PROPOSED RESOLUTION For MISSOULA, and MISSOULA COUNTY

Draft dated 5/11/2022 

Resolution 

A resolution supporting entheogenic plant practices and declaring that the investigation and

arrest of individuals involved solely with the adult use of entheogenic plants on the federal

schedule 1 list is not a funding priority for the City of Missoula 

Whereas, Entheogenic Plants, based on the term “entheogen”, originally conceived from a working group

of anthropologists and ethnobotanists in 1979; and defined herein as the full spectrum of plants, fungi,

and natural materials and/or their extracted compounds, limited to those containing the following types of

compounds: indole amines, tryptamines, and phenethylamines; and 

Whereas, substance abuse, addiction, recidivism, trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms, chronic

depression, severe anxiety, end-of-life anxiety, grief, diabetes, cluster headaches, and other conditions

are plaguing our community and that the use of Entheogenic Plants have been shown to be beneficial to

the health and well-being of individuals and communities in addressing these afflictions via scientific and

clinical studies and within continuing traditional practices, which can catalyze profound experiences of

personal and spiritual growth; and 

Whereas, practices with Entheogenic Plants have long existed and have been considered to be sacred to

human cultures and human interrelationships with nature for thousands of years, and continue to be

enhanced and improved to this day by religious and spiritual leaders, practicing professionals, mentors,

and healers throughout the world, many of whom have been forced underground; and 

Whereas, seeking to improve their health and well-being through the use of Entheogenic Plants use them

in fear of arrest and prosecution; and  

Whereas, the Entheogenic Plant practices of certain groups are already explicitly protected in the U.S.

under the doctrine of religious freedom – such as the use of ayahuasca by two churches, a Santo Daime

congregation and the União do Vegetal; and 

Whereas, The United Nations considers Entheogenic Plant material used for ritual purposes as excluded

from Schedule 1 substances; and 

Whereas, Entheogenic Plants have been shown to alleviate treatment resistant cases of opiate and

methamphetamine addiction at significantly higher rates than all other treatments for addiction. In

addition, Entheogenic Plants reported to be beneficial for addiction therapy related to specific work-

related PTSD encountered by first responders such as EMT, police, and firefighters, as well as military

veterans; and  

Whereas, Entheogenic Plants can lead to experiences that are reported as mystical or experientially

similar to near death experiences and that are can be demonstrably beneficial in treating addiction,

depression, PTSD, and in catalyzing profound experiences of personal and spiritual growth; and 

Whereas, Entheogenic Plants that contain phenethylamine compounds can be beneficial in healing drug

and alcohol addiction and for individual spiritual growth, and have been utilized in sacred initiation and

community healing by diverse religious and cultural traditions for millennia and continuing use as religious

sacraments in modern times; and  

Whereas, psilocybin, naturally occurring in Entheogenic Plants, can alleviate end-of-life anxiety for

hospice and terminal cancer patients, can reduce prison recidivism, and can effectively treat substance

abuse, depression, cluster headaches; and  

Whereas, a Johns Hopkins University study on “healthy-normals” found that psilocybin can occasion

mystical-type experiences, which were considered one of the top five most meaningful experiences in a

subject’s life for over 75% of their subjects within the first year after the study, and also found continuing

positive life-style changes after a 14-month follow-up; and 

Whereas, the City of Missoula has declared its core values, “in the wake of a national reckoning to

systemic inequities” to include Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) in Resolution 8533, and has

vowed to utilize these, and their related values, as a lens through which the City of Missoula can guide

future policies and practices; and

Whereas, the criminalization of entheogenic plants and fungi, instead of fostering, cultivating, and

preserving a culture rooted in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, targets vulnerable populations, who

are met from the community with increased difficulty in being able to access affordable housing, stable

employment, and non-bias information. The greater weight of the social, cultural, and economic impacts

are being perpetuated against minorities and the disadvantaged; and

Whereas, the City of Missoula wishes to declare its desire not to expend City resources in any

investigation, detention, arrest, or prosecution solely based on alleged violations of state and federal law

regarding the use of Entheogenic Plants and Fungi as a standalone offense; and 

Whereas, enforcement of laws regulating the possession and use of Entheogenic Plant and Fungi has

not been a high priority for the City of Missoula with very little public funds directed toward proactive

investigation or prosecution of such cases. In conclusion, the investigation and arrest of individuals

involved solely with the adult use of entheogenic plants on the federal schedule 1 list is currently not a

funding priority for the City of Missoula and should continue to not be a funding priority; and  

Now therefore be it resolved, that the Mayor and City Council hereby declare that it shall be the policy

of the City of Missoula that no department, agency, board, commission, officer or employee of the city,

including without limitation, Missoula Police Department personnel, shall use any city funds or resources

to assist in the enforcement of laws for the use and possession of Entheogenic Plants by adults as a

standalone offense. This resolution is non-binding and only applies to the Missoula City police and

Missoula City departments and does not apply to county, state, or federal enforcement; and

Be it further resolved, this resolution does not authorize or enable any of the following activities:

commercial sales or manufacturing of these plants and fungi, possession of or distributing these materials

in schools, driving under the influence of entheogenic plants or compounds, public disturbance or

jeopardizing public safety or co-occurring offenses; and

Be it further resolved, that the Missoula City Council directs the City administration to instruct the City’s

state lobbyists to work in support of decriminalizing all Entheogenic Plants and plant-based compounds

that are listed on the Federal Controlled Substances Schedule 1 and contain indole amines, tryptamines,

and phenethylamines for adults; and

Be it further resolved, that the Mayor and City Council direct the City Clerk to furnish a copy of this

resolution to the Missoula County Attorney to make them aware of the City Council’s policy on adult use

of Entheogenic Plants or plant-based compounds on the Federal Schedule 1 List that contain indole

amines, tryptamines, and phenethylamines; and

Be it further resolved, that if any provision of this resolution is declared by a court of competent

jurisdiction to be contrary to any statute regulation or judicial decision or its applicability to any agency

person or circumstances is held invalid the validity of the remainder of this resolution and its applicability

to any other agency person or circumstance shall not be affected.