Arcata Council cautious as it talks decriminalizing psychedelics
The Arcata City Council, following a split vote on a motion to move forward, decided to send a proposal to decriminalize the use of psychoactive mushrooms and other plants to the city’s public safety committee during its meeting Wednesday night.
Danielle Daniel, a leader in the group Decriminalize Nature Humboldt that brought the proposal to the council, offered her personal story of how entheogenic plants helped her heal from depression.
“I had the opportunity to travel to Brazil and I drank ayahuasca, which contains DMT,” Daniel told the council. “During that experience, I, for the first time saw my- self, saw who I was, and I loved myself … the depression went away and it’s been
eight years and I’m happy and healthy and I want the same opportunity for others who are in pain.”
The proposal from Decriminalize Nature Humboldt included a potential resolution of the city “declaring that the investigation and arrest of individuals involved with the adult possession, use, or cultivation of psychoactive plants and fungi listed on the Federal Schedule 1 list for personal adult use and clinical research be a low priority for the city of Arcata.”
Daniel noted that other cities, including Santa Cruz and Oakland as well as the state of Oregon, have passed similar resolutions. Additionally, there is a bill proposed by San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener that also would decriminalize psychedelics. It already passed the Senate and is currently working its way through the Assembly.
Around a dozen residents spoke during the public comment session, also sharing deeply personal stories of battling depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
“During my two times overseas in Iraq, I was subjected to a lot of violence,” said long-time Arcata resident Cyrus Meyers. “I lost nine of my friends and 33 throughout the period. I saw men, women and children blown up, shot, burned and displaced by war. Growing up here that was a lot to see in person. I wanted my own experience and I got more than I bargained for.”
He said after returning from his deployments, he turned to drug use and lost everything he valued. Psychedelics, he said, turned that around for him.
“I’m a firm believer that psychedelics gave me an opportunity to view my life outside of itself as an observer, versus a participant,” he said. “I’m not here to advocate, and I do not wish for applause. I’m simply saying that sometimes medicines can be a drug, and sometimes drugs can be a medicine.”
Council members Sarah Schaefer and Emily Goldstein both offered support for the motion, while members Stacy Atkins-salazar and Mayor Brett Watson leaned the other way.
“I just think this is an important step for us to take basically as a stand that we want to step away from this war on drugs,” said Schaefer.
Goldstein echoed the remarks. “I don’t see any reason to have another reason to police people basically,” she said. “… This is about you choose what you want for your life, I’ll choose what I want for my life and there’s no reason to be criminalized for that.”
But Atkins-salazar wanted to address some questions she had about the proposal.
“What I’m going to say is going to be a little bit of a downer on all the energy that we’ve had and so I just want you to know that I don’t mean this personally,” Atkins-salazar said, noting she wanted to address an educational component for the general public and she wanted to hear input from Police Chief Brian Ahearn.
Ahearn told the council he has some reservations about the proposal.
“Without safeguards in place, without some sort of regulation, I am fearful that people, who perhaps are not represented here tonight, may look at this as governmental permission to experiment, which could turn into a very, very tragic situation that’s multiplied,” said Ahearn, adding, “So, quite frankly, I felt like I was on a psychedelic trip tonight myself listening to everything.”