As 2021 came to a close, one final city in Washington State moved forward with psychedelic decriminalization. Port Townsend City Council unanimously voted to decriminalize psychedelics and make it ‘among the lowest’ priority for law enforcement. Additionally, the City won’t direct funding to police specifically for psychedelic-related enforcement activities. 

Port Townsend joins Seattle and Portland as major cities in Washington to decriminalize psychedelic possession. Resolution 21-088 received support from Decriminalize Nature (DN), a national organization pushing for the decriminalization and eventual legalization of psychedelics. DN announced on Facebook their support and praise for Port Townsend moving forward with decriminalization. 

They’ve been advocating for Washington State as a whole to push for decriminalization. However, efforts have slowed until the start of the next regular legislative session, which begins January 10. 

Resolution 

Resolution 21-088 took two years of revisions and collaboration to make its way to the Port Townsend City Council. Most of the effort came from the Port Townsend Psychedelic Society (PTPS), who worked tirelessly to educate the general public. 

“After two and a half years working on this issue, we are extremely excited that the City of Port Townsend has passed a resolution supporting the decriminalization of entheogens,” said PTPS director Erin Reading. “We received only support in the passing of this resolution and are grateful for the vibrant community that has congealed around this work.”

There was a struggle for a few months when wording was added to the Resolution PTPS did not support. They presented their concerns and urged the city council to adopt their suggestions to receive their continued support. The Port Townsend City Council adopted all suggestions and changes presented by PTPS. This helped to create a more well rounded and similar resolution to Seattle regarding psychedelic decriminalization.

“Now, we can focus more of our energy on the other facets of the PT Psychedelic Society,” continued Erin Reading. This includes, “increasing accessibility to these medicines, providing educational workshops and trainings, developing support structures (such as our monthly integration groups), and strengthening community connections.”

Future

With another city in Washington State decriminalizing psychedelic possession, there’s more pressure on state lawmakers to move forward with state-wide decriminalization. Washington isn’t the only state moving forward with psychedelic reform and decriminalization. Several cities in California, Massachusetts, and Michigan have decriminalized psychedelics and moved forward with educational programs. Other states, like Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin, have given the green light towards research into psychedelic benefits. 

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