Ann Arbor OKs Move to Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms, Plants

April Fool's day has always been a big day to celebrate cannabis in Ann Arbor, the Michigan city where the Diag comes alive every year. Ann Arbor has always been a cool laid-back college town. Michigan legalized cannabis last year, and now Ann Arbor is decriminalizing Magic Mushrooms and psychedelic plants, at least in terms of city police authority. On Monday September 21, the city council voted in favor of a resolution that declares it is the cities lowest enforcement priority to investigate or arrest anyone for planting, cultivating, buying, transporting, distributing, or engaging in activity with or possessing entheogenic plants or plant compounds. This measure includes ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms and other substances that have hallucinogenic contents that are illegal under state or federal law. The order also requested the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s to no longer prosecute people involved in the use of these compounds. There is a group called Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor that has been lobbying for this issue.

MLive reports Council Member Zachary Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, noted Johns Hopkins Medicine has launched a $17 million center dedicated to psychedelic and consciousness research, seeing what he called “the tremendous potential of these future medicines.”

These Psychedelic substances supply medical and spiritual benefits, like mental health. They can also battle substance abuse problems, addiction, recidivism, trauma, post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, grief, cluster headaches and other conditions that are debilitating.

NY Post reports But “whether it’s this or marijuana, we see a shift in American policy with drugs. There was much more money to be made with criminalization of these drugs, and now there is a realization of the profits to be made,’’ Councilman Ali Ramlawi said. “And so it’s unfortunate there’s been a lot of people who have been caught in the crossfire and who are serving time and have had their lives ruined [by prosecution].”

Entheogenic plants have been sacred to human cultures for thousands of years, but seeking them today puts you in danger of arrest and prosecution. Denver was the first U.S. city to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms last year, followed by Oakland and Santa Cruz in California. Experts say Non-addictive psychedelics can supply a pathway out of opioid addiction as well as other benefits. Adds a whole new meaning to taking a trip!