Somerville has become the first community in Massachusetts to take a step toward decriminalizing entheogenic plants. The council conducted a vote to pass a resolution that advocated for the decriminalization of entheogenic plants, with the results being unanimous.
The measure stated that Somerville employees, including police officers and officials from other agencies, should not utilize the city’s resources to help in enforcing laws against the possession and use of entheogenic plants by adults. However, the measure does not permit driving while under the influence of the said substances nor does it allow the commercial sale of the entheogens.
One of the sponsors of the measure, Councilor Jesse Clingan, stated that passing the resolution was another tool in the tool box the council has available to assist with many of the challenges that are impacting the society today.
Emerging research conducted on psychedelics has demonstrated the potential that these substances possess and how they can be used to treat various substance-use disorders and mental-health conditions. This is despite critics stating that there is still not enough evidence to help researchers fully comprehend the side effects of these hallucinogens, particularly when administered to individuals with severe physical and mental ailments.
Under federal law, it remains illegal to possess or cultivate hallucinogenic mushrooms without a special license issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Residents of Somerville from various advocacy groups such as the Heroic Hearts Project, Decriminalize Nature Massachusetts and the Bay Staters of Natural Medicine had earlier sent a letter to the city council mentioning various studies that demonstrated the benefits of psychedelics. The letter also cited eight state legislators who were committed to exploring more on how controlled substances could be treated as a public health issue, in addition to naming other states and cities that had decriminalized psychedelic plants.
The letter sent to the city also explained that decriminalization represented a significant step forward not only for criminal justice but also for public health, given that the community was addressing suicide, depression and peak rates of opioid abuse. This was followed by an explanation detailing how psilocybin mushrooms, designated breakthrough therapy by the FDA, and other natural psychedelics were extremely effective in the treatment of these illnesses.
The measure not only centers on psychedelics but also cites all controlled substances, stating that the policy of the city of Somerville on arresting adults for either possessing or using controlled substances shall be among the lowest priority of law enforcement for the city.
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