Psychedelic Substances Gaining Attention for Mental Health Treatment

The city of Jackson, Michigan, is considering a resolution that could decriminalize the use of psychedelic mushrooms and other entheogenic plants and fungi. The Jackson City Council will discuss this resolution at a meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on December 16, 2023, at Jackson City Hall, located at 161 W.

Michigan Ave. If passed, the resolution would make planting, purchasing, and possessing these substances the lowest law enforcement priority, suggesting that the city has more pressing issues to allocate its resources towards.

Additionally, it urges the Jackson County prosecutor to stop prosecuting individuals involved with entheogenic plants, although it would not permit their use on school grounds, while driving, or among individuals under 18 years old.

Roger Maufort, the owner of The Seed Cellar, has been advocating for this change citing the health benefits of psychedelics, including their potential to treat conditions such as substance abuse, trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and cluster headaches.

Maufort believes that the resolution could empower individuals to live without fear of government interference regarding their health choices. Alina DeRossett, a sales and community relations worker for The Seed Cellar, described psychedelics as 'life-changing medicine' that can foster self-connection and love.

She argues that decriminalizing these substances may reduce stigma, encouraging more people to inquire about their benefits. Other municipalities in Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Detroit, have already decriminalized entheogens, and Maufort hopes that Jackson's approval will signal a growing movement towards statewide decriminalization.

The Seed Cellar specializes in providing cannabis seeds and educational resources about gardening and entheogenic plants, though it does not sell or distribute entheogens.