Push to legalize ‘magic mushrooms’ dies

A bill that would decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and require state health officials to develop treatment centers where people can consume their active ingredients in a controlled environment was shelved by state lawmakers Tuesday. But the push to decriminalize mushrooms is likely to grow as other states and localities pass similar measures.

Oregon became the first state in November to legalize psilocybin, the main active ingredient in the mushrooms. Other cities, including Denver; Santa Cruz, Calif; Oakland, Calif.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Washington have decriminalized it.

Talk of legalizing “magic mushrooms,” also called shrooms, is often accompanied by snickering and visions of the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. But medical researchers and health officials have grown increasingly interested in the effect that mushrooms can have on mental health disorders, including major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and eating disorders.

Studies in recent years conducted by researchers from the NYU School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University found that psilocybin produced marked and sustained decreases in depression in patients with life-threatening cancer.

This year’s bill attracted support from groups like the Drug Policy Forum of Hawaii, which advocates for the reform of drug control laws, and the Clarity Project, a grassroots effort to expand access to psilocybin in Hawaii, as well as a flood of individuals who testified to the personal healing effects that mushrooms had for them.

Ashley Lukens, a longtime community activist known for her work in the anti-GMO movement in Hawaii, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 at the age of 39. She said such substances played a transformational role in her life.

Vincent Cachero, a professional mixed martial arts fighter, said psilocybin had brought him out of a major depression. “I was immediately better, like night and day,” he wrote.

The bill would have removed psilocybin, as well as psilocyn, another ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, as Schedule 1 controlled substances under Hawaii law, eliminating any criminal penalties for manufacturing, possessing or distributing them.

However, the substances would still be illegal under federal law.

The bill was opposed by the state Department of Health as well as county police departments.

State health officials said that while psilocybin might benefit mental health disorders, the circumstances for safe and effective administration aren’t proven, and that the Health Department isn’t the appropriate agency to set up treatment centers.

Police departments warned about the health risks of the psychedelic substances. Phillip Johnson, a major in the Honolulu Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Division, said mushrooms can cause cause both “terrifying hallucinations” as well as euphoria and sensory distortion.

“An individual using psilocybin is often unable to discern fantasy from reality,” he told lawmakers. “We have seen these substances abused by our youth at rave gatherings resulting in risky behavior, sexual assaults and other criminal behavior.”

The bill was deferred by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

State Sen. Stanley Chang (D, Diamond Head-Kahala- Hawaii Kai), who introduced the measure, said he was excited about recent studies on the mental health benefits of mushrooms and hoped the proposed legislation would get better reception among Hawaii’s lawmakers in the future.

“I hope that even though the bill died in session, that we will be able to start a working group and start a dialogue on how to best allow the people of Hawaii to have access to these treatments,” he said.