San Francisco Recently Decriminalized Psilocybin Mushrooms.

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by Hunter Dublin | September 8, 2022

San Francisco has become the latest city in the United States to decriminalize psychedelics such as magic mushrooms and ayahuasca.

A resolution passed unanimously by the city's Board of Supervisors on Tuesday states that arresting people for using, growing, and distributing federally prohibited plant-based psychedelics such as shrooms, ayahuasca, and peyote is "the lowest law enforcement priority" and that no city resources should be used for psychedelic-related investigations. The resolution also requests that psychedelics be decriminalized at the state and federal levels.

Psychedelics "can benefit psychological and physical wellness," according to the measure, and "be beneficial" for people dealing with addiction, trauma, and anxiety.

"San Francisco joins the list of cities and countries that are rethinking these plant-based medicines, based on science and data, and destigmatizing their use and cultivation," said San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston, who introduced the resolution.

Similar resolutions have been passed in other jurisdictions, such as Oakland, Santa Cruz, California, Denver, and Washington, D.C. In 2020, Oregon became the first state to fully legalize magic mushrooms to treat mental health issues. However, facilities where people can access such treatment will not be operational until 2023.

Connecticut, Washington, Hawaii, and Texas have formed working groups to investigate the efficacy of psychedelics as mental health treatments.

San Francisco's decriminalization measure comes after a California State Senate bill to decriminalize shrooms, LSD, MDMA, DMT, and ibogaine failed to pass and was postponed until next year.