Tacoma City Council Decriminalizes Natural Psychedelics

LOS ANGELES- the Tacoma City Council in Washington State unanimously approved a resolution to decriminalize natural psychedelics, including substances containing tryptamines, phenethylamines, and indolamines. This legislative action designates the enforcement of laws against these entheogenic substances as among the city’s lowest law enforcement priorities. The resolution also advocates for decriminalization at both the state and federal levels.

The measure encompasses activities such as the planting, cultivating, gathering, transporting, distributing, possessing, and using of entheogens by adults. However, it explicitly excludes commercial manufacturing or sales, possession in parks or schools, driving under the influence, and any conduct that jeopardizes public safety or creates a public nuisance.

Tacoma joins other Washington jurisdictions, including Seattle, Olympia, and Port Townsend, in adopting similar reforms. The resolution highlights scientific and clinical studies demonstrating the benefits of entheogens in treating various mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This move reflects a growing trend toward reevaluating the legal status of natural psychedelics in the United States, with several cities and states enacting or considering decriminalization measures.