Following Denver’s decriminalization of psilocybin in May of 2019, if the state of Colorado finds that it has enough valid signatures, residents can anticipate to vote on Initiative 58—the Natural Medicine Health Act—this November. This will decide whether or not to legalize psychedelic mushrooms statewide.
“The Natural Medicine Health Act is designed to create regulated access to natural psychedelic medicines for veterans struggling with PTSD; people facing a terminal illness; and adults dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges in a way that maximizes safety,” Natural Medicine Colorado states. “Natural psychedelic medicines are non-addictive and can have profound benefits for people struggling with challenging mental health conditions including depression and anxiety and those struggling to find peace at the end of their lives.”
Magic mushrooms (containing the psychedelic compound psilocybin) are naturally occurring psychedelics that are mostly known for their hallucinogenic effects; however, for years psychoactive mushrooms have helped people by providing both medical, and therapeutic benefits.
The magic fungi dates back thousands of years, though it wasn’t until Robert Gordon Wasson shared his experience taking magic mushrooms in 1955 in Oaxaca, Mexico while partaking in a Mazatec ritual, that the concept was re-popularized.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, therapists, researchers, and psychiatrists used lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin to help thousands of patients with alcoholism, along with a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses. Since its listing in 1970 as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act, federal and state laws provide penalties for possessing, selling, or using magic mushrooms despite their benefits.
Today, countless studies evaluate the medical safety and efficacy of psilocybin. They show us that psychedelic mushrooms can be used effectively as a treatment for anxiety, PTSD, OCD, addiction, and depression.
“Psilocybin not only produces significant and immediate effects, it also has a long duration, which suggests that it may be a uniquely useful new treatment for depression,” says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. “Compared to standard antidepressants, which must be taken for long stretches of time, psilocybin has the potential to enduringly relieve the symptoms of depression with one or two treatments.”
Microdosing psychedelics is the practice of consuming low amounts of the chemical instead of experiencing a full-blown “trip.” One new study by Nature: Scientific Reports tells us that taking 0.1 to 0.3 grams of dried mushrooms three to five times a week can help improve our mood, emotional well-being, cognitive functioning, productivity, and help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
“Coloradans are experiencing problematic mental health issues, including but not limited to suicidality, addiction, depression, and anxiety,” the Natural Medicine Health Act says. “Colorado’s current approach to mental health has failed to fulfill its promise. Coloradans deserve more tools to address mental health issues, including approaches such as natural medicines that are grounded in treatment, recovery, health, and wellness rather than criminalization, stigma, suffering, and punishment.”
As medical studies and reports continue to come out suggesting that psilocybin may be beneficial for treating many psychiatric disorders, we can infer that a new era of natural and psychedelic medicine is just around the corner.
