A new parliamentary proposal, with the support of MPs from every party in Parliament except for the Left-Greens, calls for the legalisation of psychedelic mushrooms.
For the unfamiliar, a parliamentary proposal is not a bill; it is instead a statement of purpose or aims. The passage of such a proposal does not in itself change the law. It only means the parliamentary majority has agreed to work on crafting legislation that would change the law to suit the proposal’s purpose.
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in these mushrooms, has been shown to provide great promise in the treatment of depression. Icelandic medical professionals have taken notice, and the possibility of exploring such treatment in Iceland has found an unlikely ally in Independence Party MP Vilhjálmur Árnason.
“It is a fact that a number of people have already started using these substances to help themselves in this country, and some have even started offering services with them,” he wrote in a recent Facebook post. “In light of that, and if the first results of the research are giving the right indications, I believe it is right to immediately establish a formal framework for the correct use of the substance in this country.”
The proposal has called upon the Minister of Health to make preparations to change laws and regulations in order to allow for the research of psilocybin’s medical efficacy.
Such mushrooms grow wild all over Iceland, most typically in the autumn, the most common variety being psilocybe semilanceata, or the liberty cap. Contrary to popular belief, the import, export, sale, purchase, exchange, receiving, production, preparation or storage and possession of these mushrooms are illegal in Iceland.
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