HomeMy WebLinkAbout05072021_Reading_Resolution RE Entheogenic PlantsFrom:Erin Reading
To:Board of Health; Heidi Eisenhour; Greg Brotherton; Kate Dean; Tom Locke
Subject:Board of Health Resolution regarding Entheogenic Plants
Date:Friday, May 7, 2021 8:41:16 PM
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Dear Jefferson County Board of Health,
We are resending the following email and once again requesting that you consider our
resolution and either pass it as is, or work with the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society tomodify it such that you would pass it. It can be viewed here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZFQJ-SpJrjahyqxNJ3OVUPszuam3g1RXWvGYm8ZALls/edit?usp=sharing
Please let us know if there is something else we need to do to have this included on your
agenda.
Thank you again for your time!
Warmly,Erin Reading
Port Townsend Psychedelic Society Co-organizer
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Erin Reading <erin.b.reading@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 10, 2021 at 10:15 PMSubject: Board of Health Resolution regarding Entheogenic Plants
To: Tom Locke <TLocke@co.jefferson.wa.us>, <boh@co.jefferson.wa.us>
Dear Jefferson County Board of Health,
I'm reaching out from the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society to resume our efforts to pass a
resolution affirming the health and safety benefits for Jefferson County residents gained by thedecriminalization of entheogens. We believe this issue falls squarely within your purview.
We updated the resolution since we last spoke to reflect feedback we received from Dr. Locke
(thank you, it was much appreciated!). We are also very open to your input on our currentproposed resolution:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZFQJ-SpJrjahyqxNJ3OVUPszuam3g1RXWvGYm8ZALls/edit?usp=sharing
Among the Board of Health's statutory powers and duties, we consider the following most
relevant to our resolution:1) That the Board is tasked with supervision over all matters pertaining to the preservation of
the life and health of the people within its jurisdiction.Given the harms to health and safety caused by criminalization itself and the access/education
around the healing potentials of entheogenic plants made possible by decriminalization, we
believe our resolution falls directly under this aim.
2) Enact such rules, regulations and policies as are necessary to preserve, promote, andimprove the health status of Jefferson County residents, and guide the allocation of
appropriate and necessary public health resources.Understanding that you cannot create rules that oppose existing laws, we propose you make
recommendations towards reducing the harms created by the criminalization of entheogensand in support of increasing access to their benefits through decriminalization and education.
We strongly believe that necessary public health resources should include access to accurateinformation about the healing potentials of entheogens and ways to use them safely and
responsibly.
(And while we are focused on decriminalizing entheogens right now, we also encourage ourBoard of Health to commit to proclaiming all drug use a public health issue, rather than a
criminal one. Towards this aim, another public health resource we consider necessary is ananonymous drug testing service, so that synthetic drug use and addiction problems are not
compounded by use of impure and often more dangerous substances.)
3) Collect, analyze, and disseminate to the community, through the Jefferson County healthdepartment, information about community health conditions, risks and resources, and the
availability of resources to address identified problems;We believe the Board of Health can help us preserve, promote, and improve public health
through educational campaigns on safe and responsible use of entheogens (includingeducation on who should not partake in them). For example, addiction, depression, and PTSD
are health conditions widespread in our community. Entheogens have been shown to help healthese health issues. The health department should therefore make information known about
these plants and fungi, how to use them safely and responsible, and how to reduce risk. Theseresources should be easily accessible to our community members. The Port Townsend
Psychedelic Society is happy to work with the health department to create an educationalcampaign.
The Port Townsend Psychedelic Society gets numerous requests from people seeking
information about how to access entheogens or how to connect with a therapist or guide, andbecause entheogens are still criminalized, we have to tell them best of luck but that we can't
share any information. These requests are often from end-of-life patients seeking support forend-of-life anxiety, people who are seeking healing from addiction or PTSD, people seeking
healing from other medical conditions, or people simply seeking to become healthier ingeneral. Because these plants and fungi are criminalized, access is limited to those who have
privileged access and connections. Decriminalization creates a context where those who wantto use these plants for healing can be supported in doing so. It also reduces the harm that stems
directly from criminalization, regardless of one's intention for using entheogens.
Joining Oakland and Santa Cruz (CA), Ann Arbor (MI), Somerville (MA), and Cambridge(MA) all decriminalized all entheogenic plants and fungi by resolution. By ballot, Oregon
decriminalized all drugs, as well as psilocybin specifically within therapeutic contexts, whileWashington D.C. decriminalized all entheogens. In Michigan, the Prosecuting Attorney of
Washtenaw County, MI expanded Ann Arbor's decriminalization of entheogens county widein a well-researched and common sense driven policy directive:
https://www.washtenaw.org/DocumentCenter/View/19155/Entheogenic-Plants-Policy
Thank you for reading and for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Warmly,Erin Reading
Port Townsend Psychedelic Society