Advocates for decriminalizing “magic mushrooms” and other psychoactive plants are asking D.C. voters to sign a petition online or by mail to put Initiative 81 on November’s ballot.
Decriminalize Nature D.C., the nonprofit behind the decriminalization effort, first will send 10,000 petitions to D.C. voters to sign and return by mail or email. Depending on the response to the first 10,000 mailers, the campaign intends to send out 250,000 additional petitions to voters.
The group needs to get 30,000 valid signatures by July 6 to put the “Entheogenic Plants and Fungi Act of 2020” on the ballot.
The D.C. Council last week approved its omnibus coronavirus-related bill, which changed how petitions can be collected for ballot initiatives to make the process safe during the pandemic.
Voters can get a copy of the petition by downloading or requesting it from Decriminalize Nature D.C. They can return it by mail or scan it online and send it back.
“The Campaign to Decriminalize Nature DC is thrilled to start collecting signatures to put important reforms to laws on plant and fungi medicines on the ballot,” said Melissa Lavasani, a mother of two who proposed the initiative after using plant medicines to treat her postpartum depression. “Thanks to swift legislative changes championed by D.C. Council member Charles Allen and implementation by the D.C. Board of Elections last week, DNDC’s ‘Democracy by Mail’ strategy is live and legal. D.C. voters don’t have to give up on direct democracy during the public health crisis.”
• Sophie Kaplan can be reached at skaplan@washingtontimes.com.
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