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Ann Arbor Moves to Decriminalize Psychedelics like Mushrooms, Peyote

Ann Arbor is a trip, man. The Michigan city’s council just moved to decriminalize the use of magic mushrooms, peyote, and other psychedelic plants, declaring law enforcement against those imbibing should be the lowest priority.

City council members insisted that the mind-bending plants’ benefits outweigh any of their potential negatives.

“The use of entheogenic plants, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, has been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing these conditions,’’ read the resolution that members passed unanimously Monday night, according to Michigan Live.

Councilman Ali Ramlawi said during the meeting that drug laws in the country are frequently made based on money decisions.

“It’s unfortunate that that’s how drug policies work in America — it’s what makes more money, criminalizing it or advancing the medical benefits of them,” the pol said, according to the Michigan Daily.

But “whether it’s this or marijuana, we see a shift in American policy with drugs.

“There was much more money to be made with the criminalization of these drugs, and now there is a realization of the profits to be made,’’ he said.

“And so it’s unfortunate there’s been a lot of people who have been caught in the crossfire and who are serving time and have had their lives ruined [by prosecution].”

Ann Arbor — home to the massive University of Michigan — isn’t the first city to move to decriminalize psychedelic plants. Denver, Colo., voted to allow the ingestion of shrooms in May, while Oakland and Santa Cruz in California soon followed suit. Meanwhile, Oregon could become the first state to allow magic mushrooms, if a referendum on the issue passes in November.

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