DENVER (AP) — Fresh off his third tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Jason Lopez awoke in crisis from an alcohol-induced nap during a family gathering in Colorado in 2014. The Army Special Forces soldier, thinking he was once again in battle, grabbed the heavy coffee table in front of him and threw it across the living room.
If the initiative passes, Colorado would join Oregon in establishing a regulated system for substances like psilocybin and psilocin, the hallucinogenic chemicals found in some mushrooms. After June 1, 2026, Colorado would allow an advisory board to add other plant-based psychedelic drugs to the program, including dimethyltryptamine, commonly known as DMT, ibogaine and mescaline not derived from peyote, a type of cactus that some conservation groups are trying to protect.
Proponents argue that jailing people for the non-violent offense of using naturally occurring substances costs taxpayers money. They also say the state’s current approach to mental health has failed and that naturally occurring psychedelics, which have been used for hundreds of years, can treat depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and other conditions.
Niforatos said the same deep-pocketed players who have pushed for legalizing recreational marijuana in various states are behind the latest initiative and are using a “drug legalization playbook” to create a commercial market that could eventually lead to recreational dispensaries for dangerous and federally illegal substances.
Mason Tvert, who spearheaded the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Colorado in 2012, said the push to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and other natural substances differs from the recreational marijuana campaign because, this time, voters are not being asked to allow dispensaries.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
10 Ford trucks stolen at Denver International Airport within a week, Denver police sayTen trucks were stolen at or around the Denver International Airport within the span of a week, according to the Denver Police Department. via AmyWadas
Read more »
1 dead, 4 wounded in east Denver shooting; suspects at largePolice in Denver are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and wounded four others on the eastern side of the city Tuesday afternoon.
Read more »
Three suspects sought in Denver shooting that killed one, injured four, police sayFive people were shot, one dead, in Denver on Tuesday afternoon, police said. Avoid the area near Colfax Avenue and Verbena Street between 14th and 16th avenues.
Read more »
All the Immersive Art to See in DenverDenver may as well be the US capital of immersive arts.
Read more »
Inside Six-Person, One-Death Shooting at Denver Crime Hot SpotWhat we know about Denver's latest mass shooting.
Read more »
Denver has another shot of measurable snow later this week, 12 inches possible in the mountainsA storm headed to Colorado this week could bring Denver's first measurable snow and may drop a foot of snow in parts of the high country. COwx
Read more »