Denver became the first city in the US to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms after voters passed a ballot measure allowing citizens to grow and eat mushrooms continuing psilocybin. Psilocybin is a perception-altering ingredient found in around 200 mushroom species.
Psilocybin removed under Schedule 1 substance on Denver
For over five decades, psilocybin has been under Schedule 1 substances alongside other psychedelics such as DMT and LSD. Substances under the Schedule are those thought to have a high potential for abuses without any medical value. However, this hasn’t been true because previously, they have spiritual and healing effects. Recent scientific research has focused on its effect on the brain and its therapeutic potential for treatment-resistant illnesses.
According to Denver Psilocybin Initiative, a group of local advocates, the decriminalization will open the path for widespread use of psilocybin for medical purposes. The impact could be far-reaching as the number of people reflecting on why psychedelic mushrooms are regulated becomes to grow. For instance, Johns Hopkins University researchers recently established that psilocybin doesn’t cause physical dependence, and the risk of abuse is relatively low.
Growing research on how psilocybin works on the brain
In the past two decades, the Beckley Foundation, established in 1998, has collaborated with other institutions globally to conduct studies using brain imaging tech to understand how psilocybin affects the brain. Interestingly psilocybin holds the potential of delivering deep healing and enhance the wellbeing and health of individuals. Studies indicate that psychedelics can be vital in treating intractable conditions, including smoking addiction and treatment-resistant depression. There have also been profound benefits of psilocybin reported in existential anxiety treatment for individuals facing terminal diagnoses.
Most importantly, psilocybin-aided psychotherapy can offer a new approach to mental illness treatment. Instead of putting patients in daily SSRIs drip, which suppresses symptoms instead of addressing root causes, psychedelics tend to enhance neuroplasticity. They can reset the brain resulting in unlearning of maladaptive thoughts and behavioral patterns.
Therefore, the move to decriminalize psilocybin will enable researchers to conduct studies easily and affordably to uncover psychedelics’ potential in therapy.
