HomeMy WebLinkAbout020325 email - Support at WA State level to OPPOSE Senate Bill 5201 and House Bill 1433 unless amendedALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
From: Jeannie Price, Port Ludlow, WA
Date: February 3, 2025
Re: Support for Opposition to Senate Bill 5201 and House Bill 1433 unless amended
To: Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
I am writing to ask you to speak out to OPPOSE Washington State Senate Bill 5201 and House Bill 1433 unless they are amended to include statewide personal use protections that allow
adults 21 and older to grow, gather, and gift psilocybin. I testified before your Board in April of 2023 and after you approved the county resolution on decriminalization, you said
that you would assist in this effort at the State level. That time has come.
I am a retired airline captain and after I moved to Port Ludlow, I made connections with members of the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society (PTPS) which led to important volunteer work
for me. The goals of PTPS include education, advocacy and building community around the safe and responsible use of entheogens (psychoactive medicines derived from plants or fungus,
like psilocybin). I am now a trained Peer Support member and volunteer at local music festivals to support people having challenging experiences.
I helped organize the PTPS End of Life/Deathcare Symposium in November of 2022 in Port Townsend. The interest in and support for this event became clear when we had initially expected
40 people but filled a room with a capacity of over 250. Attendees included all ages – from families with young children to my 89-year-old father-in-law. There is widespread support
and demand for affordable plant medicine like psilocybin.
The American Medical Association now supports decriminalization. The healing benefits of psilocybin have been proven. I can attest that responsible use of it has had positive effects
on my health and brain and helps to decrease inflammation to improve my present quality of life. Use of psilocybin has been critically important in managing my symptoms of detoxification
from MCS (multiple chemical sensitivity), and has helped with my PTSD, depression, and anxiety diagnoses, and to alleviate my fears around aging and death. I want to have the freedom
to grow these medicines or purchase them from growers whom I trust to produce safe, organic products. If the bills are not amended, I will no longer have access to these products. The
bills as written would criminalize me for securing them and it is fiscally irresponsible for the state to focus attention on people like me. There are concerning health, economic, and
racial inequities that will be created by this legislation unless it is amended to include personal use protections.
I greatly appreciate your courage, Ms. Eisenhour and Mr. Brotherton, in supporting the 2023 resolution. And I hope that you, Ms. Dudley-Nollette, are of the same mind. Thank you for
being willing to serve people who are making this respectful request for the sole purpose of improving their lives and the lives of those in our community. Please do what you can to
explain to state House and Senate legislators how successful these efforts have been in the county and encourage them to amend both bills.
I can be reached by phone at 425.753.5704 or via email for further discussion.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Jeannie Price
--
Jeannie Price (she/her <https://pronouns.org/what-and-why> )
November 11 Foxtrot PLEM Response Area
"What went well for you today?" - Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS)