SANTA CRUZ, CA — Santa Cruz is the second city in California and third in the nation to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms.
Oakland and Denver have already decriminalized magic mushrooms.
The council unanimously voted Tuesday to pass a resolution stating it did not wish to use city resources to investigate or arrest people who use or grow psychoactive mushrooms and plants, as long as they are at least 21 years old.
The resolution covers plants classified as Schedule I drugs by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which the government claims have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The council, however said in its resolution that psychoactive plants and mushrooms have “been documented to benefit the health and well-being of individuals and communities” dealing with numerous conditions such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The council’s resolution noted that in 2018 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allowed studies of psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms. Such plants have been long used by religious and spiritual leaders, “many of whom have been forced underground,” the resolution stated.
The council amended the resolution Tuesday to state that there should be additional research on the subject, and education and harm reducation strategies are needed to prevent negative impacts from improper use or over-consumption.
The resolution also: called upon users to seek consultation with and supervision from trained or medical professionals; gave the Santa Cruz Police Department the authority to re-evaluate the resolution if public health and safety were impacted; and directed the city manager to have Santa Cruz state and federal lobbyists to support decriminalization of psychoactive Schedule I plants.
Read the resolution here.