WA: Tacoma makes psychedelics prosecution lowest priority

Tacoma Weekly

The Tacoma City Council chambers erupted in joyful applause on Jan. 28 when the council unanimously passed a resolution to deprioritize entheogens in our city’s law enforcement priorities.

Entheogens, commonly known as hallucinogens or psychedelics, are usually ingested through certain species of mushrooms that contain psilocybin, which produces profound psychoactive effects on a person’s consciousness and perception. For years, communities locally and across the country have advocated for the decriminalization of these naturally occurring plant materials, particularly regarding their positive effect on mental health conditions.

Council member Joe Bushnell was the resolution’s lead sponsor with co-sponsors Mayor Woodards and council members Olgy Diaz and Jamika Scott.

“Tacoma joins a growing list of Washington state jurisdictions including Seattle, Port Townsend, Olympia and Jefferson County that have made entheogen-related activities the lowest law enforcement priorities locally,” Bushnell said. “This resolution is a testament to our commitment in exploring innovative and compassionate approaches to mental health.”

The resolution does not fully decriminalize entheogen-related activities at this point but rather declares the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of anyone engaging in these activities to be among the City of Tacoma’s lowest law enforcement priorities. The resolution does include language stating the city council’s support for decriminalization to help facilitate mental health treatment research in the use of entheogens.

Diaz addressed members of the Tacoma Psychedelic Society who were present for the council vote. The Society wrote the council’s resolution by working closely with Bushnell and meeting with Woodards and other city staff.

“I hope this is a helpful tool for you, that you continue to advocate at the state and federal levels and that you can use this going forward,” Diaz said, “and use the backing of the city as another case for why this matters and why it is so helpful for folks in our community.”

Woodards said that at first, she didn’t really have an opinion on this subject matter and intended to vote yes for the resolution, but she became thoroughly convinced when she met with the people who had deeply personal stories to share about their life experiences and the impact entheogens have made for them. Much testimony was also given at the council meeting from people whose lives have been changed through entheogens.

“Sometimes it takes someone’s personal story and not just hear but feel the impact it has had on somebody’s life. It changes hearts and minds and that is why they say storytelling is so effective and it’s only effective if the story is real. You can feel when the story is real,” Woodards said. “After meeting with all of you who are so knowledgeable and willing to educate folks, I didn’t just want to be a signer. I didn’t want to just vote yes; I want to be an advocate.”

Bushnell, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, stated, “This resolution is a testament to our commitment to exploring innovative and compassionate approaches to mental health.”

He said, “In the United States, there are 22 veterans a day who commit suicide. As a veteran who lives with PTSD, I’m acutely aware of the challenges faced by those struggling with mental health conditions. The promising research on the therapeutic potential of entheogens, particularly psilocybin, offers a beacon of hope. By declaring our support for decriminalizing these substances, we can advocate for further research and potentially life-changing treatments.”

Cole Schrim is a licensed therapist and founder of the Tacoma Psychedelic Society. She and her fellow Society members are elated at the council’s action.

“We were all glowing then we went to McMenamins afterward to celebrate. It was just a wonderful night,” Schrim said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to get a unanimous vote because we had a few council members that were ambivalent, so we worked really hard to set up one-on-one meetings with all of them. Lo and behold, we accomplished a unanimous vote.”

Schrim said that successfully passing the resolution was based on the people who fought for it.

“We brought an authentic voice. We had the collective voice of different stories of people wanting to live again because they found healing through psychedelics.”

https://tacomaweekly.com/city-makes-psychedelics-prosecution-lowest-priority-p9116-117.htm

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