Oakland follows Denver into decriminalization of psychedelic plants

History has a really funny way of repeating itself in cycles, but that doesn’t mean that Americans can’t be taken by surprise at times.

Our nation has had tumultuous political moments before.  Sure, 2019 seems to be hitting the nail on the head for absurdity, but I’m sure that those who survived the 1960’s and 1970’s also believed that the world would be forever scarred by the war in Vietnam, the dying flames of segregation, and Richard Nixon.

During that time of turmoil, Americans turned to drugs in vast quantities.  Men like Timothy Leary and Hunter S. Thompson were leading the charge, education and glorifying Americans on the subject, respectively.

Now, as our nation stares down another round of political and social striations, Americans are again looking to escape reality.  Marijuana, along with all of its subsidiaries in the hemp plant, are moving toward national legalization with aplomb.  Given the research and the already widespread availability of the plant, the end of pot prohibition is all but a formality at this point, and could usher in a massive wave of prosperity for a nation whose middle class is simply vanishing before our eyes.

Now, after Denver, Colorado took the next step in decriminalizing psychedelic mushrooms, other cities are following suit.

Oakland City Council in California on Tuesday voted unanimously to decriminalize hallucinogenic fungi, otherwise known as “magic mushrooms.”

The vote makes Oakland the second U.S. city to decriminalize the natural hallucinogens after Denver decriminalized them on May 8.

The city council’s vote directed law enforcement to cease investigating and prosecuting individuals for using or possessing drugs sourced from plants, cacti and – most commonly – mushrooms that contain the hallucinogen psilocybin.

While psilocybin has long been considered a purely recreational substance, new studies show that ingesting “micro doses” of the drug, which produce no true hallucinations, help the human brain to deal with issues stemming from anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.

There is really only one question that remains:  Is this a new awakening in the field of plant-based medicine, or an attempt by the powers that be to satiate an evermore stressed population?