Arcata 3-Year Anniversary of Decriminalizing Entheogens
The 3-Year anniversary of the Decriminalization of Entheogens will be celebrated on Oct. 6. Arcata is just one of several chapters connected to the national decriminalize nature movement. The movement focuses on decriminalizing entheogenic plants, improving human health, reconnecting to fungi traditions and practices through education and advocacy.
The movement first began in the Bay Area by co-founder Larry Norris, PhD. and has since expanded the movement across the nation to Nevada, Portland, Southern California and Louisiana to name a few.
Decriminalizing entheogens in Arcata was possible “through community organizing, tabling at the farmers market, and collecting over 300 letters of supportive community members” said Danielle Daniels, founder of Microdosing Humboldt and primary organizer of the Decriminalize Nature – Arcata chapter.
“Council member, Sarah Schaefer, supported us and got us on the agenda. And once we were on the agenda, we got a bunch of community members to come to the meeting and tell their stories of support and why they think entheogens should be decriminalized,” Daniels said.
Two years after decriminalizing entheogens in Arcata, Daniels and the members of the Arcata chapter succeeded in decriminalizing entheogens in Eureka on Oct. 17, 2023.
According to Daniels, the current goal is to decriminalize entheogens in all of Humboldt County.
“The main thing is that people feel safe, that’s why decriminalizing the county is so important, so other folks from the whole county can feel safe to even be open to receiving this kind of therapy,” Daniels said.
From the start of the decriminalization movement, the main objective was to educate the community about the health benefits of microdosing through grassroots organizing and advocacy.
Brianne Hutchinson, a licensed clinical counselor with a masters in psychology and active member of the Arcata chapter has researched the somatic experiences of microdosing psilocybin for therapeutic purposes.
“People have reported the benefits of microdosing include increased self understanding, increased positive mood states and in general, feeling more connected with their body and their minds,” Hutchinson said. “There were a few people that were using it, you know, for depression symptoms, and that seemed to be really helpful, especially like seasonal depression or navigating grief or like a specific life transition.”
The 3-Year anniversary event will include panel discussions with an array of speakers. They will discuss the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms, identify local psychedelic mushrooms, how pathogens can heal addiction and benefits of sound healing with microdosing.
Upcoming events
When: Sunday, October 6, 2024
Time: 11AM – 3:30 p.m
Location: Culture Shrooms – 774 9th Street Arcata, CA 95521
When: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 4:30 p.m
Location: Labor Temple – 840 E Street, Eureka, CA 95501
