I’m quoted in the local paper on our historic ballot measure.
Anna Meade, a Provincetown resident who advocated for the decriminalization resolution at the select board last December, told the Independent that she thought the high costs of treatment and the bureaucracy involved in the commission would limit access. Meade said she thought the current ballot measure was “OK” because it allows for home growing and sharing, but she worried that many patients would be unable to access supervised treatments.
For many years, I have studied magic mushrooms and advocated for their decriminalization. This week MA voters can approve Proposition 4 which allows for the Limited Legalization of Certain Natural Psychedelic Substances.
If passed it would allow persons over 21 to use certain natural psychedelic substances under licensed supervision and to grow and possess limited quantities in their home. It would create a state regulatory agency like those for cannabis.
It directs adopting a public health approach to natural psychedelic substances by removing criminal penalties for limited personal use by adults. Its intent is to provide supervised, safe access in a therapeutic setting through a regulated and taxed system.
I advocate for plant medicine because magic mushrooms are safer than coffee. “By some standard measures of drug safety, psychedelics are less dangerous than caffeine.” Are Psychedelics Safe Enough for Recreational Use? I found that people are already using psychedelics to manage various mental health concerns: from PTSD and anxiety to bipolar disorder and Parkinsons. Decriminalization would allow education, harm reduction, and prevent selective enforcement.
The creation of the regulated cannabis system was fraught by corruption, biased towards profit, and does not serve patients. This model did not work for cannabis and will not work for psychedelics. A previous Provincetown Independent article explained these pitfalls in their article on decriminalization in Provincetown.
For more than a year, I advocated decriminalization with local and state officials. I am hopeful, if passed, Prop 4 will allow for affordable counseling services to support people who want to use plant medicines to manage their mental health.Among their many benefits, magic mushrooms are effective for many people in overcoming addiction to opioids, smoking, and alcohol.
People are dying. Yes, there are dangers. And opioid overdoses claimed 100,000 American lives last year, cigarette smoking almost 500,000, and alcohol 200,000 more. What if the answer was as simple as a mushroom.
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