A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market in Los Angeles on Monday, May 6, 2019.
Almost 15 years after it became the first American city to legalise cannabis, Denver went to the polls on Tuesday to decide on decriminalising hallucinogenic mushrooms.
CBS Denver reports the vote shows a narrow 50.6 percent in favor of decriminalization to 49.44 percent against it.
A final, unofficial count from the Denver Election Division shows voters approved a measure to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.
The referendum, called Initiative 301, forbids city officials from using resources to criminally prosecute people over 21 years of age for personally possessing or using psilocybin, the active ingredient in "magic mushrooms" that causes hallucinations, declares it Denver's "lowest law enforcement priority", and creates a review board that will assess the effects of decriminalization in two years. It does not legalize psilocybin or permit its sale by Denver's cannabis businesses.
For decades, magic mushrooms have been attractive in certain religious practices due to their powerful hallucinogenic effects, and the substance has since gained mass appeal in terms of recreational use.
Major Stock Indexes Plunge As US Threatens Higher Tariffs On Chinese Goods
China has repeatedly said it will make changes to open its economy on its own timeline, not in response to trade disputes. And China's retaliatory tariffs are inflicting pain on farmers, a key part of Mr Trump's political base.
The agency has deemed that it has a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical application.
Kevin Matthews, the director of the Decriminalise Denver campaign, said psilocybin has helped him deal with depression for years.
Federally illegal in the USA since 1968, psilocybin is categorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) under "Schedule I", along with drugs like heroin, marijuana and LSD.
Nilufer Saltuk of Denver smiles as she gets a sticker for dropping off her ballot at the Denver Electoral Commission Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Denver.
Colorado became the first state to allow recreational marijuana in January 2014. But recent research has suggested psilocybin could be potentially used to treat anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and alcoholism. Users have described seeing vivid colors and geometric patterns, and experiencing powerful spiritual connections and emotions.
The election division in the city will continue to tally votes from military and overseas voters, but they're unlikely to swing the result, according to the report. Those same effects have appealed to recreational users dating back to the 1960s counterculture movement.
Comments