Cambridge City Council Decriminalizes Psychedelics And Urges Police To End Drug Arrests More Broadly

Cambridge, Massachusetts has become the latest city to decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics following a City Council vote on Wednesday. But lawmakers also used the opportunity to push for broader reforms that go beyond the entheogen-focused measures approved in other municipalities across the country, calling on police to stop arresting people for possessing or using any illicit drugs.

Local legislators approved the resolution 8-1, making Cambridge the second city in Massachusetts to adopt the psychedelics and drug policy change. The Somerville City Council advanced a similar decriminalization measure last month.

The text of the ordinance states that, like many cities and states across the country, Cambridge has “begun in recent years to recognize that criminalizing users of substances such as cannabis is neither a just or effective legal approach.”

Watch the Cambridge City Council meeting below, starting around 55:44:35: 

“Drug policy in the United States and the so-called ‘War on Drugs’ has historically led to unnecessary penalization, arrest, and incarceration of vulnerable people, particularly people of color and of limited financial means, instead of prioritizing harm-reduction policies that treat drug abuse as an issue of public health,” it continues.

Congratulations to Cambridge, Massachusetts! Cambridge City Council votes 8-1 to #DecriminalizeNature! The second city in #Massachusetts to decriminalize in 2021. Great work @DecrimNatureMA and @BayStaters! Go team Nature! pic.twitter.com/uE9dZ7DKgp

— Decriminalize Nature (@DecrimNature) February 4, 2021

In order to resolve the problem, the measures stipulates that enforcement of laws against possession and cultivation of entheogenic plants and fungi like ayahuasca, ibogaine and psilocybin mushrooms should be among the city’s lowest priorities. It also directs the county prosecutor to drop cases related to the possession and use of controlled substances.

It states that “the arrest of adult persons for using or possessing controlled substances shall be amongst the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Cambridge.”

Further, the measurerequires the city manager to direct staff that work with the state and federal government to advocate for decriminalizing entheogenic plants and fungi. Additionally, it says the city government cannot use funds to “assist in the enforcement of laws imposing criminal penalties for the use and possession of entheogenic plants by adults.”

On Monday, I’m introducing a Cambridge City Council resolution seeking to end criminalization of entheogenic plants & substances like mushrooms.

It’s a step towards understanding substance use through the lense of public health and not the so-called “War on Drugs” pic.twitter.com/QYVTdERLOs

— Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler 🌹 (@VoteJivan) January 31, 2021

One council member said during Wednesday’s meeting that while he was skeptical of the proposal when it was introduced, he appreciated that activists brought it forward because it provided an education on the issue, especially “for older people like me.” He said “it made a difference” and it became “very clear” why the policy change was necessary.

The Boston Globe reported on Thursday that a Massachusetts state representative is planning to file legislation to “create a committee of public officials, scientists, criminal justice experts and others to study whether Massachusetts should decriminalize natural psychedelics and legalize their administration in therapeutic settings statewide.”

The panel could also “study whether to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other currently illicit substances,” the outlet said.

In the meantime, Cambridge joins a growing number of cities across the U.S. that have enacted psychedelics decriminalization. Most of the reforms have advanced legislatively, though Washington, D.C. became the first jurisdiction to decriminalize via the ballot in November.

Four other cities—Oakland, Santa Cruz, Ann Arbor and Somerville—have also decriminalized possession of plant-and fungi-based psychedelics.

In Oregon, November’s election saw the passage of a historic initiatives to legalize psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic purposes and more broadly decriminalize possession of all drugs.

Much of this reform progress can be traced back to Denver, which became the first city in the country to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in May 2019. Since then, activists in more than 100 cities have expressed interest in pursuing psychedelics decriminalization.

In Oakland, the first city where a city council voted to broadly deprioritize criminalization of entheogenic substances, lawmakers approved a follow-up resolution in December that calls for the policy change to be adopted statewide and for local jurisdictions to be allowed to permit healing ceremonies where people could use psychedelics.

After Ann Arbor legislators passed a decriminalization resolution in September, a county prosecutor recently announced that his office will not be pursuing charges over possessing entheogenic plants and fungi—“regardless of the amount at issue.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers in California, New York, Virginia, Washington and other states are considering psychedelics and drug policy reform bills for the 2021 session.

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City Council Unanimously Votes To Decriminalize Psychedelics In Ann Arbor, Michigan

The Ann Arbor, Michigan City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics on Monday.

The proposal, which was brought before local lawmakers by Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, makes enforcement of laws against a wide range of entheogenic substances such as psilocybin and ayahuasca among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities.

