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The East Lansing, Michigan City Council narrowly rejected a resolution to effectively decriminalize psychedelics in the jurisdiction on Tuesday, with the mayor and city attorney voicing concerns about possible legal ramifications of the reform proposal.<\/p>\n
Local lawmakers voted 3-2 to defeat the measure, which would have made prosecutions of people over growing, possessing and distributing entheogenic substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca among the city\u2019s lowest law enforcement priorities.<\/p>\n
The whereas section of the resolution<\/a> stated that psychedelic plants and fungi \u201ccan benefit psychological and physical wellness, support and enhance religious and spiritual practices, and reestablish humans\u2019 relationship to nature.\u201d<\/p>\n They can also \u201ccatalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, have been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing\u201d certain mental health conditions, it continued.<\/p>\n \u201cTherefore, be it resolved, that the City Council of the City of East Lansing declare that it shall be a policy of the City of East Lansing that the investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants as defined herein and including the aforementioned compounds thereof, shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of East Lansing.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Ron Bacon said before the vote that he felt the resolution was \u201cwell-structured.\u201d However, he said that it \u201cends up being very performative in a way\u201d because it does not change overarching state laws that would continue to criminalize psychedelics.<\/p>\n The mayor agreed that testimonials on the therapeutic potential of psychedelics are \u201cpowerful and real,\u201d but he sided with the city attorney with respect to his concerns about the selective enforcement approach prescribed under the resolution.<\/p>\n \u201cI see a great deal of jeopardy in this and challenges\u2014and I despise the grey areas because it just creates one-offs,\u201d he said. \u201cMy reservations are on the legality, not on the rights of the individual.\u201d<\/p>\n City Attorney Anthony Chubb told councilmembers that his main concern about the measure was that it would direct police to selectively enforce state and federal drug laws.<\/p>\n He argued that there were \u201cpotential legal consequences and liabilities that the city could endure from doing that, and from when this honorable body uses its power to determine which laws we should and shouldn\u2019t selectively enforce\u2014whether it\u2019s the ones that are before us today or any others that it might do so in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Other members pointed out that there haven\u2019t been any reported legal consequences for other localities in Michigan and elsewhere in the country that have enacted similar psychedelics reform measures.<\/p>\n \u201cI know great individuals who do well in our community, in our town, who use [psychedelics], and I don\u2019t think any of those people should be caught up in the criminal system,\u201d Councilmember Dana Watson said. \u201cI also think it\u2019s a message to the Ingham County prosecutor about where we stand, or what we\u2019re thinking about, what the police should be doing or charging.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Mayor Pro Tem Jessy Gregg echoed that point, saying \u201cwhat we\u2019re really doing is sending a message.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re creating one more link in the chain\u2026similar to the way that marijuana has been legalized,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n While Tuesday\u2019s vote represents a setback in East Lansing, reform advocates have been especially active in Michigan in recent years, and Decriminalize Nature Michigan and their coalition partners are currently collecting signatures to place psychedelics legalization on the state\u2019s November ballot<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was some discussion after the Council vote about possibly revising the resolution to be less prescriptive about enforcement policies for policy and more generally voice support for the statewide reform effort.<\/p>\n Julie Barron, co-director of Decriminalize Michigan, told Marijuana Moment that while advocates are \u201cdisappointed\u201d in the outcome of the vote, the Council\u2019s discussion overall represented a \u201cstep in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a very big turnout of community members showing support, and four of five East Lansing City Council members spoke of their support for the movement,\u201d she said. \u201cThey were very moved by the testimonials and speeches and agreed that people who want access to these plants and fungi should have it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately it sounds like this decision was highly influenced by the police and the city attorney who told council that they, in theory, couldn\u2019t selectively enforce state or federal law and that this could cause confusion for law enforcement,\u201d Barron said. \u201cThe win here is that we had a powerful discussion and a strong educational moment in city government.\u201d<\/p>\n East Lansing is the first Michigan city where psychedelics decriminalization has been formally brought before local lawmakers and failed.<\/p>\n In March, the Hazel Park City Council unanimously approved a resolution to decriminalize psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0like psilocybin and ibogaine.<\/p>\n Detroit voters approved a\u00a0ballot initiative\u00a0to widely decriminalize psychedelics in November<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Ann Arbor City Council previously elected to make enforcement of laws prohibition psychedelics like psilocybin, ayahuasca and DMT\u00a0among the city\u2019s lowest priorities<\/a>\u2014and lawmakers then followed up by declaring September\u00a0Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month<\/a>.<\/p>\n After local legislators passed that decriminalization resolution in 2020, the Washtenaw County prosecutor announced\u00a0that his office will not be pursuing charges<\/a>\u00a0over possessing entheogenic plants and fungi, \u201cregardless of the amount at issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, the Grand Rapids City Council approved a resolution supporting the decriminalization of a wide range of psychedelics<\/a>. However, the measure fell short of what activists had hoped, in that it doesn\u2019t actually change any city enforcement practices and merely expresses support for future reforms.<\/p>\n A pair of state senators also introduced a bill in September to\u00a0legalize the possession, cultivation and delivery<\/a>\u00a0of an array of plant- and fungi-derived psychedelics like psilocybin and mescaline.<\/p>\n Outside of Michigan, psychedelics reform is being pursued in state legislature and at the ballot in states across the country.