Colorado voters will decide in November whether to decriminalize the possession and use of “magic” mushrooms and allow the creation of “healing centers” where people would be allowed to purchase and consume those substances.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that the supporters of Initiative 58 had turned in enough signatures to qualify for the upcoming statewide ballot. The campaign needed 124,632 signatures from Colorado voters to qualify.
Magic mushrooms, which contain the psychoactive compound psilocybin, would be legal on the state level only for people over 21 if the initiative passes. Psilocybin is illegal on the federal level.
The sale of magic mushrooms would be limited to the healing centers, though people would be allowed to cultivate them for personal use.
Local governments would be allowed to regulate healing centers but not completely ban them.
If the measures passes, a Natural Medicine Advisory Board would be created that could recommended decriminalizing and regulating additional “natural medicines” after June 1, 2026, including dimethyltryptamine (known as DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline, which is found in the San Pedro cactus, but excluding “peyote.”
Oregon voters legalized magic mushrooms in 2020. Colorado would be the second state.
Denver was the first U.S. city to decriminalize possession and use of psilocybin in May 2019.
Another measure on the November statewide ballot will ask voters whether to reduce the state’s income tax rate to 4.4% from 4.55%.