Ferndale has become the fourth city in Michigan to locally decriminalize the possession of psychedelics such as magic mushrooms.
The Ferndale City Council passed a resolution this week that effectively decriminalizes certain psychedelics including psilocybin (“magic mushrooms”), DMT and ayahuasca by making it the lowest enforcement priority. This makes Ferndale the fourth Michigan city to make such a move, followed by Ann Arbor, Detroit and Hazel Park.
“[T]he Mayor and City Council hereby declare that it shall be the policy of the City of Ferndale that the investigation and arrest of persons for planting, cultivating, purchasing, transporting, distributing, engaging in practices with, or possessing Entheogenic Plants or plant compounds which are on the Federal Schedule 1 list shall be the lowest law enforcement priority for the City of Ferndale, and city funds or resources shall be prioritized for other City of Ferndale functions”, states the resolution.
The resolution notes that “The use of Entheogenic Plants, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth, have been shown by scientific and clinical studies and traditional practices to be beneficial to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing these conditions [the conditions being Substance abuse, addiction, recidivism, trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms, chronic depression, severe anxiety, end-of-life anxiety, grief, cluster headaches, and other debilitating conditions are
present in our community].”
Mayor Pro Tem Kat Bruner Jame, who sponsored the proposal, says “City funds or resources shall be prioritized for other City of Ferndale functions.”
The move is similar to a move taken by Seattle in 2003 which made marijuana the lowest enforcement priority almost a decade prior to any state legalizing the plant.
On the state-level in Michigan, the groups Decriminalize Nature and Students for Sensible Drug Policy are planning an initiative campaign to put the legalization of psychedelics on the ballot in 2024.
