Denver Decriminalizes Magic Mushrooms in Historic Ballot

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Voters in Denver, Colorado, passed an initiative making the city the first in the United States to decriminalize the use and possession of psychedelic mushrooms.

As of early Wednesday morning, Initiated Ordinance 301 trailed by several thousand votes, with 73,450 “no” votes to 68,711 “yes” votes, according to the Denver Post. But in a stunning reversal, per the Post, the final unofficial results found 50.6 percent of the vote approving the measure (89,320 votes in favor and 87,341 against), a margin of 1,979 votes.

Speaking with USA Today, Kevin Matthews, the leader of the advocacy group Decriminalize Denver seemed to concede defeat, but added, “Tonight, it was win or learn. At the very least, we’ve demonstrated that we can get psilocybin legislation on the ballot. My mindset is that it’s not a loss, it’s a lesson.”

I-301’s road to the ballot began Decriminalize Denver garnering 9,500 signatures for a petition that was approved by the Denver Elections Division in February. Had I-301 passed, the possession of mushrooms containing psilocybin would have been decriminalized for people 21-years-old or older, while it would have also prohibited the city and county of Denver from “spending resources on imposing criminal penalties… for the personal use and personal possession of psilocybin mushrooms.”

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/denver-psychedelic-mushroom-decriminalize-ballot-832414/

[UniteFightBack]

1. WOW. nt

[gldstwmn]

2. Sigh. Why do we always have to do these things first?

[randr]

3. Because we are the leading

progressive state. Another antiquated ill motivated reason to discriminate against certain people lands in the trash bin of history.

[gldstwmn]

4. "Another antiquated ill motivated reason to discriminate against certain people"

Who? Who am I discriminating against? Do you even live in CO? Do you know what happened here or what it was like in the aftermath of the legalization of marijuana? What an idealist fallacy.

[randr]

5. I do live in Colorado

celebrated the legalization of a plant enjoyed by countless generations, and enjoy mushrooms at any time I choose. Just like the apparent majority of my fellow Coloradans.

[gldstwmn]

6. It was voted on in Denver not statewide. It would

not have passed statewide. MJ is one thing but this is quite another. Legalizing psychedelics doesn't make us look progressive. It makes us look like a bunch of flakes chasing the next shiny object. I'm also concerned about the strain on first responders trying to treat people having a bad trip, the strain on an already taxed infrastructure, a burgeoning homeless population and teenagers having easier access to psychedelics.

[JonLP24]

8. I never done mushrooms but research has shone it is good for openness

Single Dose of Hallucinogen May Create Lasting Personality Change

Lasting change was found in the part of the personality known as openness, which includes traits related to imagination, aesthetics, feelings, abstract ideas and general broad-mindedness. Changes in these traits, measured on a widely used and scientifically validated personality inventory, were larger in magnitude than changes typically observed in healthy adults over decades of life experiences, the scientists say. Researchers in the field say that after the age of 30, personality doesn’t usually change significantly.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/single_dose_of_hallucinogen_may_create_lasting_personality_change

Better than alcohol, meth, heroin, and cocaine.

BTW they decriminalized which they should do all for drugs for personal use. It is a health problem.

[randr]

9. Other studies have shown

shrooms are safer than any other recreational drug. Certainly safer than alcohol.

[Baclava]

10. After the initial throwup. And drug screens at airports can't detect them? fly home with a pound?

Just stay off the roads, Denver already has the worst drivers

[JonLP24]

11. I know Arizona has bad drivers. They are among the leaders in red light runners

https://smartasset.com/checking-account/states-with-the-worst-drivers-2018-edition

[Baclava]

13. FL wouldn't be so bad but for the snowbirds driving 20 mph under the speed limit in the left lane.

Peyote is a powerful hallucinagenic, walking would be hard enough. You have to keep stopping to talk to the trees, lol

[JDC]

44. John Hopkins scientists must not have locked themselves in the bathroom

And freaked out at the mirror while Ummagumma played in the other room.

Not good...not good at all...

[gldstwmn]

57. Right? And they were already in

a hospital. At least someone was there to talk them down.

[Act_of_Reparation]

16. Your concern is noted.

Wouldn't want anyone looking like flakes.

Whatever that means.

[maxsolomon]

35. um, yeah. teenagers already have access to them.

that's who does them, mainly. by the time you're 30, you want no part of psychedelics like mushrooms, although you may look back fondly on your experiences.

humans have been taking them as long as there have been humans. "bad trips" can usually be solved by GOING OUTSIDE, not calling the EMT.

[gldstwmn]

39. As I said I am speaking from my own expereiences.

If they're so wonderful for mental health then maybe we should be focusing on mental health instead of recreation drug use under the guise of self medicating. That's just my take of course.

