Denver drops charges against ‘mushroom rabbi’ preaching psychedelics

The Times of Israel

Ben Gorelick, founder of multifaith group that mixes hallucinogens with ideas rooted in Jewish tradition, won’t face prosecution after Colorado votes to legalize psilocybin

JTA — A Denver rabbi who promotes the use of psychedelics as part of spiritual practice will no longer face prosecution after Coloradans voted last month to legalize psilocybin, the chemical compound found in psychedelic mushrooms.

Denver’s district attorney’s office announced last week that it was dropping charges against Ben Gorelick, the founder of Sacred Tribe, a multifaith community that integrates psilocybin use and ideas rooted in Jewish tradition. A spokesperson for the office told the Denver Post that the move was “in light of the voters’ decision” to pass Proposition 122, which makes growing and sharing psilocybin and other related substances legal for adults over 21 in Colorado.

Gorelick had been charged in February with possessing a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or distribute it, a felony that carried mandatory prison time, even though Denver voters had already chosen to decriminalize psilocybin’s use.

Read more at    https://www.timesofisrael.com/denver-drops-charges-against-mushroom-rabbi-preaching-psychedelics/