initiative 301

[TryptamineMachine]

initiative 301 passes!

Shortly after the vote, things weren't looking good, as the following article demonstrates

May 7, 2019, 11:51 PM MDT / Updated May 8, 2019, 4:35 AM MDT
By Daniel Arkin
Denver voters on Tuesday appeared to reject a ballot initiative that would have effectively decriminalized the psychedelic substance in “magic mushrooms” and made the city the first in the United States to take that step.

The measure was sponsored by a group of citizen activists, including a former cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who had touted the drug’s role in dramatically alleviating the symptoms of major depression.

Denver voters appear to reject effort to decriminalize 'magic mushrooms'

The measure on psilocybin mushrooms would have made the Colorado city the first in the United States to decriminalize the psychedelic substance.

www.nbcnews.com

Then, after beginning to contemplate my faith in humanity, a miracle occurred:

Denver is poised to become the first city in the nation to effectively decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.

After closing an early vote deficit Tuesday night and early Wednesday, final unofficial results posted late in the afternoon showed a reversal of fortune — with Initiative 301 set to pass narrowly with 50.6 percent of the vote. The total stands at 89,320 votes in favor and 87,341 against, a margin of 1,979.

But opponents could pay for a recount if they want, potentially delaying implementation.

Denver first in U.S. to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms

Denver is poised to become the first city in the nation to effectively decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms after final ballot-counting flipped Initiative 301’s margin in favor of narrow passa…

www.denverpost.com

Thank God!

After I had initially heard that the initiative failed I was upset, but not surprised, leading me to compose the following journal entry:

I was really hopeful here, yet I was painfully aware that the work with the public to pass such an initiative was insufficient. 90% of the people I speak with are completely ignorant as to the reality of these psychedelics, they navigate through the issue using a mixture of myth, hearsay, disinformation, and uneducated opinion. Sadly, because I speak with people so often in this topic I felt it was doomed.

I appreciate everything these people are doing, but in a voter system it all comes down to public perception and majority rule. I mean, it took decades just to get medical cannabis approved.

We need more people consuming or at least understanding what these substances really are, and what they actually can be used for. Look at the data below:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic…
An estimated 32 million (95% confidence interval (CI): 30 to 33 million) US residents in 2010 reported lifetime use of LSD (23 million, 95% CI: 22 to 25 million), psilocybin (21 million, 95% CI: 20 to 22 million), mescaline (11 million, 95% CI: 10 to 12 million), or peyote (6 million, 95% CI: 5 to 7 million).

So let's compare psilocybin with 21 million, to cannabis, which has 55 million users according to the washing post article below:

www.washingtonpost.com/news/wo…
Nearly 55 million of them, or 22 percent, currently use it — the survey defines “current use” as having used marijuana at least once or twice in the past year.

The mushroom community needs over 30 million more people on their side before any type of real legalization can even be conceived of.

I think groups like MAPS or the heffter institute will be crucial in the future of these substances...

As you can see I was fairly disappointed... but now I can trash that garbage journal entry and begin celebrating!

DENVER (CBS4) – A final unofficial update from the Denver Election Division on Wednesday afternoon revealed voters approved a measure to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. The vote came in as 50.56% yes, 49.44% no.

The numbers are still “unofficial until the Canvass and Certification of the Municipal General Election on May 16.” The margin for recount stands at one half of one percent. The Denver Election Division has an 8-day certification period for military and absentee ballots to be returned, and for voters to fix and signature discrepancies.

Denver Voters Decide 'Yes' To Decriminalize 'Magic Mushrooms'

A final unofficial update from the Denver Election Division on Wednesday afternoon revealed voters approved a measure to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.

denver.cbslocal.com

So, while we might not be entirely in the clear, This is a historic baby step in the fight for psychedelic substances, and I could not be more happy!

 

[Loveall]

:thumb_up:

If you haven't seen it already, don't miss this thread,

Denver Votes to Legalize Mushrooms - Generic - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus

I know you can't post on it yet, but with thoughtful reasoned posts like this that should change soon.