Council Members Anne Bannister (D) and Jeff Hayner (D) sponsored the resolution, which is similar those those previously approved by legislators in Oakland and Santa Cruz, California.

“Decriminalization of naturally occurring medicines is necessary for progress,” Hayner said in a press release. “We can no longer turn a blind eye towards the wisdom of indigenous peoples, and the bounty the earth provides. I have been moved by the testimonies of those who have found profound relief from the use of entheogenic plants.”

Julie Barron, chair of Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, told Marijuana Moment that as a therapist, “I see people everyday at the end of their rope trying to get help. There’s so much scientific evidence and current clinical trials with entheogenic plants/fungi, but they’re not currently available to the people of Ann Arbor.”

“This resolution is about restoring our connection to ourselves and restoring our connection to nature,” she said. “Our ancestors used these plants and fungi, and there is much early documentation of this. Western society sadly has almost eliminated the use of these natural compounds.”

“It’s incredible to see the unanimous support of our resolution by the Ann Arbor City Council. Four city council members co-sponsored the resolution….Hayner, Bannister, Ramlawi, and Griswold, and even the most conservative council members voted for our resolution. Entheogenic plants and fungi are officially decriminalized in the City of Ann Arbor. We are humbled and proud and can’t wait to work with the city and the community on harm reduction and community education.”

Text of the measure goes through a number of potential therapeutic applications for the substances, including the treatment of addiction and depression. It also states that psychedelics “can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth.”

Watch the city council meeting discuss the psychedelics decriminalization measure below: 

Under the resolution, the mayor and city council would “declare that it shall be the policy of the City of Ann Arbor that the investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Ann Arbor.”

The measure was amended before passage to remove additional language that said “city funds or resources shall not be used in any investigation, detention, arrest, or prosecution arising out of alleged violations of state and federal law regarding the use of Entheogenic Plants.”

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Please share far and wide 🐸🌵🍄🌱 #decriminalizenatureannarbor #decriminalizenature ##annarborcitycouncil

A post shared by Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor (@decriminalizenatureannarbor) on Sep 16, 2020 at 7:26am PDT

Commercial sales and manufacturing, as well as use while operating a motor vehicle, would still be prohibited.

The proposal calls on the Washtenaw County prosecutor to “cease prosecution of persons involved in the use of Entheogenic Plants or plant-based compounds designated by the federal Controlled Substance Act.”

“I think that the intent of this is to decriminalize the use of this as best we’re able as a Council to allow for personal use, research, to give the folks who are doing cutting-edge research in mental health issues more tools to remove the stigma around the use of these plants and possession of these plants,” Hayner said at Monday’s meeting.

“We’ve heard so many good reasons from the folks—historical, medicinal, spiritual, that it puts us back in nature and that it encourages individual responsibly and responsible use. That combined with the fact that they appear not be addictive and that they represent that this great body of traditional ecological knowledge, I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution.”

Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox also testified that the resolution “reflects the reality of what we’re currently doing.”

Barron said that the group had “asked Ann Arbor City Council to help eliminate the fear of arrest and prosecution by people using these substances,” and they would “like our community to continue to build a container for their use, offering harm reduction practices and educational resources.”

This is the latest iteration of the national psychedelics reform movement that’s quickly spread across the country since Denver became the first city in the U.S. to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms through a voter initiative in 2019.

Activists in Washington, D.C. successfully qualified a psychedelics decriminalization measure for the November ballot, and recent polling indicates that there’s strong support for the policy change.

In Oregon, an initiative to legalize psilocybin for therapeutic purposes will appear on the state’s ballot as well. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) has formally endorsed the proposal and is raising money for the campaign. Also this November, Oregon voters will also decide on a separate measure to decriminalize possession of all currently illicit drugs and put tax dollars toward expanding substance misuse treatment.

Oakland activists in July released a proposed measure to allow residents to use a variety of entheogenic substances in plant medicine healing ceremonies. And last month, they unveiled guidelines for safely and effectively participating in those ceremonies.

The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies announced last month that it raised $30 million in donations—including from several notable business leaders outside the drug policy realm—that will enable it to complete a study on using MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

Last month, Canada’s health minister granted exemptions allowing certain cancer patients to legally use psilocybin for end-of-life care.

The Canadian government will have to officially respond to a petition calling for the decriminalization of psychedelics after it recently garnered nearly 15,000 signatures—and there’s legislation in the works that could make the reform happen.

The University of California at Berkeley announced this month that it is launching a new center dedicated to psychedelics research and education.

