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Effort to Legalize Mushrooms and Kratom Introduced in Vermont

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]R[/dropcap]ep. Brian Cina and other Vermont lawmakers filed a bill on Jan. 22 that would decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca ingredients, peyote and kratom. Like cannabis, kratom and psilocybin hold promise for medical treatments, with a growing number of city-level and state-level bills being introduced over the past few years.

H.878 would decriminalize certain psychedelic or entheogenic drugs that are commonly used for meditational and medicinal purposes.

“Plants, especially plant medicines, should be accessible to people,” Rep. Cina told Marijuana Moment. “Use of plant medicine should be considered a health care issue, not a criminal issue.” All of the plants in the bill have been recently explored for their potential medical benefits.

Decriminalize Nature is a reform group focused on expanding access to a number of entheogens.“It is exciting to see emerging interest at the state legislative level to support decriminalizing natural plants and fungi that are ‘commonly used for medicinal, spiritual, religious, or entheogenic purposes,’” Larry Norris of Decriminalize Nature said. “The fact that the word entheogenic is making its way into the legislative lexicon speaks volumes for the shift in perspective that is happening nationwide.”

The state has already been a pioneer in cannabis reform. In 2018, Vermont became the first state to legalize and decriminalize cannabis through legislation. Last year, over 30 cannabis plants were discovered at the Vermont Capitol building, probably planted by a guerilla growers.

Other efforts abound in other states. In Oregon, for instance, the Psilocybin Service Initiative, also called Initiative Petition #34, was certified officially on Sept. 6. Decriminalize California also launched an effort to draft a bill that would also decriminalize psilocybin mushroom use. Earlier efforts to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in California also took place. At the city level, Denver, Colorado and Oakland, California have taken similar measures to loosen up psychedelic plants.

 

 

 

 

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