Almost 10,000 signatures have been collected to put a measure on a Denver ballot in May that would decriminalize magic mushrooms in the city.
Denver Elections Division still has to review and verify the signatures that have been collected.
"We want people kept out of prison, families kept together," said Kevin Matthews of Decriminalize Denver. "That was the main motivation for this."
The measure would not legalize magic mushrooms, but rather make them a low priority for law enforcement.
"As the amount of research with psilocybin increases across the world, and more people hear of its significant therapeutic potential, it is only natural that more people are growing curious about it," says Amanda Fielding of a UK-based drug research think tank.
"The problem with the mushroom when used for treatment is that the dose can vary widely and unpredictably," said Dr. George Greer of the Heffter Research Institute.