Santa Cruz, California city council members have voted unanimously for the decriminalization of all-natural psychedelic plants, which are currently on the federal governments Schedule I list of banned substances.
The vote was passed on Tuesday, January 28th and will now list entheogens as the lowest law enforcement priority for police. Entheogens are known to mainly come from a plant origin with psychoactive properties that are used for spiritual or religious purposes.
Included on the list are psilocybin (magic mushrooms), peyote, and ayahuasca. All of these plants have long been considered to have medicinal properties.
Sean Cutler, co-leader of Decriminalize Santa Cruz commented on the new ruling, which also comes with an agreement that no city resources will be used for investigations or arrests towards anyone with the plants or fungi to anyone ages 21 or older:
Property rights dictate that individuals should have complete control over their own bodies and the substances they choose to put in their bodies. This resolution guaranteed that police can no longer steal entheogens from Santa Cruz residents who are personally using the substances.
Currently, nearly one hundred similar Decriminalize Nature movements are going on across the country. Last May, Denver, Colorado, became the first city to decriminalize psilocybin, and Oakland, California, followed suit and became the second city to do so. Other cities working toward this goal include Dallas, Texas, and Washington D.C.
This is not only happening at a local level but state levels as well. California and Oregon are both in the process of making this happen at a state level. Vermont also recently filed a bill that would decriminalize several psychedelics.
State representatives across the country are now getting on board, realizing that these plants have been used for thousands of years in healing ceremonies.
This free episode of Psychedelica talks about how different psychedelics affect our consciousness.
New studies are also lending a hand backed by scientific research and the benefits these plants have on our minds. The U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) recent approval for stage 2 psilocybin clinical trials to treat Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) at the Usona Institute is one example of this.
Last year Johns Hopkins University in Maryland opened the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. This new facility is the largest of its kind in the country and will study how different psychedelics can be used to treat many different conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Alzheimer’s, alcohol and nicotine addictions, and even Lyme disease. The center will also be investigating creativity and wellbeing, and how psychedelics can help advance humanity.
The more evidence that is compiled supporting the healing properties of entheogens and psychedelic plants, the more likely this will become more widespread across the country and hopefully the world.
