Journey toward legalization
The movement to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms for their medicinal benefits inches them closer to legalization.
By Paige Acosta, Grady Duggan and Sam Joson
It seems like everyone is talking about psilocybin these days.
It's already been decriminalized in Denver, Oakland, and Santa Cruz. Below, you'll see why more widespread decriminalization may not be too far off.
What is psilocybin?
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound produced by more than 200 species of mushrooms known as psilocybin mushrooms. They're classified as psychedelics because they alter perception, mood and thought. When ingested, the body breaks psilocybin down to a chemical called psilocin which has psychoactive properties.
Medical Benefits of Psilocybin
Psilocybin's psychedelic effects aren't its only draws. Research shows that it can treat a range of psychiatric and behavioral disorders such as cocaine addiction, cluster headaches, alcohol addiction and more.
Last fall, the FDA designated psilocybin as a "breakthrough therapy" for treating major depressive disorder. The FDA grants "breakthrough therapy" status to drugs that "may demonstrate substantial improvement over available therapy on a clinically significant endpoint(s)," according to FDA.gov.
Some organizations leading the research on psilocybin's medical benefits are MAPS, The Beckley Foundation and Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research.
Roadblocks
Despite its promising prospects of medicinal use, psilocybin is still considered a Schedule I drug by the federal government. The government classifies Schedule I drugs as illegal for having "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse," according to the DEA. Thus, conducting research on the medicinal use of Schedule I drugs is difficult.
Decriminalize Nature is the largest movement to decriminalize entheogenic plants with chapters in multiple states. These include California, Oregon and Washington.
Entheogen (n.)
A chemical substance, typically of plant origin, that is ingested to produce a nonordinary state of consciousness for religious or spiritual purposes. Psilocybin mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca are all considered entheogenic plants.