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Psychedelics Decriminalization Moves Forward In Cities Around The U.S.

Activists in Berkeley, California and Port Townsend, Washington took steps this week to get psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics decriminalized, following in the footsteps of successful similar efforts in Denver and Oakland.

In Berkeley, a decriminalization resolution advanced in a City Council committee on Wednesday, and organizers in Port Townsend spoke about their proposal at a county public health board meeting on Thursday, with plans to formally present it to the City and County Council.

The Berkeley measure would prohibit city departments and law enforcement from using any funds to enforce laws against possession, propagation and consumption of psychedelics by individuals 21 or older. Members of the City Council Public Safety committee unanimously voted to send the resolution to the Berkeley Community Health Commission for further consideration.

If that panel approves the measure, the full Council will schedule a hearing and vote on final passage. Decriminalize Nature, the group behind this resolution as well as the successful passage of neighboring Oakland’s psychedelics decriminalization effort last month, said they hope the Council will act on the measure by early November.

Separately, activists in Port Townsend announced that they delivered a speech about their psychedelics decriminalization proposal during a meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Health.

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Today we gave our speech to the Port Townsend County Board of Public Health! We are overwhelmed by the support of our community. Our group of supporters filled up half the audience. We are currently making plans to speak with the county health officer to talk about next steps in presenting in front of city and county council. Much gratitude 🙏 free the plants 🌱✨💖 #freetheplants #plantmedicine #mushrooms #ayahuasca #peyote #heal #pnw #porttownsend #endwarondrugs

A post shared by PT Psychedelic Society (@porttownsendpsychedelicsociety) on Jul 18, 2019 at 9:42pm PDT

Beyond prohibiting the use of government funds to criminalize adults for using and possessing the substances, the local Washington resolution also calls on the city administrator to “instruct the City’s state and federal lobbyists to work in support of decriminalizing all Entheogenic Plants and plant-based compounds that are listed on the Federal Controlled Substances Schedule 1.”

“We are overwhelmed by the support of our community. Our group of supporters filled up half the audience,” the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society said in an Instagram post. “We are currently making plans to speak with the county health officer to talk about next steps in presenting in front of city and county council.”

Alex Williams, who is leading the decriminalization effort in Berkeley, told Marijuana Moment that Wednesday’s Council committee meeting there “went better than I had anticipated” and that he feels “there is an excellent chance of the resolution passing.”

Watch the Berkeley Public Safety Committee discuss psychedelics, starting at about 42:00:

While Williams said two members of the committee seemed to be under the impression that the resolution is singularly geared toward recreational use and meant to “capitalize on a new market,” Decriminalize Nature plans to address those misconceptions, emphasizing that the measure would not provide for commercial manufacturing or sales and that “this process is very important to allowing safe, equitable access to marginalized communities.”

“It is essential that entheogenic substances be treats as sacred spiritual practices and healers,” he added.

The resolution defines entheogenic substances as “plants and natural sources such as mushrooms, cacti, iboga containing plants and/or extracted combinations of plants similar to ayahuasca; and limited to those containing the following types of compounds: indoleamines, tryptamines, phenethylamines.”

Two Councilmembers, Rigel Robinson and Cheryl Davila, are sponsoring the measure.

“You can imagine a day where, years from now, doctors working with patients with serious depression or veterans dealing with PTSD could actually offer them a more realistic and comprehensive suite of potential treatments, which may include some of these plants as the research over the last several decades has indicated,” Robinson said at the meeting.

While Berkeley might seem like an obvious target for psychedelics reform given the city’s decades-long close association with counterculture, the movement to remove criminal penalties is gaining steam nationally. Decriminalize Nature is maintaining a map of jurisdictions throughout the country where activists have expressed interest in pursuing a similar model.

Time to update the outreach board! Close to 100 locations have reached out now, some already speaking with their City Councilmembers. Great job everyone! #DecriminalizeNature#yourcity#DNUSApic.twitter.com/D7lbCpdi3c

— Decriminalize Nature (@DecrimNature) July 16, 2019

Also this week, a resident spoke at a Columbia, Missouri City Council meeting, asking the body to consider a resolution to decriminalize psychedelics. At least one councilmember expressed interest in following through, and he called the therapeutic potential of the natural substances “very promising.”

Individuals from nearly 100 cities have reached out to the organization for assistance advancing their own decriminalization efforts.

Voters in Denver kicked things off by approving the nation’s first-ever ballot measure to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms in May.

Activists are currently pursuing efforts to place psilocybin-focused measures on statewide ballots in California and Oregon for next year.

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