A Washington State county has become the latest U.S. jurisdiction to locally deprioritize enforcement of laws against psychedelics like psilocybin and ayahuasca.
The three members of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to approve a resolution to make enforcement of psychedelics laws among the jurisdiction’s lowest priorities, while also voicing support for state and federal decriminalization.
“I feel like community is the theme for me as a commissioner, and this issue is showing up in spades,” Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour said. “I hope that we can be leaders on this horizon—not only in our county, community and in the state—by taking a stand for something that’s right.”
The board held a hearing on an earlier version of the resolution last week, taking testimony from advocates, as well as the county’s sheriff and prosecuting attorney. The law enforcement officials raised concerns about a policy that would restrict them from enforcing state law and also suggested that psychedelics represent a small fraction of cases they handle.
But the board moved forward with a revised resolution nonetheless, recognizing that while they can’t unilaterally decriminalize plant-based medicines that are controlled substances, they can symbolically show where they stand during a time
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