Psilocybin decriminalization in the United States
[4] In the United States, it is federally classified as a Schedule I controlled substance that has "no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
[7][8] In February 2019, Troy Farah of Wired reported on two grassroots movements in Oregon and the city of Denver, Colorado, that were pushing for the decriminalization of psilocybin.
[10] American author Michael Pollan, writing for The New York Times, criticized the movement for being a premature push, "before the researchers have completed their work".
Pollan acknowledged the low risks of the drug's use, but cited a survey that nearly eight percent of people needed psychiatric treatment after experiencing a bad trip.
[6] His end goal however is legalization not just for psilocybin therapy: "I look forward to the day when psychedelic medicines like psilocybin, having proven their safety and efficacy in F.D.A.-approved trials, will take their legal place in society, not only in mental health care but in the lives of people dealing with garden-variety unhappiness or interested in spiritual exploration and personal growth."
In May 2018, President Donald Trump signed the Right to Try Act, with certain doctors suggesting that it allows terminally ill patients to use psychedelics for treatment.
[5] Advocates have also claimed that decriminalization would redirect law enforcement's attention and limited resources from policing private psychedelic usage, to higher priorities affecting the general public (e.g. violent crime).
[14] In May 2019, Denver, Colorado, became the first city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms after a ballot initiative narrowly won with 50.6% of the vote.
It decriminalizes psilocybin drugs, which are psychedelics including magic mushrooms, ayahuasca, and mescaline, making arrests for their possession or use the lowest priority for DC police.
[22] That same month, the City Council of Somerville, Massachusetts, voted unanimously to decriminalize the possession of entheogenic plants, including psilocybin mushrooms and ibogaine.
[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] In October 2021, the City Council of Seattle, Washington, and Arcata, California, voted unanimously to deprioritize enforcing entheogen prohibition.
It decriminalizes the possession, growing, and sharing of five psychedelics for personal use: psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, for those aged 21-years-old and over.
The initiative will also legalize "healing centers" that are licensed by the state's Department of Regulatory Agencies, where those aged 21 and over can buy, consume, and take psychedelics under supervision.
[52] In October 2023, 'Massachusetts for Mental Health Options' received approval from the state attorney general to pursue a ballot initiative for the 2024 elections.
[69] In January 2020, a Vermont state lawmaker, along with three other co-sponsors, introduced a bill to decriminalize psilocybin, peyote, ayahuasca, and kratom.
[75][76] In November 2020, California Senator Scott Wiener introduced a bill to decriminalize psychedelics such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and LSD.
[92][93][94] A bill introduced in May, 2024, by New York State Representative Amy Paulin would allow people 18 and older to undergo a health screening, take an educational course, and pass a test to obtain a permit to grow mushrooms or purchase psilocybin from licensed vendors.
[95] In November 2024, Massachusetts voters rejected a law proposed by initiative petition that would have legalized the possession and personal cultivation of certain naturally occurring psychedelics for people over the age of 21.
[99] An October 2019 online poll conducted by research firm Green Horizons found that 38 percent of U.S. adults supported legalizing psilocybin "under at least some circumstances.
