Michigan City is decriminalizing psilocybin and other psychedelics

City leaders in Ferndale, Michigan this week voted to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms and other natural psychedelics, making the Detroit-area city the fourth municipality in the state to reform laws banning the promising drugs. Ferndale City Council voted unanimously on February 27 to pass a resolution to decriminalize entheogenic plants and mushrooms, including psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), all of which are psychedelics that show promise as treatments for a variety of mental illnesses are.

The resolution passed by the City Council does not directly legalize psychedelic drugs. Instead, the measure mandates that the “investigation and arrest of persons for planting, growing, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possession of entheogenic plants or plant compounds that are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest criminal prosecution.” should be a priority for the City of Ferndale,” the resolution text reads.

The city council resolution was sponsored by Mayor Pro Tem Kat Bruner James. The action was supported by Decriminalize Nature, a national organization working to reform psychedelics policy coast to coast, and the Ferndale chapter of the activist group.

“The Ferndale community continues to demonstrate mindfulness and integrity as we move toward collective wellbeing and community healing in connection with nature and its medicines,” Ferndale wrote in a social media post after the city council passed the resolution. “We are grateful for all the support from the Ferndale community and City Council in passing the Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Decriminalization Act.”

Psychedelics as herbal medicines

The two-page resolution includes City Council findings recognizing that natural psychedelics have been used by mankind as herbal medicines for thousands of years. The measure also notes that research has shown that the use of psychedelics can benefit the health and well-being of communities and individuals.

“The use of entheogenic plants, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, has been shown in scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial for the health and well-being of individuals and communities,” the resolution reads.

Following Monday’s vote, psychologist Billy Horton, co-chair of Decriminalize Nature Ferndale, thanked the City Council for the unanimous support of members for the Psychedelics Decriminalization Ordinance. The activist added that the group will continue to educate the public about the safe use of herbal medicines.

“I just want to continue to emphasize the importance of psychedelic and entheogenic plants and the ongoing work, research and science supporting them for mental and physical well-being,” he told the council in a statement quoted by the Detroit Metro Times.

Ongoing research has shown that psilocybin has the potential to be an effective treatment for several serious mental illnesses, including PTSD, major depressive disorders, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders.

A 2020 study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy was a fast-acting and effective treatment for a group of 24 participants with major depressive disorders. And separate research published in 2016 found that treatment with psilocybin resulted in significant and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer.

The approval of this week’s psychedelics decriminalization measure in Ferndale marks the fourth time a Michigan city has decriminalized natural psychedelic drugs. Ann Arbor became the third city nationwide to decriminalize psychedelics with the passage of a city council resolution in September 2020. This was followed by a similar move in Detroit in November 2021, while Hazel Park approved a measure last year. Following Monday’s vote in Ferndale, Decrimalize Nature’s national headquarters took to social media to celebrate the occasion.

“Congratulations again to the @decrimferndale team for all their hard work and efforts in passing the resolution in support of entheogenic plant practices in Ferndale, Michigan last night,” the group wrote on Instagram. “That’s 4 wins in Michigan so far! Let’s put a nationwide decriminalization law on the table!!! Go Team Nature!”