Friends,
Sean McAllister has expanded his practice to another cutting edge drug policy reform issue: decriminalization and ultimately legalization and regulation of psilocybin mushrooms (aka magic mushrooms). The city of Denver decriminalized psilocybin mushrooms in May 2019 and Sean was recently appointed to the Denver Mayor’s Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel. In addition, Sean is a legal advisor to the CA Decriminalize Psilocybin campaign seeking to make the statewide ballot this year. Activists in Oregon are also seeking to get a statewide ballot initiative on the ballot this year. Reform advocates are also considering a statewide decriminalization of psilocybin initiative in Colorado this year. Given these developments, it is possible that by the end of this year psilocybin will be decriminalized or regulated in three states. This is proof of how quickly things can change once there is momentum for change.
Sean is also general counsel for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, see www.chacruna.net. Chacruna is a leading organization working on educating the public around psychedelics. Chacruna is holding a groundbreaking conference on April 25-26, 2020 called the Psychedelic Liberty Summit. See https://chacruna.net/psychedelic-liberty-summit/ This is the first conference ever to be done on this scale on the intersection of psychedelics, legality, and policy, and brings together policy-makers, researchers, therapists, artists, and entrepreneurs focused on the healing benefits of psychedelics, psychedelic medicine and psychedelic-assisted therapy.
The Psychedelic Liberty Summit will bring together experts from around the world to discuss the legal, cultural, and political issues around the emerging psychedelic renaissance. Topics addressed will include: psilocybin decriminalization initiatives in Denver, Oakland (including ayahuasca, peyote, and other natural psychedelics), and the upcoming initiative in Oregon; FDA regulation of MDMA and psilocybin; the paradoxes of cannabis regulation and research monopolies; licenses for psychedelic-assisted therapy and health care; the process of applying for religious exemptions for psychedelic sacrament use with the DEA; and the psychedelic markets of the future. At the summit, Chacruna will officially launch the Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants, an initiative advocating for the legality of sacred plant medicines, encouraging legal harm-reduction practices, documenting relevant legal and social issues, and consulting on legal cases.
Sean will be giving a speech about his efforts on the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel just getting under way. The Panel will be evaluating the impact on the city of Denver of the decriminalization law and publishing a report about recommendations going forward. Sean hopes you can join him and attend this historic conference. If you have questions about psychedelic law reform, or the Psychedelic Liberty Summit, contact Sean at sean@mcallistergarfield.com