<\/p>\n For instance, Colorado activists are also working to place competing initiatives to legalize psychedelics<\/a> on the state\u2019s November ballot, with one campaign saying recently that it\u2019s already collected nearly half of the required signatures needed to qualify its measure.<\/p>\n Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) was recently asked about the prospects of enacting psychedelics reform in the state, and he acknowledged that advocates are working to accomplish that policy change at the ballot and also said he supports the idea of decriminalizing the substances<\/a>.<\/p>\n He will also have a chance to sign a more modest psychedelics reform bill<\/a>\u00a0into law after the legislature sent him a measure to align state statute to legalize MDMA prescriptions if and when the federal government ultimately permits such use.<\/p>\n The governor of Connecticut recently signed a large-scale budget bill<\/a>\u00a0that includes provisions to set the state up to provide certain patients with access to psychedelic-assisted treatment using substances like MDMA and psilocybin.<\/p>\n Maryland lawmakers\u00a0have sent a bill to the governor<\/a>\u00a0that would create a state fund to provide \u201ccost-free\u201d access to psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury.<\/p>\n The Maine Senate approved\u00a0a bill last month to to create a medical psilocybin program<\/a>\u00a0in the state, but the House of Representatives refused to go along.<\/p>\n Also last month, Georgia lawmakers advanced a bipartisan resolution that calls for the formation of a House study committee to\u00a0investigate the therapeutic potential of psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0like psilocybin and make recommendations for reforms.<\/p>\n The governor of Utah signed a bill in March to create a task force to study and make recommendations\u00a0on the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs<\/a>\u00a0and possible regulations for their lawful use.<\/p>\n A Missouri House committee also held a hearing that month on a GOP-led bill to\u00a0legalize a wide range of psychedelics for therapeutic use<\/a>\u00a0at designated care facilities while further decriminalizing low-level possession in general.<\/p>\n The Washington State legislature recently sent a budget bill to the governor\u2019s desk that includes a proposal to\u00a0direct $200,000 in funding to support a new workgroup<\/a>\u00a0to study the possibility of legalizing psilocybin services in the state, including the idea of using current marijuana regulatory systems to track psychedelic mushrooms.<\/p>\n In March, the Hawaii Senate approved a bill to set up a state working group to\u00a0study the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin mushrooms<\/a>\u00a0and develop a \u201clong-term\u201d plan to ensure that the psychedelic is accessible for medical use for adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n Also that month, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed a bill to\u00a0decriminalize low-level possession of psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0and promote research into the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic.<\/p>\n Rhode Island lawmakers introduced\u00a0a pair of drug decriminalization bills in March<\/a>\u2014including one focused on psilocybin and buprenorphine that would authorize doctors to prescribe the psychedelic mushroom.<\/p>\n An Oregon Senate committee also recently advanced a bill to ensure that equity is\u00a0built into the state\u2019s historic therapeutic psilocybin program<\/a>\u00a0that\u2019s actively being implemented following voter approval in 2020.<\/p>\n A bill to decriminalize a wide array of psychedelics in Virginia was taken up by a House of Delegates panel in January,\u00a0only to be pushed off until 2023<\/a>. A separate Senate proposal to decriminalize psilocybin alone\u00a0was later defeated in a key committee<\/a>.<\/p>\n California Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told Marijuana Moment in a recent interview that his bill to\u00a0legalize psychedelics possession<\/a>\u00a0stands a 50\/50 chance of reaching the governor\u2019s desk this year. It already cleared the full Senate and two Assembly committees during the first half of the two-year session.<\/p>\n Washington State lawmakers\u00a0also introduced legislation in January<\/a>\u00a0that would legalize what the bill calls \u201csupported psilocybin experiences\u201d by adults 21 and older.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania bill meant to promote research into the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms for certain mental health conditions may be in jeopardy, with the sponsor saying that the chair of a key House committee is\u00a0expressing reservations even after the legislation<\/a>\u00a0was amended in an effort to build support.<\/p>\n New Hampshire lawmakers filed measures to\u00a0decriminalize psilocybin and all drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Legislation was\u00a0also enacted by the Texas legislature<\/a>\u00a0last year requiring the state to study the medical risks and benefits of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine for military veterans in partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and a military-focused medical center.<\/p>\n At the congressional level, bipartisan lawmakers sent a letter to DEA in January, urging that the agency\u00a0allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin<\/a>\u00a0as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.<\/p>\n Activists and patients were\u00a0arrested at the DEA headquarters on Monday<\/a>\u00a0after engaging in civil disobedience during a protest over the agency\u2019s refusal to provide a waiver granting those patients access to psilocybin under Right to Try laws.<\/p>\n Georgia Voters Approve Marijuana Legalization Ballot Question<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo elements courtesy of carlosemmaskype<\/a> and Apollo<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Local Michigan Lawmakers Reject Psychedelics Decriminalization Over Concerns About Possible Legal Liabilities<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The East Lansing, Michigan City Council narrowly rejected a resolution to effectively decriminalize psychedelics in the jurisdiction on Tuesday, with the mayor and city attorney voicing concerns about possible legal ramifications of the reform proposal. Local lawmakers voted 3-2 to defeat the measure, which would have made prosecutions of peopleContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":54887,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54886"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54886"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54888,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54886\/revisions\/54888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nRead More: Local Michigan Lawmakers Reject Psychedelics Decriminalization Over Concerns About Possible Legal Liabilities<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"