How Port Townsend, Washington, decriminalized psychedelics
Decriminalization in Port Townsend applies only to adults over 18 – it remains illegal to distribute entheogens to children, or for children to use them – but includes the cultivation of entheogens… in November 2020, Port Townsend activists were jolted into “non-stop” action when police arrested Annie… for charges including possession of psilocybin… was facing a potential five-year prison term for the psilocybin charge.
…mayor’s staff were resistant. “It was very confusing and frustrating to us because we weren’t actually included in the process of writing this resolution,” Reading [of Port Townsend Psychedelic Society], said. “We’d given them the resolution we wanted passed and they completely ignored it and just wrote a different one … the city attorney actually wrote the resolution in league with the police chief without us there, which was really not okay with us.” Finally the City Council moved on the resolution… including but not limited to the cultivation of entheogens for use in religious, spiritual, healing, or personal growth practices… On December 20, 2021 the City Council… voted unanimously to decriminalize naturally-occurring psychedelics. Lawmakers approved Resolution 21-088, which states “the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of adults engaging in entheogen-related activities should be among the lowest enforcement priorities for the city.” The resolution defines entheogens as “plant or fungal material” including “psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca tea, mescaline, and iboga.”
Original Article (FilterMag):
How Port Townsend, Washington, decriminalized psychedelics
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