Psilocybin advocates commune at the capitol to promote policy, mental health, and recovery

WCC student Matt Strang brings awareness to the
therapeutic value of plant medicine.

By Jordan Scenna
Deputy Editor

LANSING, Oct. 18 – When I arrived on the east lawn of the capitol building, the members of the Michigan Initiative for Community Healing (MICH) were still setting up. It was a frigid fall morning, beset with an icy rain and a particularly unsympathetic wind, yet these uncrowned champions of plant medicine were undeterred. A small group of about seven members were busy erecting tents, piling T-shirts, and setting out coffee that would warm devoted rally goers; the looming risk of hypothermia overshadowed by their dedication to the cause.

I found Matt Strang, a WCC pre-med student, MICH member, and fierce proponent of entheogenic plants. He’s wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled down tight over his head. As he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, I can’t tell if he’s nervous or just fighting the cold. He removes his hands that are dug deep into his pockets to greet me.

“Are you speaking today,” I ask.

A giant smile spreads across his face. “Yeah,” he says, “but I have no idea what I’m going to say.”

MICH is a state-registered ballot committee that aims to decriminalize psychedelic plants and fungi like psilocybin mushrooms through comprehensive policy change. The event was billed as a free speech rally, where like-minded people could gather and let Michigan legislators know where they stand.

“The main goal here is community building,” said Brittney Colvard, administrator and lead designer for MICH. “Psychedelics have had a very profound, positive impact on my life, and we are hoping to bring together as many people as we can who believe in this cause.”

Psilocybin is already decriminalized in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Hazel Park, but MICH is determined to see the same policy changes throughout the state.

The use of psychedelics as a therapeutic is gradually becoming more mainstream. Psilocybin is on the cutting edge of treatment for depression, PTSD and substance use disorder. A slew of recent studies from the American Medical Association and Cambridge University, among others, have shown its effectiveness as a tool to combat major depressive disorder, and proven to be a better option than widely prescribed antidepressants. That type of medication – selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs – include drugs like Lexapro, which in 2020 saw over 30 million prescriptions in the U.S. A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that psilocybin has a substantial impact on relapse prevention and cravings associated with substance-abuse disorder.

Some Michigan legislators have begun to acknowledge the data. In 2021, state Sen. Jeff Irwin introduced bill 631 which would decriminalize the use of psilocybin and mescaline throughout the state. Irwin, who braved the nasty weather to speak at the rally, told people that it’s time for a change.

“Scientists have learned a lot about how these substances can be used to treat many afflictions that trouble the lives of millions of Americans,” Irwin said. “It’s time we unlock the potential of these drugs and start allowing people the freedom to do what they want with their own lives.”

From death to birth

Strang is no stranger to substance-abuse disorder or depression. He started experimenting with drugs as a teenager and began selling marijuana and cocaine at age 17. A toothache and a trip to the dentist introduced him to the prescription opiate Vicodin which led him down the gruesome path of opiate addiction.

(According to the National Library of Medicine, 3 million Americans either currently or have suffered from opiate use disorder. Some 500,000 people are dependent on heroin).

Strang spent over 10 years addicted to opiates. He describes a sharp decline once he got on heroin.

“This is a soft spot for me, but when I started using heroin my life went downhill really quick,” Strang said. “I tried to kill myself…twice.”

He wanted to get clean, but the fear of an excruciating withdrawal was like an invisible prison that kept him locked inside the cycle of using and kicking. He checked himself into a psychiatric hospital where they helped him get into a detox facility in Lansing, where he was living at the time.

From there he went to rehab and then onto transitional housing, a place where people can learn to live a “normal” life without the use of drugs while still having the support of the recovery community.

While there, he suffered from post-acute withdrawal syndrome or PAWS. PAWS can develop weeks or months into recovery while the brain is trying to recalibrate and correct chemical imbalances produced during active addiction. Symptoms can include depression, anxiety, insomnia, fogginess, and fatigue. He knew the dangers of prolonged depression when it comes to relapse, so he took action.

Strang was already aware of the emerging studies on psilocybin and began growing the mushrooms before he entered treatment. He called his mom, and she brought him some, which was against house rules.

