Colorado voters may get a chance to legalize ‘magic mushrooms’

Colorado made the use of recreational marijuana legal back in 2012. Now voters are hoping to do the same thing for psychedelic mushrooms.

A group called Colorado for Psilocybin met this week with Denver officials about getting rid of felony charges for people caught with mushrooms. They’re pushing for a new law that would scrap penalties for possession of less than two ounces of dried mushrooms.

Tyler Williams, one of the leaders of the Psilocybin decriminalization initiative, believes it helps with mental health.

“I’m a big believer in cognitive liberty, and so whatever people decide to consume I think is up to them,” Williams told Colorado Public Radio. “I think people should be informed about what they are consuming, and they shouldn’t have to be afraid of going to jail for that.”

An artist’s rendering of “magic” mushrooms

Supporters of the group must first create a petition and submit it for approval to the Denver Elections Division. Then they would have to amass enough signatures to qualify it for a ballot, possibly in November.

A study of cancer patients at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore showed that the benefits from psilocybin — the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms” — lasted for as long as a year.

“They’re so desperate for help, they’re willing to try. So they’ve had big breakthroughs, relief from trauma, from anxiety, from depression. So anything that’s going to help I think is worth investigating,” licensed professional counselor Kathy Hawkins told The Denver Channel.

More on a new market

Check out Doug Oster’s article for more on how companies are trying to meet the needs of legalized marijuana.