San Francisco Has Officially Decriminalized Shrooms

San Francisco just said, “Ugh, If you’re going to do it, I’d rather you do it in the house.”

The city’s Board of Supervisors passed a resolution yesterday determining personal use and distribution of entheogenic plants like peyote, ayahuasca, and psilocybin mushrooms “shall be the lowest law enforcement priority.” The reclassification puts possession of psychedelic plants on par with having a bag of weed in your pocket, meaning cops won’t bother you provided you’re not munching peyote pellets in front of a grade school. The ordinance announced that city resources will no longer fund investigations related to psychedelic use.

The measure also cited mental health benefits as further reason to decriminalize psychedelic plants. They can “benefit psychological and physical wellness” and “have been shown to be beneficial” for people with addiction, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety.

“San Francisco joins a growing list of cities and countries that are taking a fresh look at these plant-based medicines, following science and data, and destigmatizing their use and cultivation,” said San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston, who introduced the resolution. San Francisco follows Oakland and Santa Cruz as the third California city to decriminalize shrooms. Denver, Colorado and surprisingly, Washington D.C., have already enacted similar measures.

Oregon became the first state to fully legalize magic mushrooms. The measure passed in 2020, also citing the psychological benefits of psilocybin therapy, although facilities where patients can access such treatment won’t be operational until 2023.

Whether shrooms will become commercially available in San Francisco remains unknown. It might be a couple years before you can swing by your local shroomery for a quarter of Psilocybe mexicana. For now, your backdoor psychedelic dealings (save for LSD, whose decriminalization is still on hold) are safe to come out in the light.

Like this post? Then you’ll LOVE Stuart’s new zine!

Get this limited edition, hand signed zine covering 20 years of Stuart’s writings on San Francisco! Learn more right here.