Growing Trend to Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms
Early in its history, Manitou Springs was a haven for those who sought alternative medical treatments for a variety of ailments. Sanitoriums, bottled mineral waters, and the fresh air and scenic mountains offered respite from pain and other sufferings. In Colorado Springs, a focus on health has remained throughout the years as the city is an annual leader of healthy communities around the country.
Today, there’s a growing movement to decriminalize magic or psilocybin mushrooms in Colorado Springs. Older forms of Western medicine are making way for newer, alternative forms of medicine and treatment, including long-banned drugs like psilocybin mushrooms.
The mushrooms are increasingly being seen as a therapeutic tool for doctors and mental health therapists and are available through decriminalization in other cities, including Denver. “Decriminalizing mushrooms” in most contexts means asking law enforcement to view the growing and consuming of magic mushrooms as a “low priority.” Since federal law prohibits the use, sale, and possession of mushrooms, advocates of decriminalization of mushrooms essentially are asking local police and law enforcement agencies to make enforcement of the federal law a low priority relative to other crimes.
Colorado Springs, home of 5 military bases, numerous outdoor-friendly attractions and parks, and a general culture of well-being, is an ideal place to decriminalize mushrooms and other drugs that can help people heal. Despite this, unfortunate resistance to decriminalizing mushrooms remains due to concerns about the local military presence. But Oregon, which has numerous military bases, has decriminalized all drugs, and is at least one example that the military and decriminalization of drugs can coexist together.
Military Vets Lead the Way
Before his tragic death last September, Matt Kahl was a leading Colorado military veteran advocating for legalization and decriminalization of drugs with known and potential therapeutic treatments. Kahl, who spent time in Afghanistan, spoke openly of the difficulties dealing with both his mental and physical injuries sustained during combat.
He also used cannabis, ayahuasca, and mushrooms as part of his self-treatment following his decision to reject painkiller pills. KRDO featured a story about Anthony Cabellero, a military veteran who uses mushrooms to treat his PTSD. He, like Kahl, also suffered mental and physical injuries during military combat and sought alternative treatments to conventional medicine.
War is hell goes the adage and given the heavy presence of the military in Colorado Springs, it behooves the City Council to consider at least approving decriminalization of psilocybin mushrooms for those who are interested in its applications and treatments. We should help our military veterans by allowing them to decide whether to take pain-numbing pills, or smoking cannabis joints, or eating edible psilocybin mushrooms.
Federalism and Small Government Need to Be Great Again
Conservatives in Colorado Springs shouldn’t fret about decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms. According to the federal government psilocybin mushrooms contain no medical value and are easily abused. But this is the same government that says cannabis is addictive and has no medical value whatsoever and look where we are today with both medical and recreational cannabis markets thriving in Colorado.
For conservatives, it is time to make federalism great again. The federal government is too big. The failed War on Drugs illustrates the pitfalls of using government policies as social engineering tools results in bigger, costlier government as liberties are reduced one regulation and punishment at a time.
Small government means local government. Local government means more accessibility and accountability. Eliminating the current federal classification of psilocybin mushrooms from its current Schedule 1 category would be a great step forward. It’s even better for the City Council to create legislation to allow the psilocybin markets, which includes therapists and medical doctors, to flourish within the city.
Make Self-Autonomy Great Again
Throughout the pandemic, government expansion of its authority over the medical choices of people have created public angst towards vaccine and mask mandates. The issue is the loss of self-autonomy in the context of medical choices as governments at all levels consider or are forcing people to be vaccinated or face consequences.
These are lessons here for conservatives to consider as the political landscape changes. Using law enforcement to investigate and arrest citizens who make choices for their own bodies is something conservatives should appreciate, especially in the context of the governor’s mask mandates. Today, public knowledge about the medicinal benefits of mushrooms is widely available, thanks to the Internet.
In short, it’s time to embrace the liberties aspect of liberalism again: let people do what they want with their own bodies, and as Denver has shown, decriminalization of mushrooms won’t cause increases in crime or public safety issues. Plus, recognizing the early history in terms of alternative treatments should go together with decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms.
While other cities around the country have decriminalized in varying degrees the growing and consumption of psilocybin mushrooms, Colorado Springs can do the same and pass a resolution asking law enforcement to leave alone those who grow and consume magic mushrooms.
It’s the right thing to do.
