Denver To Vote On Decriminalizing Psychedelic Mushrooms In May

Denver voters are about to go on the trip of a lifetime.

In May, they’ll get a chance to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms within the city with a vote, according to the Denver Channel. And they apparently really want the vote: The Denver Elections Division certified a petition Friday from activists that got more than 5,500 signatures.

If successful, Denver would be the first jurisdiction to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms. Psilocybin ― the chemical substance in the mushroom that makes you trip ― is a Schedule I narcotic in the eyes of the federal government.

“The Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Decriminalization Initiative submitted a sufficient number of valid signatures and the question will be placed on the May 7, 2019, Municipal Election ballot,” said Joe Szuszwalak of the Denver Elections Division.

The Denver Psilocybin Initiative would categorize possession and personal use  as the “city’s lowest law-enforcement priority,” according to KDVR.

As Denver7 reports, proponents of magic mushrooms say they have some medicinal effects:

Kevin Matthews, the campaign manager for Decriminalize Denver, told Denver7 last month that ’shrooms have helped him break his own cycle of depression and sees the drug as a potential treatment for various pain and mental health-related issues. He also argued decriminalization would help lower incarceration rates as it would keep people out of jail for non-violent drug offenses.