By Lindsay Fendt | CITYLAB
In 2005, Denver residents voted to become the first major U.S. city to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Two years later, they voted to decriminalize cannabis entirely. For the city’s elections this spring, they’re being asked if they want to do the same thing for psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms.
If passed, Initiative 301 would decriminalize the possession and use of a drug that is illegal in all states and at the federal level. No matter the result, it marks the first time in United States history that the legal status of psilocybin has been challenged, and it’s putting Denver once again at the center of a debate on drug policy.
The local campaign to decriminalize psilocybin is following the cannabis legalization playbook closely. The initiative is worded almost exactly like the 2007 marijuana law. If passed, psilocybin would still be illegal to possess, produce, or sell, but enforcing the laws related to the drug would become the city’s lowest priority. The measure would also create a mayor-appointed panel charged with analyzing the effects of loosening psilocybin restrictions. Voters began receiving ballots by mail last week, and the election coincides with mayoral and city council elections on May 7.
