As a child in northern New Jersey, Luz experienced domestic violence over a number of years. She never got to know her father, who, she says, was a casualty of the war on drugs. As an adult, she was barely aware of how these childhood experiences had shaped her, making it hard to trust people or initiate meaningful relationships. Psilocybin changed that. It really awakened me to the constructs that my body and my mind had created to protect me, the things I had to learn to do to survive that emotionally, she says.
Now, Luz wants to make this kind of awakening accessible to more people. She helps to lead a group called Decriminalize Nature Seattle, which hopes to forge a path to legalizing psychedelic drugs in Washington state. (The group is part of a national network and is unrelated to the police divestment group Decriminalize Seattle.) The groups first step? Passing a resolution through the Seattle City Council to make three plant-derived psychedelics, or entheogens ayahuasca, psilocybin and ibogaine the lowest priority for law enforcement.
Its a strategy thats worked before. In 2003, Seattle voters passed an initiative making adult marijuana possession the lowest law enforcement priority. Less than a decade later, in 2012, Washington became the first state to fully legalize the recreational use of marijuana.
Were now in something of a moment for drug decriminalization. Last year, Oregon voters approved a measure that reclassifies possession of a controlled substance as a minor violation and steers drug users toward health services rather than punishment. Just last month, the Washington Supreme Courts stunning decision in State v.Blake struck down the state law that criminalizes drug possession, with far-reaching and still unclear ramifications. Legislators are now debating whether to reinstate some new version of that law; Senate Bill 5476, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, borrows some elements from the Oregon measure. But advocates, including King County Equity Now, the Washington Defender Association and the Washington Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, are urging the Legislature to refrain from hastily reinstating any penalties for drug possession, pending a more thorough community process and commitments to redress the failures of the war on drugs.
Which brings us back to the Seattle shroom project. Legalizing plant-based mind benders like psilocybin and ayahuasca may sound like a pet cause for a handful of Seattles aging hippies. These drugs lack the mass market appeal of marijuana. And, unlike cocaine or opioids, theyre not tangled up with grave social problems poverty and homelessness, the drug trade and the pharmaceutical industry, policing and the criminal legal system. But proponents insist theres a lot more at stake than a fun (or not-so-fun) trip.
Were finding these psychedelic substances have incredible efficacy in treating a wide array of disorders, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, says Kody Zalewski, a medical researcher at the University of Washington working in neuroimaging. Zalewski himself does not research these drugs, but he has a long-standing interest in entheogenic medicine and serves on the executive committee of Decriminalize Nature Seattle.
Psychedelic research has a troubled history, starting soon after the synthetic hallucinogen LSD was brought to the U.S. in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw promising research into the drugs therapeutic potential, but the larger effort was a CIA-funded program investigating the use of LSD and other mind-altering drugs for psychological manipulation and espionage. Subjects included prisoners, overwhelmingly Black men, who consented to participation in return for a reduced sentence or access to highly addictive drugs like heroin. After LSD became a staple of 1960s youth counterculture, the crackdown began and research of all kinds withered after the Controlled Substances Act was enacted in 1970.
But after a 30-year freeze, the ice began to thaw. Were now 20 years into a renaissance in psychedelic research. Ever since a group of researchers at Johns Hopkins University obtained approval in 2000 to resume trials using healthy volunteers, studies have been piling up, suggesting the promise of psychedelic drugs to help people kick nicotine, alcohol and opioid addictions; treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorder; ease the existential anxiety of terminal illness; and just plain make people feel good. Last year, new research centers entirely devoted to psychedelics opened at Johns Hopkins and the University of California Berkeley.
How psychedelics work on the mind is still somewhat mysterious, but we know they activate brain receptors normally triggered by serotonin. They appear to break apart habitual patterns of neural activity which may be associated with depression or addiction and help the brain to forge new connections and become more flexible. The psychedelic experience can vary wildly with the details of a persons psychology, the specific drug and dose, the context or setting of a trip and a persons expectations. But users frequently describe something like a dissolving or transcendence of the boundaries of the self, an expanded consciousness or profound sense of connection. Thats why plants with psychedelic properties have long held a central place in some spiritual traditions the theo in entheogen means god.
