A city-wide vote can be held on decriminalizing the possession and use of some psychedelic plants and “magic mushrooms” in the District later this year, after the D.C. Board of Elections paved the way on the issue on Wednesday.
The board agreed to allow the proposed ballot measure that would make psychedelics-related crimes the least worthy of police involvement and reduce penalties on the possession and use of these substances.
“Investigation and arrest of adults for non-commercial planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, possessing or engaging in practices with, entheogenic plants and fungi” would be among the “lowest law enforcement priorities,” if it is enacted.
Both psychedelic plants and hallucinogenic mushrooms are currently designated as Schedule I drugs, and call for heavier penalties.
The measure will appear on the November ballot, if supporters of the movement manage to collect over 25,000 signatures from D.C. voters.
Behind the initiative titled the “Entheogenic Plant and Fungus Policy Act of 2020” is the Campaign to Decriminalize Nature District of Columbia.
“The campaign to Decriminalize Nature is an electoral and educational campaign to inform District of Columbia residents about the value of entheogenic plants and fungi and the intention to propose a resolution to decriminalize our relationship to nature,” the group says on its website.
The group submitted the legislative text to the D.C. Board of Elections on December 20, 2019.