{"id":62264,"date":"2023-03-01T10:58:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T18:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/03\/01\/fourth-michigan-city-passes-measure-to-decriminalize-psychedelics\/"},"modified":"2023-03-01T19:46:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T03:46:59","slug":"fourth-michigan-city-passes-measure-to-decriminalize-psychedelics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2023\/03\/01\/fourth-michigan-city-passes-measure-to-decriminalize-psychedelics\/","title":{"rendered":"Fourth Michigan City Passes Measure To Decriminalize Psychedelics"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Local leaders in the city of Ferndale, Michigan, passed a resolution this week that advocates say decriminalizes psychedelic plants and fungi, including drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and DMT.<\/p>\n

Ferndale is the fourth Michigan city to pass such a measure. Detroit<\/a>, Ann Arbor<\/a> and Hazel Park<\/a> have adopted similar policy changes.<\/p>\n

Last year activists also took steps to put psychedelics legalization on the statewide ballot, but they ultimately decided to delay the reform campaign and aim for 2024 instead<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the resolution<\/a> approved Monday by the Ferndale City Council cannot end Michigan\u2019s statewide prohibition on psychedelics, it makes it the city\u2019s \u201clowest law enforcement priority\u201d to investigate and arrest people for \u201cplanting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing\u201d entheogenic plants and fungi.<\/p>\n

\u201cCity funds or resources shall be prioritized for other City of Ferndale functions,\u201d the measure, sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Kat Bruner James, says.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Decriminalize Nature Ferndale (@decrimferndale)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The two-page measure consists mostly of the council\u2019s findings, acknowledging that psychedelic use has been a part of human behavior for thousands of years and recognizing that entheogenic plants \u201chave been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, the council points to the substances\u2019 potential to treat substance use disorder, trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief, cluster headaches and other conditions.<\/p>\n

It also says that decriminalizing the cultivation of cacti that contain mescaline is \u201ccritical,\u201d to preserving the currently threatened<\/a> plants, because \u201c100+ years of continued criminalization has only led to increased scarcity of these cacti in their native habitat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resolution clarifies that the policy shift does not permit the possession or consumption of psychedelics in schools, nor does it allow minors to use the drugs. The city will also continue to enforce bans on commercial sales, driving under the influence and public disturbances, it says.<\/p>\n

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While major jurisdictions in other states, including Denver<\/a>, Seattle<\/a>\u00a0and San Francisco<\/a> have taken measures to deprioritize enforcement of laws against psychedelics possession and use, municipalities in Michigan have been especially active.<\/p>\n

Not all Michigan cities to consider a decriminalization proposal have adopted it, however. Last May, the East Lansing City Council narrowly rejected a similar resolution<\/a>,\u00a0with the mayor and city attorney voicing concerns about possible legal ramifications.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Grand Rapids last year, lawmakers approved a resolution supporting the decriminalization of a wide range of psychedelics<\/a>. That measure, however, disappointed activists because it didn\u2019t\u00a0actually change any city enforcement practices, it merely expressed support for future reforms.<\/p>\n

Helping spur the action within the state have been local branches of the group Decriminalize Nature. Activists have worked to educate their local lawmakers on the therapeutic potential of entheogenic substances and put forward model legislation for reform.<\/p>\n

Billy Horton, of Decriminalize Nature Ferndale, thanked council members for their support on Monday, according to a report by the Detroit Metro Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to continue to emphasize the importance of psychedelic and entheogenic plants and the work that\u2019s going on, the research and the science that\u2019s supporting it for psychological and for physical wellness,\u201d he said, adding that the group would continue to working to educate people on how to use plant medicine safely.<\/p>\n

Decriminalize Nature national congratulated the Ferndale chapter on social media this week. \u201cThat\u2019s 4 wins in Michigan so far!\u201d the group wrote. \u201cLet\u2019s get some statewide decriminalization legislation on the table!!! Go team Nature!\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by Decriminalize Nature (@decriminalizenature)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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At the federal level, meanwhile, substances such as psilocybin and MDMA have been granted breakthrough status as promising medical treatments for mental health. Advocates are also challenging the U.S. government\u2019s classification of psilocybin as a Schedule I drug<\/a> in a lawsuit being supported by groups like NORML, Reason for Hope, Veteran Mental Health Leadership Coalition, End of Life Washington and Global Wellness Institute, in addition to numerous individual experts.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has also faced legal action over its denial of a palliative care doctor\u2019s request to administer psilocybin to his patients under the federal Right to Try Act, which allows patients with terminal conditions to try investigational medications that have not been approved for general use.<\/p>\n

DEA is also facing increased political pressure from bipartisan lawmakers, who recently took an extra step to\u00a0provide additional congressional clarification<\/a>, filing companion bills in the House and Senate last year to reaffirm that the scope of Right to Try (RTT) should include Schedule I drugs like psilocybin.<\/p>\n

The legislation would make a technical amendment to the text of the existing statute, with the primary purpose of clarifying\u2014in the face of DEA objections\u2014that\u00a0RTT policy as signed into law by former President Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0already means that patients with terminal health conditions can obtain and use investigational drugs that have undergone clinical trials, even if they\u2019re Schedule I controlled substances.<\/p>\n

The bills were filed about six months after\u00a0bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter<\/a>, led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), requesting that DEA allow terminally ill patients to use psilocybin as an investigational treatment without the fear of federal prosecution.<\/p>\n

Last year, Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) separately pushed top federal officials<\/a>\u00a0to provide an update on research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, arguing that ongoing federal prohibition has stymied studies.<\/p>\n

In a procedural win for scientists and advocates, DEA last year retreated on a proposed ban on psychedelic compounds<\/a>\u00a0that experts say have research value. The development came just one month after the agency\u00a0abandoned separate plans to place five tryptamine psychedelics in Schedule I<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DEA faced significant criticism over the latter proposal,\u00a0receiving nearly 600 messages<\/a>\u00a0during a public comment period, with most opposing the rule change and requesting a hearing. The agency\u2019s own administrative court subsequently agreed that\u00a0there was a need to hold a hearing<\/a>\u00a0on the matter before the prohibition could be enacted\u2014but DEA pulled the proposal instead.<\/p>\n

Separately, DEA has released its final 2023 production quotas for drugs<\/a> to be used in research\u2014with the agency calling for even more manufacturing of psychedelic compounds like MDMA, psilocyn and 5-MeO-DMT than the existing significant increases it had initially proposed for the current year.<\/p>\n

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Biden\u2019s Attorney General Says DOJ Is \u2018Still Working On\u2019 Federal Marijuana Policy Approach<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post Fourth Michigan City Passes Measure To Decriminalize Psychedelics<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Fourth Michigan City Passes Measure To Decriminalize Psychedelics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Local leaders in the city of Ferndale, Michigan, passed a resolution this week that advocates say decriminalizes psychedelic plants and fungi, including drugs such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and DMT. Ferndale is the fourth Michigan city to pass such a measure. Detroit, Ann Arbor and Hazel Park have adopted similarContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62264"}],"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\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62264"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62265,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62264\/revisions\/62265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}