Denver becomes 1st U.S. city to decriminalize magic mushrooms

Denver's Initiative 301, which effectively decriminalizes psychedelic mushrooms, narrowly passed with 50.6 percent of the vote.

Denver is the first city in the United States to approve such a measure. The unofficial results, posted Wednesday afternoon, came as a surprise, as early results on Tuesday night made it appear the initiative would fail. The current tally is 89,320 votes in favor of the measure and 87,341 against, a difference of just 1,979 votes.

Under the measure, city code will be rewritten so that police officers make enforcing laws for possession their lowest priority. It will still be illegal to purchase, sell, or possess psychedelic mushrooms. Supporters of the measure touted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision last fall to give psilocybin "breakthrough therapy" designation, meaning it has potential to help people with treatment-resistant depression, The Denver Post reports.

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