Magic Mushrooms Could be Legal in Virginia This Year

By: Buz Deliere | January 12, 2023

Virginia legislators are exploring psychedelic drugs to alleviate mental health issues, introducing a bill that would permit psilocybin use medicinally and reducing penalties related to its possession.

With this recognition of the potential benefits of these substances, more states may follow suit in embracing an unconventional path toward treatments for psychological disorders.

Virginia politicians have announced their support for the medicinal use of psilocybin, commonly known as "magic mushrooms", and that possession should be treated as a misdemeanor instead of a crime.

If passed by the legislature, this would make Virginia one of the few U.S. states to decriminalize psychedelic drugs with potential medical benefits.

With a growing trend of psychedelic regulation in the US, Virginia is getting on board. Two legislators from different districts came together last year to create legislation that would cease felony possession penalties for psilocybin - Del. Dawn Adams and Sen. Ghazala Hashmi are united in their mission to protect citizens seeking treatment from the drug. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as politicians expressed safety concerns over users driving under the influence if passed into law.

Lawmakers in Virginia are on the cusp of exploring psilocybin's potential as a therapeutic tool. This Wednesday, lawmakers opened a debate at the 2023 General Assembly session to discuss legislation that could legalize and sanction the medical use of this psychedelic substance.

In an effort to improve mental health care, legislators are pushing for a bill that would permit medical professionals to prescribe psilocybin as a treatment for conditions like PTSD and end-of-life anxiety.

Psilocybin is the psychedelic compound found in "magic" mushrooms which have been used medicinally throughout history, with promising results when traditional treatments prove ineffective.

The state of Virginia is on the cusp of a significant shift in its approach to psilocybin. Governor Hashmi has assembled an advisory board consisting of twelve citizens who will be working together to create a roadmap for legal and therapeutic access to this controlled substance, which could soon join many other Schedule III drugs like Ketamine.

The age-old medicinal powers of psilocybin have been long recognized, but the Western world is just beginning to catch up.

As more states across America legalize cannabis for medical use and decriminalize it all together, experts believe that other substances with known healing properties should also be available as an option - like psilocybin.