Zalewski points to a 2006 study out of Johns Hopkins. Participants say that their interactions with psilocybin are some of the most meaningful experiences of their lives, up there with the birth of a firstborn child, he says. Its not the same as going down to the dispensary and picking up a joint.
Research into psychedelic drugs may be flourishing, but in the U.S. that hasnt yet translated into approval for their therapeutic, spiritual or recreational use. Branches of two Brazil-based religious groups, Unio do Vegetal and Santo Daime, won U.S. Supreme Court cases in the 2000s upholding their right to use ayahuasca for limited ceremonial purposes. But beyond that, psychedelics have not been approved for any legal use outside research. Just last month, Seattle doctor Sunil Aggarwal sued the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration after the agency denied his application to make use of psilocybin in end-of-life treatment. Dr. Aggarwal argues that psychedelics should fall under right-to-try laws that give terminally ill patients access to investigational medications; Washington state adopted such a law in 2017 and a federal Right to Try Act passed the following year. So far, the DEA disagrees.
Thats where the decriminalization movement comes in. By instructing law enforcement to effectively ignore the law, jurisdictions can indirectly greenlight the therapeutic and personal use of psychedelic drugs. In 2019, Denver became the first U.S. city to decriminalize psilocybin. Since then, at least six more cities Ann Arbor, Michigan; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Oakland, California; Santa Cruz, California; Somerville, Massachusetts; and Washington, D.C. have decriminalized a broader array of entheogens. Last fall, Oregon voters approved not only the sweeping drug decriminalization measure noted above, but also a measure that specifically legalizes the use of psilocybin for therapeutic purposes. In Washington state, a Spokane group is running an initiative to decriminalize psilocybin.
Against this background, passing a nonbinding resolution through our progressive Seattle City Council should be easy you might think. (It would be up to the mayor to transmit the instructions to law enforcement, unless the resolution is followed by an ordinance.) The greatest challenge may be simply getting their attention. Council members are accustomed to deluges of communications from hundreds or thousands of constituents, as well as pressure from powerful interest groups, on hot-button issues: for or against defunding the police, for or against taxing big business, for or against sweeping homeless people. With all the urgent crises our city is facing, will they make time for magic mushrooms?
Original post:
Opinion | Is it time for Seattle to decriminalize shrooms and psychedelics? - Crosscut
- Vermont Senate Passes Psychedelic Working Group Bill To Study How Entheogens Might Benefit Physical And Mental ... - Marijuana Moment - March 31st, 2024 [March 31st, 2024]
- Melissa Etheridge's New Book and Play Delve Into Her Son's Opioid ... - CelebStoner - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Walking the poison path: An interview with Coby Michael - The Wild Hunt - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Entheogenic drugs and the archaeological record - Wikipedia - April 14th, 2023 [April 14th, 2023]
- Learn All About The Top 10 Entheogens - Zamnesia Blog - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Entheogens and Psychedelics (including Ayahuasca, LSD, Peyote ... - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- Terence McKenna - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Enlightenment (spiritual) - Wikipedia - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Shamanism - Wikipedia - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- The History Of: Hallucinogens, Psychedelics & Entheogens - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- How Does Sound Therapy Enhance the Psychedelic Experience? - Psychedelic Spotlight - July 31st, 2022 [July 31st, 2022]
- Could we please have some consistency in our drug laws - Mail and Guardian - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Filament Health and Jaguar Health Sign Letter of Intent to Develop Botanical Prescription Drugs for Specific Mental Health Indications - Yahoo Canada... - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- 5 Next-Generation Psychedelics Entering Clinical Trials This Year - Psychedelic Spotlight - May 28th, 2022 [May 28th, 2022]
