Denver has become the first US city to decriminalise psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms. A public vote on Tuesday returned a slim 51% majority in favour of changing the law. The mushrooms are still technically illegal but people aged 21 or older are now extremely unlikely to be prosecuted for using or possessing the mushrooms. Police and prosecutors will treat possession of psilocybin as the lowest priority. The city decriminalised cannabis possession in 2005 and the rest of Colorado in 2012 - a move that has since been followed by other US states. Advertisement Image: Campaigners are now hoping to organise in vote in the US state of Oregon "I think today's outcome really demonstrates that the conversation is going to continue, and the world is ready for it," said Cindy Sovine, a strategist for the campaign to decriminalise the drug. "Psychedelics are already here. Now we can start to have the conversation about using them mindfully... We're not talking about legalisation, we're talking about not putting people in jail," she added. Psilocybin has been illegal in America since the 1960s but some studies in recent years have found positive effects on anxiety and depression for cancer patients. Image: Psilocybin - the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms - has been illegal in the US since the 1960s Campaigners also say it can help with post-traumatic stress and other conditions. As well as recreational use, magic mushrooms have also long been used in some religious practices because of their strong effect on perception and spiritual experience. A campaign to to decriminalise psilocybin in California failed to qualify for a vote in 2018 but campaigners in Oregon are hoping for a vote next year. Magic mushrooms are a class A drug in the UK - on a par with heroin and crack cocaine. Possession can mean up to seven years in prison, supplying the drug carries the possibility of a life sentence.<doc-sep>Denver will become the first US city to effectively decriminalize mushrooms containing the psychedelic psilocybin, also known as “magic mushrooms.” Initiative 301 makes the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms among people 21 and older the lowest possible law enforcement priority in Denver. It also prohibits the city from spending resources to pursue criminal penalties related to the use or possession of psilocybin mushrooms among people 21 and older. And the initiative sets up “the psilocybin mushroom policy review panel to assess and report on the effects of the ordinance.” The initiative doesn’t legalize magic mushrooms; they remain illegal under state and federal law. And it doesn’t decriminalize or deprioritize enforcement against the distribution and sales of psilocybin mushrooms — all of that could still be pursued by police. According to the Washington Post, Denver police arrested about 50 people a year over the past three years for possession or sale of psilocybin, and prosecutors acted on just 11 of the cases. That’s out of thousands of arrests overall in the city each year. Voting began in Colorado, which does mail-in voting, last month and mostly concluded Tuesday (although a very small number of overseas and military votes can still come in). Things looked bad for the initiative late Tuesday, as it trailed behind in the results. But on Wednesday, the final tally came in — and showed Initiative 301 narrowly won with nearly 51 percent of the vote, according to the Denver Post and New York Times. The results will be certified on May 16. Advocates for the measure argue that decriminalization would shift law enforcement resources away from pursuing nonviolent offenses. They claim that psilocybin is safe, nonaddictive or close to nonaddictive, and that a growing body of evidence suggests the drug has therapeutic benefits for illnesses ranging from depression to end-of-life anxiety to addiction. Opponents worry that decriminalization could lead to more drug use. Especially in Denver, they’re concerned that decriminalization could perpetuate the city’s reputation as “a drug-friendly city,” Jackson Barnett reported for the Denver Post. Critics also point out psilocybin does have some risks — particularly, experts say, the possibility of accidents and traumatic experiences that can be psychologically damaging (especially among people predisposed to mental illness). One potential source of real-world evidence on this: Portugal. After the country decriminalized all drugs, it saw a decrease in drug-related deaths and drops in reported past-year and past-month drug use, according to a 2014 report from the Transform Drug Policy Foundation. But it also saw an increase in lifetime prevalence of drug use, as well as an uptick in reported use among teens after 2007. But Portugal also simultaneously adopted special commissions that attempt to link people with drug addictions to treatment. Although the success of the commissions has yet to be thoroughly evaluated, it’s possible that even as decriminalization increased drug use, the commissions and more access to treatment got so many people off drugs that drug use still fell overall. Still, decriminalization alone may have its benefits. A 2009 report from the libertarian Cato Institute, written by Glenn Greenwald, concluded that decriminalization freed people from the “fear of arrest” when they sought help for their addiction and “freed up resources that could be channeled into treatment and other harm reduction programs.” What effects psilocybin decriminalization will have in the US, Colorado, or Denver, however, remain to be seen. Even more so than marijuana legalization, this is an area of policy that’s largely untested in modern America. This kind of pioneering vote isn’t new for Denver or Colorado as a whole. In 2012, Colorado and Washington state became the first two states to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Other places, particularly Oregon and California, are considering measures to change their laws regarding psilocybin as well. But Denver has broken ahead of the pack, becoming the first US city to effectively decriminalize magic mushrooms. Watch: How LSD and shrooms could help treat anxiety, addiction, and depression Sign up for the Future Perfect newsletter. Twice a week, you’ll get a roundup of ideas and solutions for tackling our biggest challenges: improving public health, decreasing human and animal suffering, easing catastrophic risks, and — to put it simply — getting better at doing good.