“They are naturally occurring and have been used by humans for thousands of years,” said Carlos Plazola, the director of Decriminalize Nature Oakland, the group behind the measure. He told the Guardian he became interested in decriminalization after he had a transformative experience on mushrooms last fall: “These are not drugs. These are healing plants … We just think they should never have been made illegal to begin with.”Denver becomes first US city to decriminalize 'magic mushrooms' Read moreThe Oakland measure, which gained unanimous approval, decriminalizes adult use of psychoactive plants and fungi, including mushrooms, cacti, iboga and ayahuasca. “These are natural plants that can help you with depression, anxiety, alcoholism,” said councilmember Noel Gallo, who sponsored the measure. “The whole process should be a model for other cities.”It is already rare for law enforcement to prioritize arrests and prosecution for mushrooms.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2019 17:51 UTC