- Mental Health Startup Journey Colab Aims To Develop Mescaline As An FDA-Approved Treatment For Alcohol Use Disorder - Forbes - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- Breaking down the decrim movement: Discoveries, doubts and personal ins & outs - Aspen Daily News - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- Aztec use of entheogens - Wikipedia - March 29th, 2022 [March 29th, 2022]
- The Michigan Decriminalization of Psilocybin Mushrooms and Other Plants and Fungi Initiative Has Been Approved For Circulation As A Ballot Initiative... - February 24th, 2022 [February 24th, 2022]
- 5 Black Pioneers Combatting the Whitewashing of Psychedelics - Psychedelic Spotlight - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- From Mycophobia to Mycophilia - The McGill Daily - The McGill Daily - February 17th, 2022 [February 17th, 2022]
- Entheogens and Plant Medicine: An Introduction Microdose - Microdose Psychedelic Insights - February 9th, 2022 [February 9th, 2022]
- Schumer Gives Update On Federal Marijuana Legalization And Banking In Meeting With Equity Advocates - Marijuana Moment - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- USDA Teams Up With Cornell University For Hemp Education Webinar Series - Marijuana Moment - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- Ohio Lawmakers Will Be Forced To Consider Marijuana Legalization As State Validates Activist Signatures - Marijuana Moment - February 1st, 2022 [February 1st, 2022]
- Psilocybin: Following in the Footsteps of Cannabis Along the Path to Legality - JD Supra - January 29th, 2022 [January 29th, 2022]
- What ketamine therapy taught me about my Jewish intergenerational trauma - Forward - January 29th, 2022 [January 29th, 2022]
- Debunking Myths and Misconceptions of the Psychedelics Industry - Rolling Stone - January 9th, 2022 [January 9th, 2022]
- What are you most excited for in Washtenaw County in 2022? - Concentrate - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- Looking Into The Florida Bill That Proposes Decriminalization Of Psychedelics (And Every Other Illegal Dr - Benzinga - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- The Wisdom of Agnosticism - The Humanist - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- What Are Psychedelic Drugs (Hallucinogenics)? | Leafly - November 28th, 2021 [November 28th, 2021]
- Cannabis & Marijuana Education: Learn All About Weed | Leafly - November 28th, 2021 [November 28th, 2021]
- Vex - Destinypedia, the Destiny wiki - November 11th, 2021 [November 11th, 2021]
- Seattle City Council wants to decriminalize 'magic ... - November 11th, 2021 [November 11th, 2021]
- Tonight at 11: The unseen side of magic mushrooms, from moms to home growers - KIRO Seattle - November 11th, 2021 [November 11th, 2021]
- Guide to Entheogens: Plants, Therapy, Medicine - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- What are entheogens and which are the best ones - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- An upcoming election, pay requirement, and holiday, this week - KUOW News and Information - October 30th, 2021 [October 30th, 2021]
- Congressman Says He'll Bring The Psychedelics Reform Movement To Capitol Hill 'This Year' - Marijuana Moment - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- From Cannabis MSO To Drug Development: Goodness Growth Wants To Understand Traditional Psychedelics Use - - Benzinga - September 16th, 2021 [September 16th, 2021]
- Jarvis Brookfield on his psychedelic paintings, dream-like states and what it means to be human - Creative Boom - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Oregon Psilocybin Panel Teams Up With Harvard To Research Psychedelic History And Impacts Of Reform - Marijuana Moment - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- National Hemp Association Asks Congress To Budget $1 Billion To Support Industry Innovation - Marijuana Moment - September 12th, 2021 [September 12th, 2021]
- Psychedelic Drug Therapy: Tips and Support for the Experience - Greatist - August 28th, 2021 [August 28th, 2021]
- University of Michigan police say safety will be top priority at psychedelic shroom festival - MLive.com - August 22nd, 2021 [August 22nd, 2021]
