Democratic lawmakers are pushing to expand drug access, but Gov. Gavin Newsom is on a cautious streak. Newsom, who in the past was a leading champion of legalizing recreational marijuana, has this year rejected legislation that would allow cannabis cafes and decriminalize psychedelics. His vetoes come as the fentanyl crisis has piled additional scrutiny on the governor and as he backs efforts to reduce overdoses, which last year accounted for nearly 7,000 fatalities in California and hit a record across the nation. Earlier this year the governor deployed the California Highway Patrol to San Francisco, an epicenter of the drug crisis. Over the summer he doubled the number of officers in the city and bolstered the number of California National Guard service members stationed at the state’s border with Mexico. In addition to passing several measures related to education and prevention, the governor also signed Assembly Bill 701, by Carlos Villapudua, to increase criminal penalties for fentanyl dealers — one of the few punitive measures to make it out of the Legislature. Newsom’s more cautious approach to decriminalization has disappointed progressive allies. Last year he rejected a bill that would’ve allowed safe drug injection sites, saying he was concerned that it lacked “strong, engaged local leadership and well-documented, vetted, and thoughtful operational and sustainability plans.†The governor hit a similar note over the weekend in vetoing state Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill to decriminalize magic mushrooms, suggesting that he would reconsider such a measure if the state set up regulated treatment guidelines around dosing and underlying psychoses. In a conversation last month with POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago, Newsom also suggested he was concerned as a parent. “I’m also mindful of the anxiety and stress that’s out there,†he said of psychedelics. Another proposal this year from San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney would have paved the way for “cannabis cafes,†a concept popularized in places like Amsterdam that allows retailers to sell non-cannabis food and drink at authorized consumption lounges. The governor said that he appreciated that it could have provided cannabis retailers with increased business opportunities, but that he was “concerned this bill could undermine California's long-standing smoke-free workplace protections.†That explanation didn’t seem to fly for Haney, who in a statement said voters in 2016 already authorized the smoking of cannabis in licensed dispensaries. “Without onsite smoking being allowed in dispensaries, it would be functionally illegal for anyone other than homeowners and their guests to smoke cannabis in California,†he said. IT’S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check of California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to [email protected] or send a shout on Twitter. DMs are open.
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