Ep. 14: Decriminalize CA - Decriminalizing Psilocybin, Protecting Democracy (feat. William Goss)

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing William Goss. William graduated with a B.S. in Plant Genetics from UC Davis, with a Fungal Biology and Ecology minor. He has taken a passion for mycology and turned it into an impressive and multifaceted career. In this interview, we focus on his efforts as an activist leader for the "Decriminalize California" organization. If you live in California, please see the links below to support Decriminalize CA and/or support their united effort to reform California's legislative process and defend citizen initiatives.

Join us on a trip to the sunny shores of California on the front lines of psilocybin mushroom decriminalization. We'll dive deep into the statewide legislative initiative currently being championed by Decriminalize CA. William will help us define what decriminalization really means and the reasoning behind the idea that psilocybin mushrooms should be decriminalized. We'll walk through arguments against decriminalizing psychoactive substances while also exploring the repercussions of the current drug war and prohibition. We even touch on the current clinical research on psilocybin as a therapeutic and if those efforts are mutually exclusive from decriminalization.

City councils of Santa Cruz and Oakland have passed resolutions that decriminalize various entheogenic plants and fungi - but are there still legal repercussions for possessing these substances? What is the importance and power of pursuing a statewide legislative initiative? How can the different decriminalize movements work together to achieve change?

As our conversation continues, we actually uncover a huge roadblock for citizen participation in government. California requires that any citizen group who wants to have a new legislative initiative put up for vote, must gather signatures from their fellow citizens "in-person". It seems that our civic processes have not caught up to the digital age and in the era of COVID-19, this deficiency could severely hinder our rights as citizens to effect change within our state government. This interview is a great discussion of the modern movements surrounding psilocybin mushrooms and also an important call to action for every citizen to make sure we preserve our civil liberties and citizen initiatives.

Thanks for listening and Mush Love!   

Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour 
(@welcome_to_mushroom_hour) 

Music by: Ancient Baby   
Art by: Wyn Di Stefano   

Episode Resources   
Decriminalize CA IG: https://www.instagram.com/decrimca
Decriminalize CA Website: https://decrimca.org
**Change.org to Legalize Digital Signatures for Citizen-Led Legislative Initiatives**: https://www.change.org/p/gavin-newsom-isigndigitally-stop-the-spread-of-covid-19-by-making-electronic-signatures-legal