Say hello to legal hallucinogens: Denver could become the first U.S. city to legalize magic mushrooms.
Possession of psilocybin is currently prohibited by law. But this could change in the near future. A campaign for the legalization of mushrooms has gathered enough signatures for the proposal to be put to the vote in the municipal elections, which will be held in May.
More than 9,500 people have signed the petition, which required 4,279 signatures. The city’s election office now has 25 days to verify the legitimacy of signatures.
According to recent studies, psilocybin may help reduce the anxiety of people with cancer and could be used as a treatment for chronic cluster headaches, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, depression, and alcoholism.
“We want people kept out of prison, families kept together,” said Kevin Matthews, the campaign director of Decriminalize Denver. “That was the main motivation for this.”
Studies have claimed that mushrooms are the safest drug in the world, so this may not be the worst idea. And with Colorado being such a significant leader in legalizing drugs – they were one of the first to legalize marijuana recreationally – this comes as no surprise.
To learn more about psilocybin studies, click here.
