New Petition Launches to Legalize Psilocybin for Treatment of Mental Health Disorders, and Strengthen Sincere Religious Use in Utah

Update 2024: Prior to opening our Provo Based wellness center and for the purposes of lobbying and advocacy we used to operate under the Name Utah Mushroom Therapy. Over the years the need for this website has dissipated, but we've brought this press release here for legacy purposes. :)

A new and growing coalition of nonprofits will present a petition to the Utah Legislature advocating for the legalization of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and addiction.

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A new and growing coalition of nonprofits will present a petition to the Utah Legislature advocating for the legalization of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and addiction

PRESS RELEASE BODY:

Salt Lake City, UT., November 17, 2022 -- Utah Mushroom Therapy, a growing coalition of several Utah non-profit organizations, will present a petition with thousands of signatures to the Utah Legislature to legalize psilocybin for the treatment of depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health disorders, as well as religious use.

The expanding coalition is rapidly building momentum among aware citizens who will present the printed petition to the Utah Legislature on February 18, 2023, to demonstrate the strength of the public’s support for the legal clinical use of psilocybin. Within hours of launch, the petition gained hundreds of organic signatures and is expected to go viral.

“We need to rethink the way we’ve seen psilocybin in the past. It is all natural, non-habit forming, and demonstrably effective in treating a variety of mental health conditions,” said Bridger Jensen, MS., executive director of Utah Mushroom Therapy. “With the hundreds of signatures gathered within the first few days of launch, the petition is a grassroots effort that is expected to be vital in bringing awareness and public support to the lawmakers sponsoring the upcoming bill.”

Numerous robust studies and expert testimonials, many of which are highlighted on Utah Mushroom Therapy’s website, have shown that psilocybin therapy is beneficial in reducing treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other mental health disorders. It is more effective than synthetic pharmaceuticals by a large margin. To illustrate, a groundbreaking study performed by John Hopkins Medicine found that psilocybin produced better moods and mental wellness after participating in just a single clinical dose. Psilocybin has also shown effectiveness at easing fear and anxiety in people with terminal cancer.

“We are delighted that so many diverse communities in Utah have come together to support this life-changing medicine,” added Jensen. “The research is undeniable regarding the effectiveness of psilocybin to help those struggling with mental health disorders. And despite being a politically conservative state, we are proud of our state legislators who have come together in a bipartisan effort to help ease the suffering of so many of its constituents.”

To date, 309 major universities worldwide have researched psychedelics, producing over 628 trials and 1,000 published studies that have supported the effectiveness, safety, and efficacy of psilocybin for patients with treatment-resistant mental wellness disorders. Currently, psilocybin is the most studied psychedelic medication.

In February 2022, the Utah legislature passed the Mental Illness Psychotherapy Drug Task Force bill (HB 167). This created a task force to review studies examining the legalization and use of psychedelics in mental health treatment for Utah. The bill had overwhelming bi-partisan support and passed the Utah House by a vote of 68 to 1, and the Utah Senate by a vote of 23 to 1. Legalization of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, for clinical purposes is set to be introduced in the 2023 Utah Legislative session, but still needs public support to pass.

If you would like to support the petition to legalize psilocybin for the treatment of depression and anxiety, please visit https://utahmushroomtherapy.org.

About Utah Mushroom Therapy
Utah Mushroom Therapy (UTM) is a growing coalition of Utah nonprofits advocating for the legalization of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction. UTM believes psilocybin therapy is a natural way of building new neural pathways that support mental wellness by increasing positive outlook and relieving emotional distress. Robust medical studies have demonstrated the efficacy and effectiveness of this organic compound to effectively treat these disorders. peaceful religious community is at the center of what may be a significant religious freedom case. Singularism, a small, minority faith group for whom the safe and sacramental usage of psilocybin is a core belief, has filed a lawsuit which complains that government authorities harassed the faith, intimidated its members, and violated their rights to free exercise of religion.