It’s Official: Denver Will Vote To Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms Later This Year

By Mayukh Saha / Truth Theory

Denver, with its liberal drug attitude, is trying to go in favor of the people of the city yet again. It has legalized cannabis for a long time now and has been referred to as the model of liberal policies when it comes to drug legalization. This time, they have turned their focus to psilocybin mushrooms, or as they are referred to on the streets, “the magic mushrooms”. Use and storage of this product had been a criminal offence all over the States but now, Denver seems to be the first country that is trying to lift this ban.

Firstly, what is the problem with these mushrooms? Well, this brand of mushrooms has psilocybin, a substance which can cause you to trip. It is a psychedelic substance and has similar effects as LSD, except that it is less potent. It is because of this chemical substance that the mushroom has been put as a Schedule I narcotic, and thereby, it has been criminalized. However, the question stands: is it really a harmful drug? According to certain studies, this weak drug does have psychedelic effects but it does not have the long-lasting impact that drugs like cocaine have on the brain. In fact, it can have a positive effect on people who are suffering from depression. These mushrooms can also help with pain management.

Kevin Matthews remains a living proof of this. He is a campaign manager who is fighting for decriminalizing the drug, and he shared his own story. According to him, in the previous month, the mushrooms had helped break his depressive cycle and also managed pain. It is proof enough that the drug has medicinal benefits. It will also help on a sociological level. Many people are put into prison for such insignificant offenses like dealing with this weak drug. If this decriminalization process becomes successful, then, there will be a lower incarceration rate for these minor offences.

Considering all these factors, the May ballot might see a major change in laws. A voting process will take place to find out whether the public wants mushrooms to be decriminalized in the city or not, as per the Denver Channel. Petitions were signed and about 5,500 people voted for such an election to happen. Now, the Denver Elections Division has certified the petition and we are looking forward to another historical moment in Denver.

According to Joe Szuszwalak, who works in the Denver Elections Division, the petition, which had been submitted by the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative, had enough signatures making it eligible to be put on the ballot. It will be taking place on the 7th of May, 2019 – so, you should all mark that in red!

Denver Psilocybin Initiative will be categorizing any kind of possession of the drugs or any personal use of the drug as a lowest law-enforcement priority, as stated in the KDVR. So, the police will be only bothered if something terrible happens, and also, there will be less incarceration rate if it can be successfully passed. So, this policy will only have benefits on all ends – social as well as health.

We really need to enlarge our understanding about drugs and try to categorize them properly based on their potential to cause us harm. As of now, it seems that, like cannabis, shrooms are also one of those weak and harmless drugs that have been put under the ‘criminal’ tag for no specific reason. The problem with such a kind of criminalization is that, firstly, there cannot be much research done on them, and secondly, it creates harmless criminals. And we don’t really want that to happen, do we?

IMAGE CREDIT: 123RF