16 votes

Oakland in California decriminalizes magic mushrooms and peyote

4 comments

  1. [4]
    alyaza
    Link
    this, as the article notes, makes oakland the second city in america to decriminalize magic mushrooms after denver did so about a month ago. some interesting bits about oakland's specific...

    this, as the article notes, makes oakland the second city in america to decriminalize magic mushrooms after denver did so about a month ago. some interesting bits about oakland's specific recommendations, which were added because this was advanced by city council instead of put on a ballot like denver's was:

    Oakland councilman Loren Taylor added several amendments to the resolution offering guidance for users, which were accepted by the council.
    They included suggestions that adults who chose to use hallucinogenic fungi begin with very small amounts so that they can see how they react before they use larger amounts. Another was that users seek expert guidance and consider having a trusted friend with them who is sober during their journey.

    also, there's already movement in other states on this issue, although i'm unsure how serious these efforts will be:

    There are also efforts underway in Oregon to put the decriminalization of mushrooms on that state’s 2020 ballot.
    In Iowa, Republican state Rep. Jeff Shipley is supporting a mushroom bill in the state’s legislature.

    6 votes
    1. mwksl
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      This is something fascinating to me, as both a teetotaler and someone struggling on-and-off with depression & anxiety. I’m hoping we see some more concrete results to compare against clinical...

      This is something fascinating to me, as both a teetotaler and someone struggling on-and-off with depression & anxiety. I’m hoping we see some more concrete results to compare against clinical trials and find more treatment options for those of us battling mental health issues. If there is value in these psychedelic substances as medicine, I look forward to finding out!

      3 votes
    2. [2]
      Deimos
      Link Parent
      It's definitely an aside, but do you know what makes this a city-level decision, when I don't think other drug law changes were? For example, marijuana seems to get decriminalized or legalized at...

      It's definitely an aside, but do you know what makes this a city-level decision, when I don't think other drug law changes were? For example, marijuana seems to get decriminalized or legalized at a state or federal level (like here in Canada), but now this is happening in individual cities. Is there a particular reason for that, or am I misunderstanding something?

      3 votes
      1. alyaza
        Link Parent
        i think it's mostly because you'd never get something like psilocybin decriminalized at the state level right now. even in denver, which is a pretty liberal city, decriminalization only passed...

        i think it's mostly because you'd never get something like psilocybin decriminalized at the state level right now. even in denver, which is a pretty liberal city, decriminalization only passed 51-48. drug reform usually begins at the city level anyways, though. the legalization of medical marijuana in most US states for example was preceded by cities like san francisco and oakland changing their policy toward marijuana, which then eventually snowballed into marijuana advocates getting Proposition 215 on the ballot in 1996 and california becoming the first state to make medical marijuana legal, followed thereafter by a wave of US states, another wave of decriminalization in cities, a second wave of states legalizing it, and then some states outright making recreational marijuana legal and not just medical marijuana.

        3 votes