Minnesota the land of 10,000 lakes, Prince’s purple reign, and now, potentially, state-sanctioned magic mushrooms. The Psychedelic Medicine Task Force just handed in their homework, and let’s just say it’s a lot more interesting than your average legislative report. Released on January 1st 2025 (because what better way to kick off the new year than pondering the therapeutic merits of psychedelics?), the report recommends decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms, setting up a state-regulated program for their therapeutic use, and funding more research into psychedelics like MDMA and LSD.
The Recommendations: A Trio of Trippy Proposals
Decriminalize Psilocybin Mushrooms: The task force voted to stop treating personal possession of these fungi like a felony. No more worrying that your stash will land you in a Breaking Bad scenario...unless, of course, you’re also running a meth empire. (In which case, you have bigger problems.)
State-Regulated Mushroom Therapy: Think of it as Oregon’s psilocybin program, but with more hotdish. The idea is to create a clinical framework where trained facilitators guide adults through therapeutic trips. (Because, let’s be real, no one wants their first mushroom experience to be in their cousin’s basement while Yellow Submarine plays on loop.)
Fund More Research: Because nothing says “serious policy” like scientists in lab coats studying whether LSD can cure your existential dread.
Bipartisan Vibes (But Also Some Side-Eye)
Surprisingly, this isn’t just a bunch of tie-dye-clad progressives nodding along to Grateful Dead bootlegs. Some Republicans are cautiously on board with the emphasis on cautiously. Their big fear? That psychedelics will follow cannabis’s path: first decriminalized, then medicalized, then fully legalized, and suddenly everyone’s uncle is growing mushrooms next to his tomato plants.
“We don’t want another messy legalization like marijuana,” one GOP lawmaker reportedly muttered, probably while side-eyeing Colorado’s psychedelic scene. (To be fair, Colorado did just greenlight “healing centers” where you can trip under supervision. Minnesota might prefer its mushrooms with a side of Lutheran modesty.)
What Didn’t Make the Cut
The task force considered going bigger—decriminalizing LSD and MDMA, allowing home cultivation of mushrooms, even creating a full-blown adult-use market (aka “legal shrooms, no therapist required”). But those ideas didn’t get the two-thirds supermajority needed. Some members were like, Let’s not get ahead of ourselves we just got Minnesota to legalize weed.
Why Mushrooms? Science, Sovereignty, and (Maybe) Savings
The report isn’t just a stoner’s wish list it’s packed with clinical trial data showing psychedelics can help with PTSD, depression, and even addiction. Veterans, in particular, are a big focus, given Minnesota’s high rate of veteran suicides.
There’s also a strong emphasis on Tribal sovereignty. The task force stressed that Indigenous communities should have full autonomy over psychedelic practices, given their long history with plant medicines. (Because if anyone knows how to handle sacred fungi, it’s probably not a bunch of bureaucrats in St. Paul.)
And then there’s the money angle. Psychedelic therapy isn’t cheap in Oregon the program costs thousands per session but the report suggests it could save money long-term by reducing reliance on antidepressants, addiction treatment, and disability payouts. Or, as one task force member put it: Why pay for 20 years of therapy when three mushroom sessions might do the trick? They're on to something...
The Road Ahead: Will Minnesota Trip Forward?
The report is just that...a report. Now it’s up to lawmakers to decide if they’ll take the recommendations seriously or file them deep under the "Cool Ideas We’ll Ignore." Given that Minnesota only just legalized recreational weed, the political appetite for another drug reform battle might be… well...quite mixed.
But if nothing else, the task force has given us all something to ponder next time we stare at a lake and wonder, What if the answer was mushrooms all along?
Final Thought: If Minnesota does decriminalize psilocybin, can we at least agree that the state bird should temporarily be a glow-in-the-dark frog? Asking for a friend...