Michigan Psychedelics: Measures For Statewide Legalization Advancing As Advocates Spread Awareness

The Hazel Park city council, the third Michigan city to approve a psychedelics decriminalization bill, is now reaffirming that decision by declaring September 'Entheogenic Plant and Fungi Awareness Month' to raise awareness on these substances. 

The new resolution was sponsored by the original decriminalization bill authored by council member Luke Londo and unanimously approval on September 14, states that entheogenic plants and fungi have been shown effective treatments for various mental health disorders. It also notes that it received FDA status as a “breakthrough therapy.” It is also being ingested for “reasons of personal and spiritual growth.”

As of the passed measure, “the City of Hazel Park does hereby call upon individuals and organizations to commit to increasing awareness and understanding of the potential benefits of entheogens for mental health, personal and spiritual growth, as well as honoring longstanding ancestral practices and relationships with entheogens.”

The resolution has a predecessor. The Ann Arbor city council members also declared September as the “Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Awareness Month” in 2021, being that the city has also decriminalized the possession and use of certain psychedelics back in 2020.

Michigan is one of the most advanced states in terms of psychedelics legislation. Several cities have already deprioritized law enforcement on individuals caught with entheogenic substances, while a statewide legalization bill was recently postponed for 2024 in order to get a higher approval opportunity.

Council member Londo has personally tried psilocybin and said he is using his position as an elected official to help others access the therapeutic benefits it contains. In a recent interview, he said that while local decriminalization constitutes a major victory, “it’s critical that we continue to advocate for and normalize these natural medicines as much as possible.”

The bill’s sponsor hopes that the new measure and Hazel Park’s overall commitment inspires other Michigan cities to discuss decriminalizing measures in that “there is widespread appeal and support for entheogenic plants and fungi.”

Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash