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Prevention Action Alliance
Know! What’s Up with Psychedelics?
While you may not be familiar with psilocybin, chances are you have
heard of psychedelic mushrooms, or shrooms. Psilocybin is the active
ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms. Though many of us associate
psychedelics with the 60’s, there has been a resurgence of interest in
their use. In November, Oregon became the first state to legalize
psilocybin, and it has America talking. The question is, are you
talking to your teens about this substance? If not, let us help you get
the conversation started.
Here’s Some Info to Know! on Psilocybin
Psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs were broadly banned under the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.
It is classified as a Schedule I drug, meaning, it has no legally accepted medical use and has a high potential for abuse.
In May 2019, Denver, Colorado became the first city to decriminalize
psilocybin, with Ann Arbor, Michigan; Oakland and Santa Cruz,
California joining shortly after.
Washington D.C. passed a ballot initiative to decriminalize this substance earlier this month.
All the legal jargon can get confusing, so here’s a brief breakdown on
decriminalization versus legalization regarding psilocybin:
In the United States, similar to marijuana, psilocybin remains a
federally illegal substance, regardless of individual city or state law.
Again, similar to the model of legalized medical marijuana, in Oregon
psilocybin has been approved for adults 21 years and older to have
legal access to the drug for “medicinal purposes” under the supervision
of a licensed facilitator.
By decriminalizing this psychedelic drug, Oregon and the cities listed
above push it to the lowest level of priority among law enforcement. In
other words, police resources will not generally be used in the
investigation or arrest of psilocybin-related incidents.
How Does this Impact Our Kids?
Now that we’ve taken a general look at what these measures mean across
our nation, let’s take a closer look at what this may mean for our
families and children.
Clearly there has been a shift in attitude toward this mind-altering
substance, as shown by voters. Children are highly influenced by the
adults in their lives. When adults’ attitudes shift, young people’s
attitudes tend to follow suit. As drug laws begin to loosen on this and
other psychedelic substances, perception of harm is likely to decrease.
The idea that psychedelics are dangerous illegal drugs may begin to
diminish or fade into a gray area. Additionally, psilocybin is being
promoted as having medical benefits, which may further provide a false
sense of safety around its use, in the eyes of teens.
Our children must be made clearly aware that regardless of law or
potential medical uses, psilocybin—psychedelic mushrooms—are powerful,
dangerous drugs. They must be told that decriminalization does not
equal safety and that legalization in any form does not equal safety,
especially for children.
In the tip to follow, we will examine psilocybin, what it is, how it
works, what it does to the body and brain, and what our kids need to
know to steer clear of it altogether.
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