"Please, government, protect us from mushrooms." - statists who are upset about Denver possibly legalizing magic mushrooms.
Today Denver could be the first US city to decriminalize psilocybin - the psychoactive ingredient in "magic mushrooms."
There's a lot of confusion surrounding this bill. Most people have never heard of "psilocybin" and are unaware of its health benefits, if any exist.
Heck, a lot of people are STILL confused about what "decriminalize" means.
As a reminder, there's a difference between full legalization and decriminalization. Legalization implies the product can be sold in stores by vendors to consumers. Decriminalization simply means you won't be arrested if you're caught with the substance.
"Magic mushrooms" is the street term used to describe wild mushrooms that cause hallucinogenic effects. The substance is frequently found on farms near cow manure.
Pro-psilocybin activists in Denver tried three times to develop language that could be approved by city officials for a voting ballot. They also collected over 8,000 signatures to qualify for today's election.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock is not a fan of the bill but he hasn't organized a campaign against it.
If the ordinance passed it will prevent law enforcement from arresting people age 21 and up for possessing the substance and it will also prevent city funds from being used to pursue criminal investigations.
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY GERALD DE HEMPTINNE --- Mushrooms for sale are displayed in the smartshop Innerspace in Amsterdam 18 October 2007. Dutch so-called smartshops that sell hallucinogenic mushrooms are due face a ban to sell the mushrooms by the Dutch government within months, a measure the shops say is "absurd" as people will just move on to stronger drugs. The move comes during an ongoing debate in the Netherlands about the safety of the so-called magic mushrooms after a number of incidents involving tourists who had taken them. AFP PHOTO/MAARTJE BLIJDENSTEIN (Photo credit should read MAARTJE BLIJDENSTEIN/AFP/Getty Images)