Marijuana Moment: Another Michigan City Passes Psychedelics Resolution Directing Police To Deprioritize Enforcement

[Tokeativity]

“It’s not hyperbolic when I tell you that it saved her life. It definitely saved our marriage and our family.”

By Jack Gorsline, Psychedelic State(s) of America

On Tuesday, the Jackson, Michigan City Council passed a resolution to deprioritize the enforcement of laws against the purchase, cultivation and possession of certain psychedelic plants and fungi.

The 4-2 vote in support of the municipal resolution was met with cheers from a large crowd of supporters who had gathered in the council chambers. The move makes Jackson the sixth municipality in the state of Michigan to approve such a measure—joining Ann Arbor, Detroit, Hazel Park, Ferndale, Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County in doing so.

The resolution covers substances like ayahuasca, psilocybin and peyote—which are all currently prohibited at the state and federal levels. Notably, during the meeting, City Council Member Will Forgrave offered moving personal testimony, explaining that these entheogenic treatments succeeded where traditional methods failed in treating his wife’s postpartum depression.

“It’s not hyperbolic when I tell you that it saved her life,” Forgrave said. “It definitely saved our marriage and our family. It’s something that’s near and dear to my heart.”

In contrast, Council Members Arlene Robinson and Freddie Dancy voted against the measure, with Dancy attributing his “no” vote to his “personal convictions.”

Beyond deprioritizing arrests, the resolution urges the Jackson County prosecutor to stop pursuing charges related to these plants. However, the policy maintains strict boundaries: the use or possession of entheogens remains prohibited for minors, on school property and while operating a vehicle.

The Recipe for Success: Education and Persistence

Alina DeRossett, Roger Maufort and Kate Brown, Co-Founders of Decriminalize Nature Jackson, credited the breakthrough vote to, “providing education, hard work and being diligent and consistent” in their outreach to city officials, “over three years.”

Julie Barron—Founder of the Michigan Psychedelic Society told PSA that the measure’s passage serves as proof that, “even small, rural towns are willing to push the needle forward to help their community.”

Barron also highlighted that, “the work of the local Decriminalize Jackson helped to convince enough council members to vote ‘yes.’”

Can Local Momentum Spur Statewide Change?

As for the status of statewide reform efforts, Barron told Lucid News earlier this year that an attempted 2024 statewide ballot initiative, “had some money committed to us” at first, but that ultimately long-term funding fell-through in part due to the high cost of effectively staffing such a lengthy campaign process, which she estimated as needing, “about a million dollars minimum.”

At the Michigan state house in Lansing, earlier this year Rep. Mike McFall (D), introduced House Bill 4686, which if enacted into law would decriminalize possession of up to two ounces of psilocybin for adults with a medical record indicating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While the bill hasn’t garnered any further traction at the state house this session, the continued support from state lawmakers for some kind of policy advancement bodes well for future reform efforts.

In her statement to Psychedelic State(s) of America, Barron acknowledged that while “Michigan has not yet had a successful statewide effort to decriminalize,” advocates across the Great Lakes State will, “continue to go city by city and county by county until we build the momentum for a successful statewide push.”

On the national stage, Michigan native and co-founder of Decriminalize Nature Larry Norris heralded the local measure’s passage as further proof that the, “[psychedelics] movement transcends politics and can win in both progressive and conservative areas.”

“At the end of the day people want to help support their community in healing…” Norris added, “and they realize the punitive approach to plants and mushrooms is not working.”

The enthusiasm of local, state and national activists is certainly mirrored by local officials, too—as Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney publicly proclaimed after the successful vote, “I’m so happy we freed the [mu]shrooms!”

This article was produced by Psychedelic State(s) of America – a nonprofit-sponsored news organization dedicated to rigorous independent psychedelic journalism. Subscribe to PSA online and Follow PSA on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook. Learn more about PSA and donate to the PSA Media Fund here. 

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