“I risked getting kicked out of transitional to do it, but I’m glad I did,” Strang said. “I think everyone has the right to treat the symptoms of their disorder however they decide to.”

He started microdosing, which is an amount measuring around .1 to .2 grams. This is one-tenth the amount of a large dose and not enough to induce a “trip.” Microdosing psilocybin, along with dialectical behavior therapy – a form of psychotherapy that teaches people change oriented strategies, emotional regulation, and acceptance – improved Strang’s depression by leaps and bounds.

He credits the combination of both psilocybin and therapy as the impetus for his emotional 180.

“When you increase the plasticity of the brain [with psilocybin] and reorganize your thinking patterns, it needs to be reinforced externally with some sort of therapy,” Strang said. “To grill these new neural networks in your brain you have to use them, or else they’ll just get pruned back.”

Other rally goers reported a similar turnaround as the one Strang experienced. Evan Putney, who took over the Flint chapter of Decriminalize Nature along with fellow organizer Andrea Tinsman, was using Lexapro (an SSRI) to treat depression, PTSD, and general anxiety disorder, when he suffered a manic episode.

“I punched my dad in the face, and spent three weeks in county,” Putney said.

After getting off Lexapro, Putney started microdosing psilocybin. In conjunction with Trileptal, an anticonvulsive also used as a mood stabilizer, and dialectical behavior therapy, Putney felt he could live again.

“[Psilocybin] allows me to function at a better level with no negative consequences,” Putney said. “It’s also softened me to religion, a spiritual side of life, and taught me about compassion and pro-social behavior.”

A bigger drug policy issue

Myc Williams has been involved with drug policy for 18 years. He started in 2004 working to legalize medical marijuana. Today, the activist and psychedelic zealot is the director of MICH and sees big problems with the war on drugs.

“The drug war has not reduced the harms associated with any substance use, in fact, it’s exacerbated those risks,” Williams said. “Prohibition drives potency. We saw it with alcohol prohibition, moonshine, and methanol.”

“Because of the drug war we’ve made things more dangerous. We have violent drug cartels because we don’t have a safe access market. People that need help are stigmatized and pushed to the edges of society. They’re made into felons so they can’t get jobs or housing.”

According to a PEW analysis of 2019 crime data, more people were arrested for drug possession (1.35 million) than for any other crime. Of those who served jail time and had a drug dependency, only 1 in 13 received treatment while incarcerated.

The percentage of people who will serve jail time for drug-related arrests is dropping, but other consequences such as steep fines, court costs, probation, and a criminal record can have a lasting impact on the individual’s future.

MICH advocates for the defelonization of all drugs, which would change possession from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Like Strang and Putney, Williams uses psilocybin with qualitative success.

“I have bipolar disorder and depression. Mushrooms every few months seem to keep most of that at bay. It keeps me level and gives me perspective.”

Apart from organizing, Williams emceed the event, calling up roughly 20 speakers. He brought attention to the upcoming election in November and said they plan to get a proposal on the 2024 ballot. Williams wants to know where potential candidates stand on the issue.

“This is an event to call out to the candidates and ask them to go on the record.”

Moving forward

Strang has come a long way. In his speech he tells the crowd how he used to buy heroin a few blocks away from where he’s standing. Today he’s a neuroscience undergrad with a passion for policy change, research, and plant medicine.

He works as a peer-educator for the Collegiate Recovery Program at WCC and sits on the board for the Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the University of Michigan (SSDP). Strang wants to see plant medicine, specifically psilocybin, integrated into the recovery community en masse.

“Psychedelics have contributed to my own sobriety, it’s part of my identity now, I’ve grabbed a hold of it; and it’s how I help the next person if they choose to follow the path I did.”

If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues please contact the Washtenaw Community College counseling services at 734-677-5223.

If you need help with substance abuse disorder you can contact,

Dawn Farm at 734-485-8725 or vist dawnfarm.org.
Home of New Vision at 734-975-1602 or visit homeofnewvision.org
SAMHSA National Helpline 1-800-662-4357

Comments

comments