Enough Signatures Submitting in Denver to Put Magic Mushrooms Initiative on November Ballot
Proponents of an initiative to decriminalize the possession and use of magic mushrooms in Denver have submitted enough signatures to put the measure to a vote of the people.
The group Decriminalize Denver submitted over 8,000 signatures today for their initiative, well more than the 4,726 required to make the November general election ballot. However, the Denver Election Division must now verify that enough of the 8,000+ signatures are valid (from registered Denver voters) before the measure can be officially placed on the ballot; they have 25 days to do so.
The proposal would make psilocybin mushrooms (A.K.A “magic mushrooms” – psilocybin is the psychoactive ingredient found within them) the lowest law enforcement priority for those 21 and older, similar to what Seattle did for cannabis in 2009 (three years prior to cannabis being legalized). More importantly, the initiative would prohibit the city – including law enforcement – from using any funds to impose penalties on those who use and possess personal amounts of psilocybin.
Below is the official ballot title for the Denver Psilocybin Initiative:
Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver adopt an ordinance to the Denver Revised Municipal Code that would make the personal use and personal possession of psilocybin mushrooms by persons twenty-one (21) years of age and older the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority, prohibit the city from spending resources to impose criminal penalties for the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms by persons twenty-one (21) years of age and older, and establish the psilocybin mushroom policy review panel to assess and report on the effects of the ordinance?
For the full text of the initiative, click here.