[maxsolomon]

50. we will NEVER "focus" on mental health

there's no money in it. this is America. be realistic.

[gldstwmn]

55. If we legalized drugs and earmarked

the tax revenue for mental health care we could. Oh wait we discussed that already. You are correct. Seriously though if we funded it somehow we could be the mental health care model for the rest of the world.

[DavidDvorkin]

15. What happened here?

What was it like in the aftermath of the legalization of marijuana?

[gldstwmn]

18. Personally I was relentlessly harassed by law enforcement

because a family member whom I hadn't seen in years decided to grow - in a big way. Homelessness increased, people moved here in droves. I realize those two things are probably directly related to each other. No one really knows where all of the tax revenue is although some of it has gone to schools. State income tax and local taxes are still as much if not more than they ever were. We've become one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. Teen use of MJ has skyrocketed. I voted for the measure but in hindsight believe we were sold a bill of goods. I would not vote for the same measure today. On the other hand I think CBD's are a godsend for a lot of people and would vote in favor of those.
In the handful of times I did mushrooms in my life I had an unpleasant trip every time. I think about the people who ingest them and mix them along with other substances in search of a good time and fear for them and those who will have to care for them after. It's an unpleasant and scary thought.

[DavidDvorkin]

22. I voted for it, and I have no regrets

The housing market was overpriced before. That trend would have continued in any case.

The revenue has helped the state.
https://www.cpr.org/news/story/where-does-all-the-marijuana-money-go-colorado-s-pot-taxes-explained

Teen use of marijuana has not skyrocketed at all.
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2019/mar/25/john-hickenlooper/did-spike-marijuana-use-colorado-after-legal/

[gldstwmn]

30. There is other data on the teen usage. It's hard to say which is more accurate.

I'm glad this has worked out for you.

[USALiberal]

38. Then post your proof teen use has "Skyrocketed"

[gldstwmn]

41. Here you go:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-marijuana-kids/marijuana-related-er-visits-by-colorado-teens-on-the-rise-idUSKBN1HO38A

(Reuters Health) - More visits to the emergency room by teens in Colorado are related to marijuana use than in the past, suggesting an impact of the drug’s legalization that needs closer attention, researchers say.

Between 2005 and 2015, the proportion of emergency department or urgent care visits by youth ages 13 to 20 for pot-related illnesses rose from 1.8 per 1,000 visits to 4.9 per 1,000, the study team reports in Journal of Adolescent Health.

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/marijuana/report-colorado-marijuana-use-no1-in-nation-among-teens-adults

By: Robert Garrison
items.[0].image.alt

DENVER – Marijuana usage among Coloradans, both young and old, has increased significantly since the drug was legalized and now the state ranks No. 1 in consumption in both age groups, according to a new report released Tuesday.

The report, prepared by investigators with the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA), details some of the negative impacts marijuana legalization has had on Colorado.

According to the 168-page report , Colorado youth now ranks No. 1 in the nation for marijuana use and 55 percent higher than the national average. Adult use in the state also comes up on top, which the report notes is 124 percent higher than the national average.

READ | The Legalization of marijuana in Colorado: The Impact

The spike in usage could be contributing to an increase in marijuana-related traffic deaths, the report found. Since 2013, RMHIDTA says marijuana-related traffic deaths more than doubled to approximately one death every three days.

In 2016, 20 percent of all traffic deaths were marijuana-related compared to only 9 percent six years ago, the report found.

The report also points out that seizures of Colorado marijuana to other states increased 20 percent by vehicle and over 300 percent by parcels.

The authors of the report say the findings are based on available data and information from a variety of credible sources.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pot-legalized-colorado-teens-hospital-er/

A Colorado children's hospital saw four times as many marijuana-intoxicated teenagers land in its ER or urgent care centers following legalization of recreational pot in that state, a new study reports.

The number of teens diagnosed annually with marijuana intoxication or testing positive for pot during a drug screen at Children's Hospital Colorado rose from 146 in 2005 to 639 in 2014.


The findings run counter to national surveys that have shown no increase in teenage pot use in states where recreational marijuana is legal, said lead researcher Dr. George Sam Wang. He's an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

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For example, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found a similar percentage of teenagers reported pot use in 2015 as in the prior decade, researchers said in background notes.

"Our study shows that there have to be other ways we can follow the impact of legalization on the adolescent population," Wang said. "We know that nationwide, marijuana is the most abused drug in the adolescent age group, and there's been a decline in their perception of risk for marijuana use. They think it's not as risky to use it as in years prior."

https://learnaboutsam.org/new-hhs-survey-heavy-marijuana-use-skyrocketing-youth-in-late-teens-using-more-marijuana-now-than-any-time-in-recent-history/

New HHS Survey: Heavy Marijuana Use Skyrocketing; Youth in Late Teens Using More Marijuana Now Than Any Time in Recent History
By Colton GraceSeptember 14, 2018Uncategorized
No Comments
2

There are now twice as many daily or near daily marijuana users in the US than just a decade ago, according to the most comprehensive survey on drug use released today by the federal government. There are also now 8,300 new marijuana users each day, and 22% of 18 to 25 year olds are currently using the drug–the highest number for all three stats in recent memory.

