California May Be First State To Decriminalize Mushrooms

I knew this day would come once weed laws began to change. The logical next step is psychedelics since they too have medical benefit.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-mushrooms-decriminalization_us_59a52645e4b0446b3b862a9a?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

Will California Become The First State To Decriminalize Psychedelic Mushrooms?

A recently submitted ballot initiative seeks to put the issue before the state’s voters in 2018.
By Nick Wing

Kevin Saunders doesn’t believe the state of California should lock up people for offenses related to psychedelic mushrooms, a broad category of fungi that contains the psychoactive compound psilocybin.

Last week, the longtime medical marijuana advocate and dark horse mayoral candidate turned that position into a statewide campaign, submitting a ballot initiative on Friday that would decriminalize the use, possession, sale, transport and cultivation of the mushrooms for adults over 21. He’ll need to collect at least 365,880 valid voter signatures within 180 days of filing to qualify for next year’s ballot, where it would require a majority vote to pass.

Saunders is running for mayor in Marina, a beachside town about 100 miles south of San Francisco. He says the state’s 2016 vote to legalize cannabis is proof that Californians are ready to scale back harsh laws that consider mushrooms to be among the most dangerous drugs.

“What I want to do is take the shackles off. I want to have an adult conversation,” Saunders told the Sacramento Bee. “Not only are the soccer moms high now, but some of them are taking mushrooms.”

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Saunders touted the therapeutic potential of psilocybin, which has shown promise as a treatment for a number of psychological disorders.

“I think we’re seeing something that could literally heal our brothers and sisters,” he said. “We’re talking about real cutting-edge stuff.”

Saunders is part of a growing movement against the longstanding prohibition on psychedelic drugs and in favor of a more open-minded examination of their therapeutic applications. Activists like Martin Ball, an Oregon professor who has launched an effort to legalize psilocybin in his state, have joined this psychedelic renaissance.

But recent polling shows that a majority of Americans are also interested in unlocking the power of psychedelics. In a June survey conducted by YouGov, 63 percent of respondents said they support the use of psilocybin in additional medical trials. The same number said they would be willing to use psilocybin themselves if it were proven to be a safe treatment for depression or anxiety.

 

It is also claimed that mushrooms greatly help people that suffer with migraines and cluster headaches.

 

a rare moment indeed, but occasionally it does happen.

something comes along that makes me want to move to California.