This story was originally published in El Planteo and appears here with permission.
A Mexican senator will present a bill to legalize psychedelics and allow access to alternative therapy for mental health disorders.
The decision was made at the Intercultural Forum on Entheogenic Medicine by the Green Ecologist Party s Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruiz. She was joined by several professionals who support the ancestral use of psychedelic substances.
Lagunes spoke about Mexico's current health crisis as well as the global mental health crisis. The scientific community is not doing any research on them, Soto Ruiz said.
What was discussed in the Mexican psychedelics forum?
The first professional who has joined the party's presentation was Ismael Ali, director of policy and advocacy at the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies MAPS Ali said that the conversation has focused on medical use and scientific research to provide legitimacy.
This could be a multimillion-dollar industry and generate economic benefits. Ali said that it could be difficult to integrate the benefits of psychedelics, because we have to build connections between medical and spiritual uses.
Advocate Zara Snapp, a political scientist from Colorado University with a Master's in politics from Harvard, is the author of the Drug Dictionary.
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Snapp said this is the first forum on how to approach plants and substances, and how to relate differently to them. He has witnessed firsthand how these substances can help in mental health cases.
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer was also present and shared his professional take on the issue: The prohibition did not work and did not reflect the ancestral cultural practices, nor psilocybin's benefits on health. He also offered his support for Mexico's effort to end the war on drugs.
Oregon psychedelics companies set the stage for future regulation of natural medicine centers.
The project hasn't been officially filed, although the support of the speakers may be viewed as conducive to the legalization of psychedelics. In terms of establishing a regulated market, the tendency towards revising drug policy in Latin America is definitely present.
Mexico is still trying to reach consensus on the issue of cannabis regulation. There is no date as to when psychedelics legalization might become a viable project.
Many of the forum speakers came from Oregon, which passed a measure legalizing psilocybin service centers in 2020. It is possible to assume that there is worldwide support and references that will encourage Mexico to continue on its path.