Arkansas Activists Blaze Trail for Psychedelic Reform

BENTONVILLE – In the heart of Northwest Arkansas, a group of dedicated activists is pushing to reshape the legal landscape for psychedelics. Decriminalize Nature NW Arkansas, founded in 2023, is leading the charge to decriminalize naturally occurring entheogenic plants and fungi, such as psilocybin mushrooms, in Bentonville and beyond. Their efforts signal a growing movement to rethink psychedelic policy in a state known for its conservative stance.

On July 26, 2025, Decriminalize Nature NW Arkansas hosted a one-day summit at the Bentonville Public Library, drawing community members, policymakers, and experts to discuss the legal, therapeutic, and spiritual dimensions of psychedelics. Co-founders Jessica Fitzmaurice and Beth Day, both longtime Bentonville residents, are at the forefront, advocating for decriminalization to remove penalties for personal use and cultivation. Fitzmaurice, a registered nurse and mother of five, brings a personal perspective, having faced legal repercussions in Indiana for growing psilocybin mushrooms to manage treatment-resistant depression.

“It’s like climbing a mountain,” Fitzmaurice told The Bentonville Bulletin.
“But I think we can reach the top.”

The group has been engaging local leaders, including Bentonville and Bella Vista city council members and the Fourth Judicial District Drug Task Force, to push for policies that deprioritize enforcement against natural psychedelics. Their efforts align with a broader national trend – over 20 U.S. municipalities have already decriminalized psychedelics, and states like Oregon and Colorado have legalized therapeutic use. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is also exploring psychedelic therapies for PTSD, reflecting growing acceptance of their potential benefits.

Despite Arkansas’ strict laws, which classify psilocybin as a Schedule I substance with penalties up to seven years in prison, activists remain optimistic. The state’s 2016 legalization of medical cannabis and recent steps toward recreational marijuana signal potential openness to reform. Local organizations like the NW Arkansas Psychedelic Society and the Holos Foundation are also amplifying advocacy through education and harm reduction, fostering a groundswell of support.

As Bentonville’s activists forge ahead, their work could pave the way for Arkansas to join the psychedelic renaissance. With science backing the therapeutic promise of psilocybin and community momentum growing, Fitzmaurice and Day are planting seeds for change in the Natural State. Their summit may be a spark that could ignite a broader conversation about healing, freedom, and the power of nature’s most misunderstood medicines.