Alex Becker
Pack your bags. It’s time to move to Minnesota.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey announced an executive order this past Friday, decriminalizing the use of magic mushrooms. While selling mushrooms will technically remain illegal, police officers have been urged to only go after users who are driving under the influence or bringing mushrooms to an educational facility.
The executive order comes after research has deemed psilocybin — an ingredient prominent in magic mushrooms — a possible medication for depression and PTSD.
“Experts are telling us that these plants help people, and that’s the business we should be in – helping people,” Frey said in his announcement. “With a rise in deaths of despair in our city, and in our society, the data is showing that these plants can help be a remedy.”
In recent years, studies have shown that psilocybin may be a useful tool for coping with depression as it can help the brain reroute itself and promote neural connections in lesser used areas. That’s a whole bunch of science talk, which basically means mushrooms can alter your way of thinking in a beneficial way.
In fact, in 2018 the Food and Drug Administration declared psilocybin a “breakthrough therapy,” meaning it may have favorable uses, but more research is necessary.
While Frey is a democrat, his executive order has actually been met with affirmation from both sides. Frey’s bill was even co-signed by two republican representatives. One of the representatives was republican Nolan West, who said he has seen mushrooms work for army veterans suffering from PTSD.
“The very first thing that I bring up in any conversation on this is that it has been used primarily for PTSD for veterans and police officers, and we’ve seen great treatment benefits from that,” West said.
Minneapolis becomes the third place in the United States to decriminalize mushrooms. While Oregon actually fully legalized them this year, Colorado decriminalized psilocybin products earlier last year.
Meanwhile, in states such as New York, mushrooms are designated as a Schedule 1 narcotic and selling a mere gram could result in up to 25 years in prison.
So, if you suffer from depression, PTSD, or even anxiety you may want to consider traveling to Minneapolis for a weekend. It may be cold and boring but at least you can trip sack now.