“The marijuana industry is getting their wish,” said Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and a former White House drug policy adviser. “More people are using highly potent pot edibles and other items much more often, and the perception of harm for these products is plummeting. It is time we woke up as a country and put science above ideology.”

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) also found that 42% of marijuana users use the drug daily or almost daily, and that marijuana was used by more than 8 in 10 substance users. Marijuana use rose significantly among age groups 12 and up, 18 and up, and 26 and up. Use among 12 to 17 year olds was stable versus last year, though in legalized states NSDUH data show marijuana use higher on average in legalized states.

“Big Marijuana – just like Big Tobacco years ago – continues to glorify marijuana as a cure-all that can do little or no harm,” said Sabet. “If it wasn’t for marijuana, overall drug use in this country would be going down. Rising mental health issues, drugged driving crashes, and an increasingly stoned workforce won’t help us get ahead. We should put the brakes on marijuana legalization and start a national science-based marijuana awareness campaign similar to successful anti-tobacco campaigns.”

[USALiberal]

52. That is not Teen usage rates, nice try. nt

[gldstwmn]

56. The link in the middle is but if you don't want to read

then I can't make you.

[USALiberal]

59. It shows NOTHING about pot usage increase in Colorado. Many show it did not increase. nt

[gldstwmn]

60. Your link states the following:

"The ad claimed, "according to the Colorado state government, marijuana use among high school students has not increased since legalization."

Based on the numbers cited, there does appear to have been a slight increase in marijuana use among Colorado’s high school students. However, multiple experts we spoke with said that increase is not statistically significant. They also said it was too early to draw conclusions about marijuana use, and that more years of study will be needed.

We rate the ad’s claim Half True."

The link I posted states in the very first sentence: "Marijuana usage among Coloradans, both young and old, has increased significantly since the drug was legalized and now the state ranks No. 1 in consumption in both age groups, according to a new report released Tuesday."

In looking for actual hard numbers it seems they are hard to find.

[USALiberal]

61. You said "Sky Rocketed" LOL nti

[gldstwmn]

62. Increased significantly isn't skyrocketed?

I'm open to the possibility that I might be wrong. Why is it so important to you that teen marijuana use in Colorado hasn't skyrocketed? Also what's funny about it?

[USALiberal]

64. Your arguments are misleading. And you know it. Bye! nt

[Nuggets]

65. Based on the numbers cited, there does appear to have been a slight increase in marijuana use among

You picked the study that you already agree with, clearly this doesn’t say skyrocketing.


How many fatally overdose on cannabis?

Zero according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which collects data on a range of other substances, both legal and illicit, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Colorado Department of Transportation study “The presence of a cannabinoid does not necessarily indicate recent use of marijuana or impairment.”

But the 80s propaganda and stigma still lingers, some people desperate to hang on.


“People who smoke marijuana have no ambition!” Tell it to Michael Phelps.

“Stoners kill all their brain cells!”
Tell it to Carl Sagan and Sir Richard Branson.


The 80s shtick has gotten old.

[gldstwmn]

66. And yet, I never said any of this.

Again I merely lamented the fact that we were first. You repeated a bunch of old tropes.

[hlthe2b]

32. Tthis Coloroadoan does not perceive what happened after Pot legalization at all as you describe

but, believe what you will. Colorado's economy improved dramatically during this time and at least some part of that was the tax revenue from pot.

Pot opponents will continue to see things through that lens. I don't even use, but I think it was the right decisions.

I'm equivocal on mushrooms, but let Denver be a pilot study. Fine by me.

[gldstwmn]

34. I just want to say that I'm not opposed to pot.

I'm not an advocate for the war on drugs or any of that other nonsense. The only lens that I am looking at anything through is my own personal experience which as I've said wasn't great. I don't expect my view to be popular here. I didn't see a boon to the state's economy but maybe the numbers bear that out. I do want to know who and what is behind getting this on the ballot. That and the homeless initiative (300) were the only things on there. I was glad that someone gave Hancock a run for his money. I do not care for him at all. I am thrilled that there are not one but two candidates from Colorado running for president on the Democratic side of things. We have actually become very progressive over the last decade due in part to the large influx of people and it has made us a player on the national stage.

