Days after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a psychedelic decriminalization bill, the City of Eureka in Humboldt County has passed one of its own.
On Oct. 18, Eureka joined Oakland, Santa Cruz, Arcata, Berkeley, and San Francisco in decriminalizing possession and cultivation of entheogenic plants and fungi, including psilocybin mushrooms, for people 21 and over. The city council’s vote was unanimous and took effect immediately.
There is growing interest in the therapeutic use of entheogenic plants to help cure ailments like addiction and depression.
“They work specifically on serotonin receptors,” Stanford Professor of Psychiatry Roy King told the Lost Coast Outpost. “They increase neurogenesis … and allow people to get out of their loopy thoughts and negative thinking.”
For decades, people have reported new and positive ways of thinking after a so-called “trip.” Microdosing — or taking just enough of a substance to receive therapeutic benefits without getting high — has become increasingly popular. Preliminary studies indicate small doses of psychedelics could be an effective treatment for depression and anxiety, but more research is needed.