RESOLUTION NO. NS-29,623
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ DECLARING THAT THE INVESTIGATION AND ARREST OF INDIVIDUALS TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER INVOLVED WITH THE ADULT PERSONAL USE, PERSONAL POSSESSION, AND PERSONAL CULTIVATION OF ENTHEOGENIC PSYCHOACTIVE PLANTS AND FUNGI LISTED ON THE FEDERAL SCHEDULE 1 LIST BE AMONGST THE LOWEST PRIORITIES FOR THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ
WHEREAS, Entheogenic Plants, based on the term “entheogen”, originally conceived by Ott, Ruck, and other colleagues from a working group of anthropologists and ethnobotanists in 1979; and defined herein as the full spectrum of plants, fungi, and natural materials deserving reverence and respect from the perspective of the individual and the collective, that can inspire personal and spiritual well-being,’ can benefit psychological” and physical wellness,’ and can reestablish human’s inalienable and direct relationship to nature; and
WHEREAS, substance abuse,”‘ addiction, recidivism,” trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms,. chronic depression, severe anxiety,’ end-of-life anxiety, grief,'” diabetes,’ cluster headaches,’ and other medical conditions do affect adults, and the use of psychoactive plants and fungi has been documented to benefit the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing these afflictions via scientific and clinical studies and within continuing traditional practices, which can catalyze profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth; and
WHEREAS, in October 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for studies on psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression; and
WHEREAS, practices with Entheogenic Plants have long existed and have been considered sacred to human cultures and human interrelationships with nature for thousands of years,’ and continue to be improved to this day by religious and spiritual leaders, practicing professionals, mentors, and healers throughout the world, many of whom have been forced underground; and
WHEREAS, those seeking to improve their health and well-being through the use of entheogens use them in fear of arrest and prosecution; and
WHEREAS, the Entheogenic Plant practices of certain groups are already explicitly protected in the U.S. under the doctrine of religious freedom, including the Native American Church’s use of peyote and the use of ayahuasca by two other churches, a Santo Daime congregation and the Uniao do Vegetal; and
WHEREAS, Entheogenic Plants containing ibogaine, for example, have been shown to alleviate treatment resistant cases of opiate and methamphetamine addiction at significantly higher rates than all other treatments for addiction.’ In addition, ibogaine is reported to be beneficial for addiction therapy related to specific work-related PTSD; and
WHEREAS, Entheogenic Plants or combinations of plants such as ayahuasca that contain forms of DMT, a naturally occurring compound in the human body that is listed as a Schedule I substance, can lead to experiences that are reported as mystical or experientially .similar to near-death experiencesx” and can be ‘demonstrably beneficial in treating addiction,’ depression,’ PTSD,”and in catalyzing profound experiences of personal “‘ and spiritual growth;””” and
WHEREAS, Entheogenic cacti that contain phenethylamine compounds such as mescaline can be beneficial in healing drug and alcohol addiction”‘ and for individual spiritual growth”, have been utilized in sacred initiation and community healing by diverse religious and cultural traditions for millennia,. and continue to be used as religious sacraments in modem times; and
WHEREAS, psilocybin, naturally occurring in psychoactive mushrooms, can alleviate end-of-life anxiety for hospice and terminal cancer patients, can reduce prison recidivism,’ and can effectively treat substance abuse, depression,’ and cluster headaches;”; and
WHEREAS, a Johns Hopkins University study on “healthy-normals” found that psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences in a subject’s life for over 75% of their subjects within the first year after the study, and also found continuing positive lifestyle changes after a 14-month follow-up; and
WHEREAS, improper use or overconsumption of Entheogenic Plants and Fungi can result in negative effects and use requires harm reduction strategies and education to ensure safe consumption; and
WHEREAS, the Community Prevention Partners of Santa Cruz County is a critical partner in the education of youth and families about drug prevention; and
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the City of Santa Cruz declares its desire to not expend City resources in the investigation and arrest of persons twenty-one (21) years of age and older solely for the personal use, personal possession, and personal cultivation of Entheogenic Plants and Fungi listed on the Federal Schedule 1 list and that such activities should be considered among the lowest law enforcement priorities for the City of Santa Cruz; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Santa Cruz City Council supports further medical research on the short and long-term effects of the use of entheogenic plants and incorporation of evolving scientific medical knowledge on the subject in the City policy and practice.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council recognizes that the sale, use and cultivation of Entheogenic Plants and Fungi to and by minors should be considered an exception that should require appropriate investigation by the Santa Cruz City Police Department; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City welcomes information from community health partners and educators on youth exposure and use of entheogens
