Have a safe trip: Olympia decriminalizes possession of psychedelics

(The Center Square) – The Olympia City Council unanimously passed a resolution that decriminalizes the possession of psychedelics, including psilocybin mushrooms.

The resolution does not permit driving while under the influence of psychedelics and it does not permit the possession or distribution of entheogens in schools. It also does not permit conduct that puts public safety at risk.

“My concern was about making sure that our community understands what we are doing – I really hope that people will take the time to actually read about what it is we are doing tonight and resist the urge to just look at sensationalized headline of what we are doing,” Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne said in a council meeting on Tuesday night.

Prior to the resolution, the City of Olympia’s law classified psilocybin as a controlled substance categorized as a schedule 1 hallucinogen. It is unlawful to knowingly possess a controlled substance or use a controlled substance in public without a valid prescription. That was classified as a gross misdemeanor offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine on the first conviction.

Two or more convictions resulted in 364 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

However, arresting people found in possession of psychedelic drugs was a low priority for the Olympia Police Department. Since 2019, there have been five arrests in Olympia where psilocybin was present. Most of the arrests also found other drugs including heroin, fentanyl, Xanax, and MDMA. Records for the previous five years did not show any arrests or referrals to the prosecutor’s office for the consideration of charges solely for the possession of psilocybin.

Notably, psilocybe mushrooms are more commonly found in Western Washington than other parts of the country.

Part of the newly passed resolution includes the Olympia City Council’s public support for continued research for the full decriminalization of entheogen-related activities at the state and federal level.