[USALiberal]

37. Bullshit "Teen use of MJ has skyrocketed."

Colorado has not experienced an increase in marijuana use among young people, although it was the single most common reason for school expulsions in the 2016-17 school year, the first year it was broken out as its own category.
Marijuana also has not impacted graduation rates or dropout rates in Colorado. Graduation rates have increased while dropout rates have decreased since 2012.

Five years after Colorado legalized marijuana, young people are not smoking more pot than they used to.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/10/26/colorado-marijuana-impact-report/

You are making stuff up

[gldstwmn]

42. No am I not. I am not opposed to smoking pot.

What I said was that I don't like the effects it had on CO after we became the first state in the nation to legalize it. I've read that Denver Post article. But there are many others that say the opposite. It's hard to know what is actually true. I do believe that teenagers have easier access and are using it more FWIW. Access to weed was pretty limited when I was a teenager. But I still managed to smoke some. None of it had the strength of the legally grown stuff we have now.

[JonLP24]

53. It was easier to get from the street as a teen for me

I would often trade basketball cards in the past. Michael Jordan cards especially. Harder for me to get alcohol which was a legal product, giving an adult cash to go into the store was more rare for me.

[gldstwmn]

58. There was no store to go into when I was a teen.

I came up in the 70's. We (probably) smoked Mexican ditch weed and the occasional Acapulco Gold if we could get it. If we were really lucky one of our older friends had hash.

[USALiberal]

17. I stopped reading after "do you know what happened here" wow, nt

[gldstwmn]

19. Really? Why? Do YOU know what happened here?

I'm confused.

[USALiberal]

25. I agree, you are confused! nt

[gldstwmn]

31. What am I confused about exactly?

[rustydog]

7. "Rocky Mountain High!"

[Baclava]

14. "The plan doesn't permit the sale or purchase of the mushrooms"

I guess you have go there and grow your own

[gldstwmn]

20. That's good. Still there will be more. And people will bring them here

because how will anyone be able to tell where they were grown? Anyway I didn't research this measure because I wasn't eligible to vote on it. The first I've heard of it was when I heard the measure passed. I still think it's ridiculous and wonder why someone took the time and trouble to put this on the ballot.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Heh.

[brooklynite]

21. Sauteing in olive oil really makes the difference...

[Blue_Tires]

23. All the things that city could be working on and they legalize shrooms instead?

[DavidDvorkin]

24. We Denverites are actually capable of doing more than one thing at a time.

[Blue_Tires]

26. Y'all won't be doing any thing at any time when there's more shroom in your bodies than blood...!

Link to tweet

What's that little character from the 'Centipede' video game supposed to do now? What happens if the Denver Nuggets come out for Game 6 all lit up?

[gldstwmn]

28. Thank you. If mushrooms are

so great for mental health maybe that should be a focus. If people want to do mushrooms then fine but I can promise you that this legalization has way more behind it.

[JonLP24]

54. Why do people confuse decriminalization with legalization?

I had no idea decriminalization would be controversial but maybe we are too far to the right.

[BlueTsunami2018]

27. Just another reason to love Denver.

I’ve been there four times in the past six years and I love the place. It’s not just the legal weed, the people are super chill, the local music scene is good, the bars and restaurants kick ass. I’d love to move there.

[gldstwmn]

29. Colorado is beautiful.

[maxsolomon]

33. Ending the Drug War drop by drop

I haven't done them in 25 years. They caused me intense gastric distress last time, but THE COLORS, MAN.

If you've never taken psychedelics, you'll never understand what they do.

Alcohol is 100x worse for society.

[gldstwmn]

36. I doubt this has anything to do with the war on drugs.

More likely it's a bout money going in someone's pocket. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

[maxsolomon]

40. fairly cynical tale on the sponsor's motivation.

here's the ballot language:
https://ballotpedia.org/Denver,_Colorado,_Initiated_Ordinance_301,_Psilocybin_Mushroom_Initiative_(May_2019)

the main goal is decriminalization, not profit. everything people do in America isn't venal and acquisitive. you're thinking of Republicans.

[gldstwmn]

45. Well I did witness the start up of the marijuana

industry in this state and the language was quite similar. Like I said it will be interesting to see where it goes from here.

[maxsolomon]

47. "lowest law enforcement priority" was how marijuana decriminalization began in Seattle, too.

you're right; it's the camel's nose under the tent. commercial sales will follow at some point, once it's demonstrated that the sky doesn't fall when people's lives aren't ruined for eating mushrooms.

[gldstwmn]

49. I never said they would be.

My main point, my only point really was that I wish CO would not have been "first."

[panader0]

48. There's always tomorrow.....

[Xolodno]

63. Seem to remember reading somewhere...

...that some doctors want to study the effects. Apparently it has a propensity to kick some off the addiction of alcoholism and tobacco.