Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued an executive order Friday morning that orders all city departments – including law enforcement – to “deprioritize enforcement of entheogenic plants”, also known as psychedelics.

According to the order, the arrest or investigation of anyone who may be planting, moving, distributing or using certain products such as plants, fungi and their natural materials – or compounds from those products- should be the lowest law enforcement priority within the city. In addition, resources in the city won’t be used for alleged violations for the drugs unless required by law.

It goes on to say a higher priority in the city is the increase in opioid substance use disorder.

The plant compounds named within the order include the following:

indole amines
tryptamines
phenethylamines including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca tea, mescaline and iboga

Frey’s order says the usage of entheogenic plants helps with the “health and well-being” of anyone who suffers from chronic depression, severe anxiety, problematic substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, end-of-life anxiety, grief, intergenerational trauma and more.

Frey issued the following prepared statement after he signed the order:

“Regardless of the stigma attached, when you look at the science behind the benefits of entheogens, it all points in one direction. Experts are telling us that these plants help people, and that’s the business we should be in – helping people. With a rise in deaths of despair in our city, and in our society, the data is showing that these plants can help be a remedy. That’s the message I hope this executive order sends elsewhere.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey

His order cites entheogenic practices of some groups – such as Native Americans and two churches, the Santo Daime congregation and the Uniao do Vegetal – are protected under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, respectively.