State legislators in Colorado specifically forbade any psychedelic products to be sold outside of a certified outlet. However, the potential for legalization in the United States has spurred the creation of dozens of firms that would like to sell psilocybin in commercial quantities.
Many of these companies are organizing trips to Jamaica, Peru, or Mexico, where they would utilize psilocybin in its original form as a natural psychedelic.
Colorado could become the second state after Oregon to allow the use of certain psychedelic substances that are illegal under federal law.
The use of psychedelic mushrooms in Oregon was approved by voters in 2020, but Colorado voters will decide whether to go one step further in November. Proposition 122 would allow adults to consume certain plant-based psychedelic substances without restriction, except for psilocybin mushrooms, which would be illegal to sell. In 2016, there were two psilocybin mushroom-using “healing centers” in Colorado, but the proposal would make all psilocybin mushrooms illegal.
Psychedelic drugs, which may alter a person's perception and cause hallucinations, are controlled substances of Schedule I, which has been determined to have a high potential for abuse and no legitimate medical purpose. However, research is still in its infancy that psychedelic mushrooms may have health benefits, such as treating depression.
In June, 15 cities and other local U.S. jurisdictions made psilocybin or downgraded the policing, prosecution, or arrest of users. Denver’s 2019 voter-approved initiative made the city’s psilocybin mushroom possession and use the least important law enforcement priority and prohibited the expenditure of resources on related penalties.
Here are five key things to remember about the Colorado initiative:
How does the Colorado initiative work?
Colorado voters will decide one of 11 statewide ballot questions in the November election. It would allow adults to grow, possess, and use mushrooms containing the substances psilocybin and psilocin, as well as decriminalize three plant-based psychedelics: mescaline (except for the peyote cactus, which it does not mention), ibogaine (from the iboga root), and dimethyltryptamine (the component of ayahuasca tea). The state would also be required to create regulations for facilities where adults can buy and consume the substances under supervision. Selling the drugs outside of those locations would remain illegal.
The measure sets a timeline for the regulatory process and facilities to be operational by late 2024 for psilocybin, and the state could expand the list of psychedelic substances to include mescaline, ibogaine, and dimethyltryptamine in those facilities starting in 2026. If voters approve the initiative, people who use those psychedelics would be protected from professional discipline or losing public benefits, and criminal records of past convictions for offenses made legal under the measure could be sealed.
Oregon's 2020 psilocybin measure goes beyond the psilocybin use law voters passed. No facilities have opened yet in Oregon, where health officials are still drafting regulations, and the state's new measure is beyond the Oregon law.
What are the potential health benefits?
Supporters believe that psychedelic mushrooms and plants may have mental health advantages and may be used as a substitute treatment for psychological disorders. There is growing investigation and clinical trial on whether these substances can be used as an alternative treatment for depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other things.
Supporters of the law say that imposing regulation would allow for more access to effective mental health care. They also say psychedelic mushrooms are not addictive and don't pose a public safety risk.
What are the risks and uncertainties?
Some critics say that the bill is too far ahead of the scientific facts, and that the current research is not strong enough to support legalizing psychedelic mushrooms and plants for medical or recreational purposes. They say that a lot of the research has been on psychedelic mushrooms, and that little is known about mescaline, ibogaine, and dimethyltryptamine's effects.
Officials at the Justice Department’s National Drug Intelligence Center say that psilocybin can have negative physical and psychological effects, such as vomiting, weakness, and lack of coordination, in addition to negative effects on reality tests. It can also make heart problems worse. People with a personal or family history of schizophrenia are usually excluded from psilocybin studies. In addition, psilocybin can exacerbate mental health problems.
People say that since psilocybin is derived from fungi (technically, plants) it is less dangerous than drugs manufactured in a laboratory. This statement has no merit. Plants are frequently poisonous, and many pharmaceuticals are derived from natural components.
What is the research finding?
Medical researchers believe that psilocybin may be useful in treating depressive conditions that are resistant to treatment or that are associated with terminal illness. They caution, however, that further research is needed to understand psilocybin's neurobiological factors and long-term consequences. The FDA has classified psilocybin as a "breakthrough therapy," a classification which speeds up the development of novel drugs. To date, no psychedelic drugs have been licensed for medical use.
Psilocybin is the most extensively researched drug in the Colorado referendum. Psilocybin has been combined with therapy in clinical trials. Unlike antidepressants, which must be taken regularly, psilocybin has been found to have durable treatment effects after only one, two, or three doses. It is uncertain whether psilocybin has health benefits aside from the psilocybin-assisted therapy studies.
Some investigate findings state that psilocybin-supported therapy can be utilized to treat substance use disorders, including nicotine and alcohol addiction. Mescaline, ibogaine, and dimethyltryptamine are still in experimental phase trials.
Marijuana is one of the most lucrative industries in the world, so is it possible that this could sprout another industry?
It is typically thought that psilocybin's path to legalization will follow that of cannabis. However, the compounds have major differences in how they affect people. Despite the fact that psilocybin is naturally occurring, it is unlikely to be approved as easily as marijuana, which is permitted for medical use in 39 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to those states, D.C. also allows recreational use.
In Colorado, psychedelic drugs may not be sold outside of a licensed facility. However, the potential for legalization in the U.S. and elsewhere has spurred the creation of dozens of companies that would like to commercialize psilocybin’s use and treatment. Some are planning retreats to Jamaica, Peru, or Mexico, where they would conduct ceremonies based on the millennia-old use of psilocybin and other natural psychedelics.
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