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Motion supporting continued research, deprioritization of entheogens such as psilocybin approved by Council

March 24, 2026

The King County Council on Tuesday approved a motion sponsored by Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, Chair of both the Board of Health and the Health, Housing & Human Services Committee, in support of continued research and existing practice of deprioritizing enforcement for entheogens in personal use quantities by adults. Entheogens—such as psylocibin mushrooms, ayahuasca tea, mescaline, and more—have been shown in scientific studies to be promising in treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

The motion, co-sponsored by Councilmember Rod Dembowski, formalizes Council support for existing King County Sheriff’s Office and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office policies that focus on conduct that puts public safety at risk, rather than specific substances, and supports continued research of such substances for treatment of various mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

“This motion formalizes what has already been true for a long time – that King County has not aggressively policed or prosecuted for this class of substances in decades. That made this motion easy to support – it did not require substantive changes to current practices,” Mosqueda said. “The biggest impact of this action is to add King County’s support as the largest county in the state, and among the largest in the country, to the growing chorus of jurisdictions that support taking a public health and commonsense approach to the use of entheogens.”

Other cities and counties have passed similar motions including Seattle, Olympia, Port Townsend, Tacoma, Jefferson County, Oakland (CA), Santa Cruz (CA), Arcata (CA), Washtenaw County (MI), and Washinton DC, and the states of Colorado and Oregon. The Health, Housing & Human Services Committee discussed this topic three times in the past year, hearing from a Jefferson County Commissioner, medical professionals, researchers, and community advocates.

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BACKGROUND:

With a growing body of scientific evidence showing potential medical and therapeutic benefits from the use of entheogens for certain medical conditions, this motion is intended to further destigmatize access to medical treatments for those who seek treatment for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder. The United States Food and Drug Administration designated psilocybin-assisted therapy as a breakthrough therapy for treatment-resistant depression in 2018 and major depressive disorder in 2019. Entheogens under the motion’s definition do not include synthetic or chemically modified derivatives. The motion formalizes Council support for state and federal decriminalization of personal use and possession of entheogens by people 21 years of age or older, so long as it’s not in a public place.

Additional peer-reviewed research supporting beneficial uses of entheogens:

Barber, Gregory S., and Scott T. Aaronson. “The emerging field of psychedelic psychotherapy.” Current Psychiatry Reports, vol. 24, no. 10, 21 Sept. 2022, pp. 583–590, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01363-y.

Bostoen, Tijmen, et al. “Post-traumatic stress disorder in psychedelic research.” International Review of Neurobiology, 2025, pp. 329–355, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2025.02.004.

Feulner, Leah, et al. “Efficacy and safety of psychedelics in treating anxiety disorders.” Ochsner Journal, vol. 23, no. 4, 2023, pp. 315–328, https://doi.org/10.31486/toj.23.0076.

Haeny, Angela M., et al. “Investigating the associations of acute psychedelic experiences and changes in racial trauma symptoms, psychological flexibility, and substance use among people with racial and ethnic minoritized identities in the United States and Canada.” Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment, vol. 149, June 2023, p. 209035, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.josat.2023.209035.

Raison, Charles L., et al. “Single-dose psilocybin treatment for major depressive disorder.” JAMA, vol. 330, no. 9, 5 Sept. 2023, p. 843, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.14530.

Raj, Priyanshu, et al. “Psychedelic drugs or hallucinogens: Exploring their medicinal potential.” Cureus, 13 Nov. 2023, https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.48719.

VanderZwaag, Baeleigh, et al. “Psychedelics for the management of symptoms of traumatic brain injury: Findings from the Global Psychedelic Survey.” Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, vol. 145, Mar. 2026, p. 111624, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2026.111624.

Vollenweider, Franz X., and Katrin H. Preller. “Psychedelic drugs: Neurobiology and potential for treatment of psychiatric disorders.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 21, no. 11, 14 Sept. 2020, pp. 611–624, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-020-0367-2.