 

[TryptamineMachine]

Thanks. I really appreciate the warm welcome and recommendation for the thread.

unfortunately I was unable to post in certain areas as I am new. I actually felt a little bad about starting a thread on a subject which was already being discussed, but I figured it would be understood as I could not post in existing threads.

Any way, I feel really good about initiative 301 passing. ...though I still acknowledge that there is a good deal of work that needs to be done with the public.

I think if people understood the substance, as well as the details of the law, that whether they were in favor of psychoactive freedom or not that they would be prompted to act according to what is fair, but I might be over estimating people.

I feel that if I could explain that:

First, for a substance to be classified as schedule 1 it must be ·Dangerous ·Have a High abuse potential/addictive and be ·Without medical value.

Now, psilocin is considered to be one of the safest illicit substances*, so it can hardly be considered dangerous. Psilocin also has an incredibly low abuse potential, and obviously has medical value*, so schedule one is clearly inappropriate for psilocybin/psilocin and the fungi that contain them.

I feel schedule IV would be far more appropriate, this way the compound could be studied by researchers, used in therapy sessions by trained professionals, and offered for prescription if and when appropriate. Leading researchers in the field tend to agree, as the excerpt below demonstrates:

In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest that if it clears phase III clinical trials, psilocybin should be re-categorized from a schedule I drug—one with no known medical potential—to a schedule IV drug such as prescription sleep aids, but with tighter control. Their analysis is summarized in the October print issue of Neuropharmacology.

"We want to initiate the conversation now as to how to classify psilocybin to facilitate its path to the clinic and minimize logistical hurdles in the future," says Matthew W. Johnson, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "We expect these final clearance trials to take place in the next five years or so."

Hopkins researchers recommend reclassifying psilocybin, the drug in 'magic' mushrooms, from schedule I to schedule IV

Psilocybin safety and abuse research shows that the drug has low potential for abuse and dependence, researchers say

hub.jhu.edu

So, hopefully it's just a matter of time before the substance can be properly scheduled, see excerpt below:

Although preliminary research studies suggest that psilocybin may be effective for smoking cessation and for disorders such as cancer-specific depression and anxiety, it must clear phase III clinical trials before the Food and Drug Administration can be petitioned to reclassify it.

Hopkins researchers recommend reclassifying psilocybin, the drug in 'magic' mushrooms, from schedule I to schedule IV

Psilocybin safety and abuse research shows that the drug has low potential for abuse and dependence, researchers say

hub.jhu.edu

Another important point to make would be:

these mushrooms have been used for religious purposes for thousands of years by the indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the Sierra Mazateca known as The Mazatec people. This religious/spiritual use of the mushroom is well documented. The mushrooms are even known as teonanácatl, which is a Nahuatl word which translates to "flesh of the goods".

And, in the United states we are supposed to be protected by the first amendment:

The first amendment clearly states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Now, if my religion has been clearly established, as the mushroom using religions which have existed for thousands of years have been, and if the "free exercise" of my religion involves consuming psilocybin fungi, then it would be unconstitutional to prevent me or anybody else for using these mushrooms for spiritual purposes.

It would be incredibly difficult for a plant shaman to practice their religion without their entheogenic plants.

Its near impossible for me to practice my own spirituality without entheogens.

Don't get me wrong, I know very well that if I tried to make that argument in court it would fail miserably and I would go to jail for possession of a schedule 1 substance, but the point is constitutionally we should have the right to use the mushroom for spiritual purposes.

These links demonstrate my point above that had an asterisk by it regarding safety and medical value:

* Study finds mushrooms are the safest recreational drug

Global Survey Says Magic Mushrooms Are The Safest Recreational Drug

Hallucinogenic fungus may not only be one of the most therapeutically valuable of 'recreational' drugs (and arguably most colorful-looking), but also the safest.

www.forbes.com

Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up

Recent clinical trials are reporting marked improvements in mental health outcomes with psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy.Here, we report on safety and efficacy outcomes for up to 6 months in an open-label trial of psilocybin for treatment-resistant ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Taking Psychedelics Seriously

Background: Psychiatric research in the 1950s and 1960s showed potential for psychedelic medications to markedly alleviate depression and suffering associated with terminal illness. More recent published studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov