Psychedelics Decriminalization Initiative Officially Qualifies For D.C. Ballot

A measure to effectively decriminalize a wide range of psychedelics has officially qualified for the November ballot in Washington, D.C. The Board of Elections made the certification announcement during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, confirming that activists had collected enough signatures place the measure before voters in the nation’s capital. Decriminalize Nature D.C. turned in their signatures last month following an intensive petitioning process that saw reform advocates from across the country fly in to the nation’s capital to offer assistance. The campaign needed 24,835 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify the measure and they turned in about 35,000 raw submissions. After independently observing the validation process, the campaign said last week that it was confident that it had enough to qualify—and the board made that official during their meeting, deeming that 25,477 of the group’s submissions were valid. Now D.C. residents will be able to decide whether to approve the initiative, which would make entheogenic substances such as psilocybin and ayahuasca among the district’s lowest law enforcement priorities. It's official! #Initiative81 will be on the November ballot! pic.twitter.com/HlbZMZOZzw — DecrimNatureDC (@DecrimNatureDC) August 5, 2020 Decriminalize Nature D.C. is in the process of formulating its communications and outreach strategy to make sure voters are informed about the initiative before they hit the polls. But like with the signature gathering effort, there are some unique challenges activists will have to overcome amid the coronavirus pandemic and resulting social distancing protocols. “Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our campaign saw strong…

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