- Two Years After Oakland's Psychedelic Decrim, What's Been the Impact? - Filter - August 4th, 2021 [August 4th, 2021]
- Psychedelics Decriminalization Advancing In Three More Cities, Spanning From Coast To Coast - Marijuana Moment - August 4th, 2021 [August 4th, 2021]
- Witch City Tarot & Divination Gathering | Coby Michael Ward - Patheos - July 29th, 2021 [July 29th, 2021]
- With Push From New Nonprofit, Arcata City Council Will Soon Consider a Resolution That Would Decriminalize Psychedelic Plants and Fungi in Arcata -... - July 7th, 2021 [July 7th, 2021]
- Group Hopes to Decriminalize Entheogens (Psychoactive Plant Substances) Within Arcata City Limits Redheaded Blackbelt - Redheaded Blackbelt - July 5th, 2021 [July 5th, 2021]
- Winners of Columbia@Roundabout's 2021 New Play Reading Series Announced - Broadway World - June 24th, 2021 [June 24th, 2021]
- Biden said he'd cut down on unemployment benefits, but he really might reinstate a pre-pandemic job-seeking policy The Madison Leader Gazette - The... - May 11th, 2021 [May 11th, 2021]
- The psychedelic revolution is coming. Psychiatry may never be the same - bdnews24.com - May 11th, 2021 [May 11th, 2021]
- Native Tribes Should Have More Say in the Psychedelic Movement - Green Entrepreneur - April 29th, 2021 [April 29th, 2021]
- Red Light Holland and Headland West Indies Lead #SVGStrong, a Relief Effort in St. Vincent and the Grenadines - InvestorIntel - April 29th, 2021 [April 29th, 2021]
- Jews, Christians, and Muslims Are Reclaiming Ancient Psychedelic Practices, And That Could Help With Legalization - Rolling Stone - April 25th, 2021 [April 25th, 2021]
- Psychedelic Experience launches new website to help navigate the world of psychedelics - PRNewswire - April 25th, 2021 [April 25th, 2021]
- Zide Door Oaklands Church of Entheogenic Plants - April 15th, 2021 [April 15th, 2021]
- Following Local Successes, Cambridge State Rep. Puts Forward Bills on Controlled Substance Reform | News - Harvard Crimson - March 29th, 2021 [March 29th, 2021]
- The Potential (and Peril) of Legalizing Psychedelics - Progressive.org - January 1st, 2021 [January 1st, 2021]
- Oakland continues move to protect entheogen plants - The Leaf Online - September 18th, 2020 [September 18th, 2020]
- The Only Obstacle To A Healthy World Is Government Secrecy And Propaganda - Scoop.co.nz - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- There's More to the CHOP Than What the Media Will Have You Believe - Study Breaks - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Entheogens | Sacred Geometry - June 15th, 2020 [June 15th, 2020]
- Entheogen - Wikipedia - May 4th, 2020 [May 4th, 2020]
- The Return Trip: Psychedelics may come back from the abyss of illegality - Valley Advocate - November 23rd, 2019 [November 23rd, 2019]
- How San Francisco's Summer of Love sparked religious movements - The Oakland Press - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Outside the Box - HuffPost - August 13th, 2017 [August 13th, 2017]
- 'Summer of Love' shaped American lives, spiritual expression - Houston Chronicle - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- The Summer of Love was more than hippies and LSD it was the start of modern individualism - The Independent - July 24th, 2017 [July 24th, 2017]
- How San Francisco's Summer of Love sparked today's religious movements - Religion News Service - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- The Poisoner: Pharmakos and Veneficus-Poisoner's Apothecary - Patheos (blog) - July 19th, 2017 [July 19th, 2017]
- The Summer of Love was more than hippies and LSD it was the start of modern individualism - Metro Newspaper UK - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- The Summer of Love was more than hippies and LSD it was the ... - The Conversation UK - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- Entheogen - PsychonautWiki - July 1st, 2017 [July 1st, 2017]
- The History and Possibilities of Putting Weed in Your Witchcraft - Seattle Weekly - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- Entheogens : Al-Kemi : spagyrics and alchemy - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Virtual Reality Takes Consciousness Research into Mystic Realms of the Divine Play - The Sociable - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Entheogen - June 15th, 2017 [June 15th, 2017]
- Entheogens | Drug War Facts - June 5th, 2017 [June 5th, 2017]