{"id":2443882,"date":"2019-05-07T13:52:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T19:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=305380"},"modified":"2019-05-07T13:52:40","modified_gmt":"2019-05-07T19:52:40","slug":"denver-holds-magic-mushroom-decriminalization-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/denver-holds-magic-mushroom-decriminalization-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver holds \u2018magic mushroom\u2019 decriminalization vote"},"content":{"rendered":"
A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles on Monday, May 6, 2019. Voters decide this week whether Denver will become the first U.S. city to decriminalize the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in “magic mushrooms.”<\/strong>
AP?Richard Vogel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DENVER \u2014 Voters on Tuesday were deciding whether to make Denver the first U.S. city to decriminalize psilocybin \u2014 the psychoactive substance in \u201cmagic mushrooms\u201d \u2014 and add a new chapter to the city\u2019s role in shaping wider drug policy.<\/p>\n

A citizen initiative on the ballot followed the same tack taken by marijuana activists to decriminalize pot possession in 2005 in the city. That move was followed by statewide legalization in 2012. A number of other states have since broadly allowed marijuana sales and use by adults.<\/p>\n

Psilocybin decriminalization campaign organizers have said their only goal is to keep people out of jail in Denver for using or possessing the drug to cope with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other conditions.<\/p>\n

The initiative would effectively decriminalize use or possession of psilocybin by people 21 and older, making it the lowest enforcement priority for police and prosecutors. The measure does not legalize psilocybin or permit its sale by cannabis businesses.<\/p>\n

Kevin Matthews, director of the Decriminalize Denver campaign, said psilocybin has helped him deal with depression for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not something you have to take every day,\u201d the 33-year-old Denver native said. \u201cIt provides a lot of lasting benefits, weeks and months after one experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Psilocybin has been outlawed in the U.S. since the 1960s, and some researchers warn that it should only be used under medical supervision and can prompt paranoia and anxiety.<\/p>\n

The federal government classifies psilocybin as a Schedule I drug, with no medical purpose and a high potential for abuse.<\/p>\n

For decades, that status has stymied research into medical uses of psilocybin, but small, closely supervised studies in recent years have found that it can help treat anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Users have described seeing vivid colors and geometric patterns, and experiencing powerful spiritual connections and emotions.<\/p>\n

Magic mushrooms have been used in religious practices for decades because of their powerful effect on perceptions and spiritual experiences. Those same effects have appealed to recreational users dating back to the 1960s counterculture movement.<\/p>\n

A California effort to decriminalize psilocybin failed to qualify for the statewide ballot in 2018. Organizers in Oregon are trying to gather enough support to put an initiative to a statewide vote next year.<\/p>\n

It took the pro-psilocybin organizers in Denver three tries to develop language approved by city officials for the ballot. They collected more than 8,000 signatures to qualify for Tuesday\u2019s election.<\/p>\n

Tyler Williams, a financial planner, enlisted a friend to take his photo outside a Denver polling place before he voted \u2018yes.\u2019 Williams worked on the campaign\u2019s initial attempts to get on the ballot, motivated by what he called a positive experience using psilocybin to manage severe depression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat option should be available to everyone, without fear,\u201d said Williams, 29. \u201cJust being able to vote for this is a huge victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Whitehead, a 44-year-old small business owner, voted no \u2014 saying he wants city officials to focus on lingering issues surrounding marijuana in the city, including a lack of businesses licensed for \u201csocial consumption\u201d where people can legally use cannabis products and disputes over how marijuana tax money is used.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still getting used to pot,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s get that figured out before we add something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock opposes the initiative along with District Attorney Beth McCann, but there has been no organized campaign against decriminalization. The city\u2019s election has largely focused on a six-way race for mayor and a heated effort to end Denver\u2019s \u201curban camping\u201d ban that affects people without housing.<\/p>\n

The proposed ordinance also would prevent city funds from being used to pursue criminal penalties on possession or use and create a panel to study the effects of the change.<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody should be penalized for this substance,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cOne arrest is too many. No person deserves this kind of treatment for a substance this safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles on Monday, May 6, 2019. Voters decide this week whether Denver will become the first U.S. city to decriminalize the use of psilocybin, the psychedelic substance in “magic mushrooms.”AP?Richard Vogel DENVER \u2014 Voters on Tuesday were deciding whether to make Denver the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2443882","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-17 19:52:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley's Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}