Thanks. I really appreciate the warm welcome and recommendation for the thread.
unfortunately I was unable to post in certain areas as I am new. I actually felt a little bad about starting a thread on a subject which was already being discussed, but I figured it would be understood as I could not post in existing threads.
Any way, I feel really good about initiative 301 passing. ...though I still acknowledge that there is a good deal of work that needs to be done with the public.
I think if people understood the substance, as well as the details of the law, that whether they were in favor of psychoactive freedom or not that they would be prompted to act according to what is fair, but I might be over estimating people.
I feel that if I could explain that:
First, for a substance to be classified as schedule 1 it must be ·Dangerous ·Have a High abuse potential/addictive and be ·Without medical value.
Now, psilocin is considered to be one of the safest illicit substances*, so it can hardly be considered dangerous. Psilocin also has an incredibly low abuse potential, and obviously has medical value*, so schedule one is clearly inappropriate for psilocybin/psilocin and the fungi that contain them.
I feel schedule IV would be far more appropriate, this way the compound could be studied by researchers, used in therapy sessions by trained professionals, and offered for prescription if and when appropriate. Leading researchers in the field tend to agree, as the excerpt below demonstrates:
Quote:In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest that if it clears phase III clinical trials, psilocybin should be re-categorized from a schedule I drug—one with no known medical potential—to a schedule IV drug such as prescription sleep aids, but with tighter control. Their analysis is summarized in the October print issue of Neuropharmacology.
"We want to initiate the conversation now as to how to classify psilocybin to facilitate its path to the clinic and minimize logistical hurdles in the future," says Matthew W. Johnson, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "We expect these final clearance trials to take place in the next five years or so."
https://hub.jhu.edu/2018...eduling-magic-mushrooms/ So, hopefully it's just a matter of time before the substance can be properly scheduled, see excerpt below:
Quote:Although preliminary research studies suggest that psilocybin may be effective for smoking cessation and for disorders such as cancer-specific depression and anxiety, it must clear phase III clinical trials before the Food and Drug Administration can be petitioned to reclassify it.
https://hub.jhu.edu/2018...eduling-magic-mushrooms/ Another important point to make would be:
these mushrooms have been used for religious purposes for thousands of years by the indigenous people of Mexico inhabiting the Sierra Mazateca known as The Mazatec people. This religious/spiritual use of the mushroom is well documented. The mushrooms are even known as teonanácatl, which is a Nahuatl word which translates to "flesh of the goods".
And, in the United states we are supposed to be protected by the first amendment:
The first amendment clearly states that: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Now, if my religion has been clearly established, as the mushroom using religions which have existed for thousands of years have been, and if the "free exercise" of my religion involves consuming psilocybin fungi, then it would be unconstitutional to prevent me or anybody else for using these mushrooms for spiritual purposes.
It would be incredibly difficult for a plant shaman to practice their religion without their entheogenic plants.
Its near impossible for me to practice my own spirituality without entheogens.
Don't get me wrong, I know very well that if I tried to make that argument in court it would fail miserably and I would go to jail for possession of a schedule 1 substance, but the point is constitutionally we should have the right to use the mushroom for spiritual purposes.
These links demonstrate my point above that had an asterisk by it regarding safety and medical value:
*
https://www.theguardian....st-recreational-drug-lsdhttps://www.forbes.com/s...ional-drug/#168ab25f4dadhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih...pmc/articles/PMC5813086/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih...pmc/articles/PMC5867510/