(Image source from: The New York Times)
In the first ever in U.S. states, the voters of Denver has approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms by a razor-thin margin.
The new rule loosens limitations on the personal use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as "magic mushrooms," by people over the age of 21.
The new law, however, does not make it legal to sell, buy, or possess the drug. It instructs police officers to treat psilocybin users as their last priority.
By late afternoon on Wednesday, the numbers showed a reversal of what earlier appeared headed for defeat with initiative 301 set to pass with nearly 50.6 percent of the vote.
"It's been one hell of 21-and-a-half hours," Kevin Matthews who led the decriminalization campaign, told The Denver Post after the vote results were announced.
"If these results hold, this is an example of the absurd comedy of the great metaphor. Against all odds, we prevailed. This is what happens when a small team of dedicated and passionate people unites under a single idea to create change."
According to officials, the vote would be certified on May 16 once all military and overseas ballots have been counted.
Advocates of the new law point to studies that say psilocybin is not considered habit-forming and could be used against opioid addiction or depression, which causes scores of deaths in the United States each year.
"Humans have used these mushrooms for thousands of years for healing, rites of passage, spiritual insight," said the organization Decriminalize Denver, headed by Matthews, which in January announced it had collected enough signatures to put the measure to a vote.
The approval of new law once again puts Colorado at the forefront of American drug legalization after it turned out to be one of the first two states to legalize marijuana in 2012.
"Denver is quickly becoming the illicit drug capital of the world. The truth is we have no idea what the long-term health effects of these drugs are going to do to the people of Colorado," Jeff Hunt, an official at Colorado Christian University, said on CNN after the referendum on mushrooms was announced.
Marijuana is now legal for recreational use in 10 U.S. states, while more than half of the 50 states permit its use for medical purposes.
By Sowmya Sangam
