Activists in Massachusetts are pushing for decriminalization of all illicit drugs (with a focus on psychedelics) in the city of Worceter and at the state level.
After yet another unanimous vote, Easthampton became the fourth city in Massachusetts to decriminalize possession and cultivation of psychedelics!
The measure calls for the possession of any controlled substance to be the lowest priority of law enforcement, with the exception of the endangered Lophophora cacti and animal-derived substances. Owen Zaret (D), who introduced the legislation, noted that these cases should be treated as public health issues and not criminal ones, and that harm-reduction policies should be prioritized.
Cities across the US are taking the first step toward legalizing psychedelics –Â deprioritization.
Under state and federal laws, it is still illegal to use, possess, transport, or cultivate entheogenic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms, but many cities are passing resolutions to make investigating these cases the lowest priority of law enforcement.
So far, psilocybin is deprioritized in Denver, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Washington DC, Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Somerville, Cambridge, and Northampton. Easthampton, Massachusetts; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Arcata, California will likely be the next to join the list as early as this fall.
