In efforts to shield Denver residents from some of the harshest penalties on the drug class hierarchy, a local activist group amassed upwards of 9,000 signatures to decriminalize the use of psychedelic (psilocybin) mushrooms.

The advocates of Decriminalize Denver must now wait for the elections division to ensure at least 4,726 of the proposed signatures came from registered voters in order for the effort to materialize on the ballot–which is no small order considering Denver’s rejection history with similar initiatives. They have a 25-day window to do so. If the legislation passed, Denver would become the first city in US history to bump magic mushrooms down to the lowest law enforcement priority, and in turn outlaw the use of the city’s resources to pursue individuals caught with the psychedelic substance. However, magic mushrooms would remain illegal in Denver by all counts.

Decriminalize Denver bolsters their efforts with the considerable research pointing to the mental health benefits of psilocybin, which include alleviating opiod dependence, anxiety, and depression. Federal law presently classifies psilocybin in the highest schedule of illicit drugs, right alongside heroin and GHB.

Denver set a bold precedent in 2012 with its efforts to decriminalize marijuana well before statewide legalization. The city is clearly not wiping its hands of its efforts to weather the war on drugs.

h/t: CNN

Photo Credit: Andi Müller/ Flickr

Tags: colorado, Decriminalize Denver, denver, drugs, legislation, magic mushrooms, psilocybin

Categories: News