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Dear Stoner: Are psychedelics going to become like legal weed, where it’s commercialized and taken over by the rich?
Alan
Dear Alan: Westword contributor Chris Walker wrote a piece about a recent Denver conference that raised the same question you do.
While any form of psychedelic legalization will be more medically focused, with tighter regulations than those that exist for cannabis, that could just mean more barriers to entry for communities of color – and fears of co-opting and future inequities are very present in the psychedelic medicine space, which has become increasingly white and buttoned-up the last couple of years. There’s still time to avoid mistakes made during cannabis commercialization, though, and we could witness a major opportunity in November.
Exhibit on display at the Colorado Psychedelic Convergence.
Chris Walker
Two competing psychedelic ballot initiatives are currently vying for support in Colorado, with one proposing decriminalization of several psychedelics and a form of regulated medical psilocybin legalization, and another proposing looser decriminalization measures with less involvement from the state. Neither have been approved for the November ballot yet, but if either makes it there and wins, it would set a precedent for any future psychedelics industry in Colorado and beyond. Check out Walker’s article for more information about the initiatives.
Send questions to marijuana@westword.com.
