Effecting Drug Policy Reform at the Local Level: 101

This presentation is designed to empower psychedelics policy reform advocates to make positive changes in their communities by providing participants with a basic understanding of the legal and strategic considerations applicable to effecting drug policy reform in municipal law. In 2019, Denver became the first city in the United States to decriminalize psilocybin via a ballot measure, catalyzing a nationwide psychedelics reform movement. Shortly after that, Oakland and Santa Cruz, California, adopted resolutions deprioritizing law enforcement of a broad range of natural psychedelic substances (referred to as entheogens). There are now psychedelics decriminalization efforts underway in more than 100 cities across the U.S.

This discussion will explain how drugs, particularly psychedelics, are regulated in the U.S., dissect the policy approaches taken by Denver and Oakland, and outline legal considerations and strategies for drafting and passing local legislation in your city or town.