Ann Arbor City Council takes up resolution decriminalizing magic mushrooms

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Monday's agenda in Ann Arbor will have a curious resolution that city council members plan to address during a meeting between representatives.

Two city council members have introduced plans to decriminalize psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms.

It would be among the first steps a municipality would take to offering the hallucinogenic drug a place in the medicinal practice.

The group lobbying for their decriminalization has been lobbying members of the city council for months. Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, or DNA2, has argued psychedelic substances like shrooms offer several benefits for those in need of medical assistance. 

"Decriminalization of naturally occurring medicines is necessary for progress. We can no longer turn a blind eye towards the wisdom of indigenous peoples, and the bounty the earth provides. I have been moved by the testimonies of those who have found profound relief from the use of entheogenic plants," said one of the city councilmembers in a statement.

"We feel confident that we can win at the city council level, but we are fully prepared to go the ballot initiative route if needed," said DNA2 Executive Director Julie Barron.

It would require six of the 11 votes for the resolution to pass. 

With the campaign to legalize marijuana in Michigan considered a success, many believe magic mushrooms could be the next natural substance to be legalized for medical purposes.

Decriminalizing the drug would lower it on the police department's priority list among substances they investigate and arrest individuals for.