Oakland might be losing the Warriors to San Francisco, but they've gained the ability to trip to their hearts' content. East Bay folks will now be able to grow and take magic mushrooms without fear of arrest, as the city of Oakland just decriminalized shrooms.
The initiative claims that it's a way to connect residents of The Town with the natural world.
“This initiative aims to empower the Oakland community by restoring their relationship to nature,” it reads. “The Oakland community behind this initiative believe it is an inalienable right to develop their own relationship with nature, both as a measure of personal liberty and to embrace what it means to be human on Planet Earth.”
Supporters of the cause claim that the use of mushrooms and cacti are an ancient way to become closer with the planet.
"Decriminalizing nature provides individual and community sovereignty to explore different levels of the human experience, including mystical and spiritual states of consciousness,” the resolution states.
There are a few limitations to the rule. You still can't distribute mushrooms commercially and they will be forbidden in schools. Of course, psychedelic mushrooms are still illegal in most of the rest of the United States, including just across the Bay in San Francisco.
The move comes shortly after Denver became the first city in the United States to decriminalize possession of mushrooms. While Oakland passed the resolution in its council, Denver put the initiative to a popular vote. It narrowly passed, winning just over half of the vote. Similar efforts to decriminalize are underway in Oregon and Iowa.
