Magic Mushroom Measure Will Be On Colorado’s November Ballot
Colorado voters will be getting the chance to decide on whether or not to decriminalize magic mushrooms.
Enough signatures have been gathered to get Initiative 58 on Colorado's November ballot. More than 225,000 signatures were submitted to the Colorado Secretary of State's office, which projects nearly 140,000 of which, are valid. That would be more than 111% over the required signature goal.
Weren't Magic Mushrooms Already Decriminalized In Colorado?
As you might recall it was the city of Denver that decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms in 2019, which allowed for possession and cultivation. The Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022 as it is called, would decriminalize psilocybin for people over the age of 21. Possession, ingestion, and cultivation could all be done without criminal penalty.
What Is the Purpose of the Natural Medicine Health Act of 2022?
Initiative 58 would allow psychedelics to be used for both personal use as well as be administered professionally for things like PTSD in veterans, anxiety, and depression in cancer patients, and substance use disorders.
Paragraph 10 of the Natural Medicine Health Act states:
The purpose.......is to establish a new, compassionate, and effective approach to natural medicines....removing criminal penalties.....developing and promoting public education related to the use of natural medicines......and establishing regulated access......to natural medicines that show promise in improving well-being, life satisfaction, and overall health.
More Efforts For Psychedelic Decriminalization In Colorado
Meanwhile, another signature-gathering effort concerning hallucinogens is underway. Initiative 61 would allow for the "possession, use, cultivation, production, sharing, giving away, and delivery of psilocybin, psilocyn, ibogaine, mescaline, and dimethyltryptamine."
Oregon was the first state to legalize magic mushrooms in 2020, although the state is still in the process of rolling out the licensing framework.
Considering the way so many Coloradans seem to feel about recreational marijuana, it's likely the magic mushroom measure will pass with flying colors in November.