Ypsilanti Becomes Michigan's Fifth City To Decriminalize Psychedelics Via Local Resolution

Ypsilanti became the fifth city in Michigan this week to pass a local resolution deprioritizing law enforcement psychedelic substances. It now joins Michigan municipal governments in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ferndale and Hazel Park with similar reforms enacted.

The City Council held a hearing in which supporters gave testimony and ultimately passed the measure in a unanimous vote, reported Marijuana Moment.

The resolution recalls that the Washtenaw County District Attorney’s office had expressed support for a similar resolution adopted in Ann Arbor in 2021, and further indicates that psychedelics can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth. 

These substances have been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing conditions such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress, it reads.

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Like other psychedelics decriminalization measures, the Ypsilanti resolution does not suggest legalizing commercial sales of psychedelics but rather making arrests for psychedelics-related activities like possession and cultivation the lowest law enforcement priority in the city.

“City funds or resources shall not be used in any investigation, detention, arrest, or prosecution arising out of alleged violations of state and federal law regarding the use of Entheogenic Plants,” it specifies.

The City Council also expressed support for state-level bill SB 499, which would legalize entheogenic plants and fungi on the condition that cultivation and distribution remain non-commercial.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by chekart and YP_Studio on Shutterstock.