<doc-sep>Denver, Colorado, has become the first city in the US to decriminalise magic mushrooms - just about. In a vote on Tuesday, the motion was passed with a majority of 50.6 percent. Despite the result, possession or use of the psychedelic mushrooms will still technically be illegal. However, police will now treat users of the drug above the age of 21 as their lowest priority and will no longer be 'spending resources to impose criminal penalties'. The vote referred specifically to psilocybin, the psychedelic chemical in magic mushrooms which under US federal law belongs to the same group of banned drugs as heroin and LSD. Advert 10 Denver has voted to decriminalise magic mushrooms. Credit: PA Campaigners who have fought for the drug to be decriminalised have argued that it is wrong for people to end up behind bars after using magic mushrooms to cope with problems like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Decriminalise Denver said: "No-one should go to jail, lose their children, lose their job, and lose their citizen's rights for using a mushroom. One arrest is too many for something with such low and manageable risks for most people, relative to its potential benefits." Speaking while votes were still being counted, Kevin Matthews - who led the Decriminalise Denver campaign - said a victory would be 'against all odds'. Advert 10 The vote was passed by a tiny majority. Credit: PA According to the Denver Post, he said: "It's been one hell of a 21 and a half hours. If these results hold, this is an example of the absurd comedy of the great metaphor. "Against all odds, we prevailed. This is what happens when a small team of dedicated and passionate people unite under a single idea to create change." Cannabis was decriminalised in Denver in 2005 and many opponents feared decriminalising magic mushrooms might portray the city as a drug haven to outsiders. Advert 10 Wow. 7k vote flip on Denver Initiative 301 overnight. We encourage the Denver County Clerk to identify any tampering related to the vote. If any illegal activity is found, we encourage investigation and prosecution.#copolitics #DenverVotes - jeffhunt (@jeffhunt) May 8, 2019 Jeff Hunt, director of the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University - who questioned whether votes had been tampered on Twitter - said drugs were damaging the city. According to the Denver Post, he said: "We'll continue to fight the growing drug culture. Denver's becoming the illicit drug capital of the world. The larger issue here is not good for our city.<doc-sep>Image : Getty As much of the country hems and haws about legalizing a plant that nearly half of adults in the U.S. have tried at least once, Denver is ahead of the curve, as usual: The city has voted in an initiative that will decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms. Advertisement The measure—called Initiative 301—passed in the Eleventh Hour with just 50.6 percent of the vote, the Denver Post reports, but a passage is a passage. Though the results won’t be certified until May 16, and military and overseas ballots will continue to be counted, observers seem certain that they won’t overpower the 1,979 margin by which the initiative was passed. “We’re sending a clear signal to the rest of the country that America is ready to talk about psilocybin, ” Kevin Matthews, the leader of the “Decriminalize Denver” movement, which spearheaded the measure, told the Washington Post. “ We have work to do, we’re ready for it and we couldn’t be happier.” It’s not that mushrooms will be legal in Denver, but Initiative 301 does make the personal use and possession for people 21 and over the lowest law enforcement priority. It also calls for the establishment of a review panel to analyze the effects of decriminalization. Still, mushrooms will remain a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, even as the FDA has granted “breakthrough therapy” status to study the effects of psilocybin on depression.<doc-sep>
Voters on Tuesday made Denver the first US city to in effect decriminalize psilocybin – the psychoactive substance in “magic mushrooms” – adding a new chapter to the city’s role in shaping wider drug policy. The citizen initiative on the ballot followed the same tack taken by marijuana activists to decriminalize pot possession in the city in 2005. That move was followed by statewide legalization in 2012. A number of other states have since broadly allowed marijuana sales and use by adults. Though initial results posted on Tuesday night showed the measure to be trailing, final unofficial results on Wednesday indicated it did pass. Decriminalization led by a slim 51%, according to preliminary figures released by Denver’s election division. As many as 1,300 votes still remain to be counted, but that figure was not enough to swing the vote the other way, a division spokesman, Alton Dillard, said. Final election results would be released on 16 May, he said. Psilocybin decriminalization campaign organizers have said their only goal is to keep people out of jail in Denver for using or possessing the drug to cope with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other conditions. A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles. Photograph: Richard Vogel/AP The initiative would effectively decriminalize use or possession of psilocybin by people 21 and older, making it the lowest enforcement priority for police and prosecutors. The measure does not legalize psilocybin or permit its sale by cannabis businesses. Kevin Matthews, director of the Decriminalize Denver campaign, said psilocybin has helped him with depression for years. “This is not something you have to take every day,” the 33-year-old Denver native said. “It provides a lot of lasting benefits, weeks and months after one experience.” Psilocybin has been outlawed in the US since the 1960s, and some researchers warn that it should only be used under medical supervision and can prompt paranoia and anxiety. The federal government classifies psilocybin as a schedule I drug, with no medical purpose and a high potential for abuse. For decades, that status has stymied research into medical uses of psilocybin, but small, closely supervised studies in recent years have found that it can help treat anxiety and depression in cancer patients. Users have described seeing vivid colors and geometric patterns, and experiencing powerful spiritual connections and emotions. Magic mushrooms have been used in religious practices for decades because of their powerful effect on perceptions and spiritual experiences. Those same effects have appealed to recreational users dating back to the 1960s counterculture movement. A California effort to decriminalize psilocybin failed to qualify for the statewide ballot in 2018. Organizers in Oregon are trying to gather enough support to put an initiative to a statewide vote next year. It took the pro-psilocybin organizers in Denver three tries to develop language approved by city officials for the ballot. They collected more than 8,000 signatures to qualify for Tuesday’s election.