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Santa Cruz City Council directs the city manager to instruct the city’s state and federal lobbyists to work in support of decriminalizing all entheogenic psychoactive plants, and plant and fungi-based compounds listed in the Federal Controlled Substances Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz acknowledges that the use of entheogenic plants and fungi for health and spiritual well-being should be done in consultation with, and under the supervision of trained/medical professionals; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Santa Cruz recognizes that public health and public safety could be affected through administration of this Resolution and evaluation should be initiated by the Santa Cruz Police Department if warranted at any time; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That if any provision of this resolution is declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to any statute, regulation, or judicial decision, or its applicability to any agency, person, or circumstances is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this resolution and its applicability to any other agency, person, or circumstance shall not be affected.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 28th day of January, 2020, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Watkins, Mathews, Brown, Glover, Krohn; Vice Mayor
Meyers; Mayor Cummings.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
DISQUALIFIED: None.
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ii Entheogens and Psychological Wellness
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iv Entheogens and Substance Abuse
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v EntheoL!ens and Recidivism
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vi Entheogens and Anxiety
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vii Entheogens and Grief
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viii Ayahuasca and Diabetes
Wang, P. et al., (2015). A high-throughput chemical screen reveals that harmine- mediated inhibition of DYRK1A increases human pancreatic beta cell replication. Nature Medicine 21, pp. 383-388.
ix Entheogens and Cluster Headaches
Schindler, E., et al. (2015) Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 47:5 372-381, DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2015.1107664 x Historical Use of Entheogens
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x lboga/lbogaine for Addiction Therapy
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xi Ayahuasca Experience similar to Near-Death Experience
Liester, M. B. (2013). Near-death experiences and ayahuasca-induced experiences- two unique pathways to a phenomenologically similar state of consciousness. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 45(1), p. 24.
xii Ayahuasca for Addiction Therapy
Barbosa, P. et al. (2018) Assessment of Alcohol and Tobacco Use Disorders Among Religious Users of Ayahuasca. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9 (136). doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00136
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xiii Ayahuasca and Depression
Anderson, B. (2012). Ayahuasca as Antidepressant? Psychedelics and Styles of Reasoning in Psychiatry. Anthropology of Consciousness, 23(1), pp. 44-59.
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xiv Ayahuasca and PTSD
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xv Ayahuasca and Personal Growth
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xvi Ayahuasca and Spiritual Growth
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xvii Peyote for treatment of alcohol and drug dependence
Winkelman, M. (2014). Psychedelics as Medicines for Substance Abuse Rehabilitation: Evaluating Treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. Current Drug Abuse Reviews 7, pp. 101-116.
xviii Peyote
Calabrese, J. (2007). The Therapeutic Use of Peyote in the Native American Church Chapter 3 in Vol. 1 of Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments. Michael J. Winkelman and Thomas B. Roberts (editors). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.
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xix Psilocybin for End-of-Life Anxiety
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xx Entheogens and Reduced Recidivism
Hendricks, P., et al. (2014). Hallucinogen use predicts reduced recidivism among substance-involved offenders under community corrections supervision. Journal of Psychopharmacology 28(1), pp. 62-66.
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xxi Psilocybin and Treatment-Resistant Depression
Hendricks, P., et al. (2015). Psilocybin, psychological distress, and suicidality. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 29(9), pp. 1041-1043.
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xxii Psilocybin and Cluster Headaches
Schindler, E. et al., (2015) Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 47(5), pp. 372-381. DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2015.1107664
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