<story><title>Santa Cruz decriminalizes psychedelic mushrooms</title><url>https://abcnews.go.com/US/santa-cruz-decriminalizes-psychedelic-mushrooms/story?id=68611065</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>krohling</author><text>Super excited to see this. If you live in California please head on over to &lt;a href=&quot;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.decrimca.org&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;http:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.decrimca.org&amp;#x2F;&lt;/a&gt;
We&amp;#x27;re working to get state wide decriminalization on the ballot in November and we need signatures! If you buy a button ($5) they&amp;#x27;ll send you a petition sheet. There are also signature locations and volunteers in every county in the state.</text></comment>
<story><title>Santa Cruz decriminalizes psychedelic mushrooms</title><url>https://abcnews.go.com/US/santa-cruz-decriminalizes-psychedelic-mushrooms/story?id=68611065</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>XPKBandMaidCzun</author><text>I just wished their was fairer representation online of impact on people&amp;#x27;s lives when drugs get brought up. I never done drugs. But still, I suffered thanks to people who chose drugs as a way cope - and it&amp;#x27;s soul sucking.&lt;p&gt;The problem with decriminalizing&amp;#x2F;legalizing recreational drugs is its interpreted as officials of the state validating drugs as a coping skill.&lt;p&gt;In almost all cases, getting high is maladaptive coping style.&lt;p&gt;My anecdote from being raised by substance abusers: Makes you think you&amp;#x27;re smart, maybe even makes you look competent to other people. Until you don&amp;#x27;t have the drug anymore, in which case you&amp;#x27;re left with an anxious person who can&amp;#x27;t cope with difficult circumstances.&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s excruciating to have to endure loved ones who become dependent on substances. It saps the energy out of you to deal with. Their brain is rewired to get high - at the expense of their social connections, family, reputation, and so on.&lt;p&gt;Suffering and enduring a drug abuser is a silent pain. The incentive for users to get high and for rehab clinics to make money show why the conversation is so lopsided.</text></comment>