![['Frankly Speaking with Frank Likely']](https://saltwire.imgix.net/frankly-speaking-with-frank-likely-3160022.jpg?cs=srgb&fit=crop&h=568&w=847&dpr=1&auto=enhance%2Cformat%2Ccompress)
The citizens of Denver have decided the 'd like 'shrooms with that order please.
a first in the country plebiscite, the residents of the Mile-High City decided to allow the possession and consumption on so called “Magic Mushrooms”. But the vote was close with the pro shroom side winning by less than two thousand votes of more than 175,000 cast. A few mail in ballots are yet to be counted, but they are not expected to change the final results.
Under the Initiative, law enforcement in the city is directed to treat enforcement of Psilocybin mushrooms “at the lowest priority” and it bars the use of city resources to impose criminal penalties. It will however remain illegal to buy or sell the drug and these offenses will still be prosecuted according to city officials.
The Initiative to decriminalize possession of the mushrooms received a boost last fall when the US Food and Drug Administration granted psilocybin “breakthrough therapy” designation which allowed for an enhanced process for the development and review process of medications containing the drug. According to the FDA psilocybin has shown some potential in the treatment of previously treatment resistant depressions.
On the other hand, the US Department of Justice still lists psilocybin as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, just like heroin and ectasy.
The vote to decriminalize the drug solidifies Denver's reputation as on the forefront of the decriminalization/ legalization movement in the United States. It was one of the first cities in the country to legalize the possession of marijuana, and an earlier attempt at the decriminalization of magic mushrooms barely failed to pass.
the Initiative can go into effect, the results must be formally certified and the city administration must establish a review panel which will monitor the law's impact on public health and safety. This is expected to be done by years end.
And then residents of the Mile High City can be just that much higher!
Frank Likely is a retired Anglican minister who lives in Springhill
