The Oakland City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to decriminalize the adult use and possession of entheogenic, or psychoactive, plants and fungi, such as ‘magic’ mushrooms. That makes the city the second in the U.S. to decriminalize psychedelic plants. Denver voters in May approved a similar measure for people 21 and older.
Oakland’s measure would make the “investigation and arrest of individuals involved with the adult use of entheogenic plants on the federal Schedule 1 list be amongst the lowest priority for the city of Oakland.”
The City Council vote came after a string of speakers testified that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca and peyote, helped them overcome depression, drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. Similar testimony swayed the public safety committee last week, which approved the measure to come before a full council.
Use of the plants “saved my life,” said one man who described himself as a former heroin addict. “I don’t know how to describe it other than miraculous.”
“There’s some evidence that one of the active components in psilocybin mushrooms can be used as a medical treatment in some patients, but this is also based off studies that have been small or very preliminary,” said Dr. Brian Anderson on KQED’s Forum. Anderson is a psychiatrist at San Francisco General Hospital who has done studies on the use of psychedelic plants in religious ceremonies.
He said there have been some trials suggesting the effects on depression or PTSD can be large when used as a form of drug-assisted psychotherapy. Those trials, though, remain small and far from FDA approval.
