Eureka, CA decriminalizes psychedelic plant medicines

Eureka, California, has passed a resolution to decriminalize entheogens and psychedelic plant medicines, becoming the sixth California city to do so and the second such city in Humboldt County.

The Eureka City Council last week unanimously approved an initiative to decriminalize herbal medicines such as psilocybin mushrooms within city limits. The announcement came less than two weeks after California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed an initiative that would have decriminalized psychedelics nationwide. The city of Arcata, just a few miles north, voted to decriminalize in 2021, thanks to the efforts of a group that also provided the phrase “Decriminalize Nature Humboldt” used in the Eureka resolution.

According to an article in the Lost Coast Outpost, the resolution was passed by the council without much difficulty, although a specific sentence was removed from the wording of the bill. The council voted to remove language that appeared to advocate the ability of entheogenic plants to “catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth.” It is not for nothing that one of the first studies on psilocybin by the late Johns Hopkins professor Roland Griffiths in 2006 looked at psilocybin’s ability to induce mystical and spiritual experiences in the user. Much of Griffiths’ later work at Johns Hopkins was referenced in similar legislative discussions about the legality of psychedelics.

Apart from the deletion of the above sentence, the resolution was adopted without much protest from the remaining council members. Some concerns were raised by local law enforcement officials, echoing Governor Newsom’s concerns about potentially unforeseen consequences of the resolution. However, City Manager Miles Slattery noted that he had consulted with Arcata police, who had reported no serious problems to him after just over two years of decriminalizing psychedelics. He also pointed out that there were only five cases of entheogen-related arrests in the city of Eureka last year and that almost every case was related to something more serious, such as domestic violence.

Councilman Scott Bauer also expressed concern about friends who had suffered severe bouts with lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD or acid. Councilman Bauer said many of these friends “disappeared” from these trips, but also expressed concern about the alleged possibility that such substances could stunt children’s brain development, although he ultimately voted to pass the measure.

Hundreds of letters from concerned citizens were reportedly submitted to the council for consideration, and dozens of community members appeared in person at the council meeting to speak about their personal experiences with psychedelics. They testified that they could foresee that entheogenic plant medicines would have positive effects both on their personal lives and on the public welfare of a county that has excessive mental health and substance abuse disorders.

“What we really need as humans in this chaotic world is a helping hand, and psychedelics – from a nurse’s perspective, from a humanistic perspective, from my own perspective – psychedelics extend a hand that holds you and guides you in a good direction “As long as you’ve laid the foundation,” said Randee Litten, a nurse in the city of Eureka who co-founded a local ketamine treatment center. “I know that’s the concern, but I can tell you we’ve been doing this for a year and a half and I can’t even tell you how many community members we’ve helped. And that’s why I’m still here, because I love this community and in my entire career I’ve never felt like I was doing so much good for this community until we discovered how well psychedelics can help people. … I finally feel alive again, like we’re doing something good for our community.”

Councilman G. Mario Fernandez asserted that the actions taken by the city of Eureka clearly do not reflect the sentiments of Timothy Leary from the chaotic psychedelic boom of the 1960s.

“This is not a call to ‘tune in, tune in and drop out,'” Fernandez said. “Instead, it would allow people who use these substances to heal to contact medical and mental health professionals – or law enforcement if the situation becomes negative – without fear of reprisal.”

A local teacher, Rachel Riggs, told the council that she believes psychedelics can provide unprecedented healing in a community with elevated rates of adverse childhood experiences.

“Entheogens are addictive [and are] “It is among the safest substances being studied for the treatment of addiction and mental health issues,” Riggs said. “There are very few side effects, especially under the guidance of a therapist or with appropriate training.”