This week, Oakland, California became the second city in the United States to decriminalize magic mushrooms. Magic mushrooms are unlike other mushrooms. They have hallucinogenic properties, meaning people who eat them see things that may not be real. The Oakland City Council acted on Tuesday after several people spoke to the group’s members. They said magic mushrooms helped them fight depression, drug dependency and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. All city council members voted to decriminalize the adult use and possession of magic mushrooms as well as other psychoactive plants and fungi. In May, Denver, Colorado voters approved a similar measure for people 21 years of age and older. Many speakers spoke up in support of the move and described ayahuasca and peyote, both hallucinogens, as traditional plant-based medicines. In South America, indigenous people have been using ayahuasca for centuries; peyote is more common among native North Americans.
