Ann Arbor City Council to Vote on Decriminalizing Psychoactive Plants and Mushrooms

The City Council Agenda is to introduce decriminalizing entheogenic plants on September 21.

The Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor (DNA2) has worked to have entheogenic plants (plants such as psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, mescaline containing cacti, and iboga) decriminalized in Ann Arbor. Today, September 21, the city council will vote on whether or not this resolution will pass.

This resolution is sponsored by Council Members Ann Banniser and Jeff Hayner, both 1st ward democrats that are hoping to convince their colleagues to pass this resolution. If approved, it would make investigating and arresting people for using, growing, transporting, possessing, and distributing entheogenic plants and fungi the city’s lowest law enforcement priority. This would include hallucinogenic drugs that have been deemed illegal under state and federal law.

After the fight to legalize cannabis in Michigan was a success, marijuana activists have turned their attention towards winning the fight to legalize entheogenic plants. This resolution would not authorize commercial sales, manufacturing, processing, or distributing in schools, driving under the influence, or public disturbances.

To pass, the resolution will need at least six of the eleven members on the council to vote in favor of it. 

There are some major benefits to decriminalizing entheogenic plants. Decriminalizing these psychedelic substances have the potential to help address some of the mental health issues that the pandemic has shone a light onto.

Chuck Ream, DNA2 Political Advisor says, “We need to make clear progress with these breakthrough plant-based compounds before COVID-19 is finished, not after.” In the aftermath of this pandemic, the associated mental health issues are projected to increase and persist. Entheogens have great potential to address these problems now.

For the full resolution, click here. For more work by the DNA2, check out their website. Be sure to call, email, or write your city council members and the mayor’s office to let them know what you think of this resolution. You can also leave e-comments and view the agenda on the Ann Arbor City Council calendar.

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