Seattle Takes A Step Toward Decriminalizing Psychedelics

Seattle WA

05 October, 2021

3:29 PM

Description

SEATTLE — Seattle took a big step toward decriminalizing the possession, cultivation and use of psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs this week, voting unanimously on a resolution to designate any related investigations, prosecutions and arrests among the city's "lowest law enforcement priorities." The resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, sailed through council on a 9-0 vote. In addition to expressing formal support for full decriminalization, it directs the Seattle Police Department to adjust its enforcement policies related to "entheogens," a group that includes psilocybin, peyote and ayahuasca. A news release from the Seattle City Council reads in part: "Entheogens, commonly known [as] psychedelics, have been shown to benefit the well-being of individuals suffering from depression, severe anxiety, problematic substance use, post-traumatic stress, end-of-life anxiety, grief, and intergenerational trauma. These and other physical and mental conditions are plaguing many communities, which have been further demonstrated to be exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19." While existing Seattle Police Department enforcement practices do not permit arrests solely for controlled substances, council officials said they do not explicitly protect people who cultivate entheogens from arrest or prosecutions. "It is a long overdue conversation to criminalize these non-addictive natural substances," Lewis said in a statement. "Our law enforcement officials certainly have more important things to do than arrest people for entheogens, and this resolution affirms that." Seattle's move toward decriminalizing psychedelics follows similar actions in several other cities across the U.S., including Oakland, Denver and Washington, D.C. In 2020, nearly 56 percent of voters approved a ballot measure in Oregon, making it the first state to legalize psilicocybin.