- In Michigan, some cities have already decriminalized certain psychedelic drugs, and some lawmakers want to take that statewide
- The effort might have gotten a boost last month when the Trump administration moved to speed up research on the drugs
- Some say they can help treat mental illness; others worry about the dangers of misuse
Psychedelic drugs may be having a moment in Michigan and nationwide.
In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order making them available to treat mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.
And in Michigan, the Democratic Party recently nominated Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit for state attorney general. In 2021, Savit proclaimed that his office would not prosecute cases related to entheogenic plants, which are naturally occurring psychedelics.
Savit told Bridge he has “probably gotten more positive correspondence about this one policy” than any other in his role in the Washtenaw County prosecutor’s office.
Still, psychedelics have raised serious safety concerns that could limit further acceptance in Michigan and elsewhere.
Savit’s drug stance — along with decisions to restrict cash bail and decriminalize sex work — have drawn attacks by Republicans who say he “chose criminals over victims.”
And the White House’s green light for more research isn’t a stamp of safety, said Dr. Talal Khan, an addiction psychiatrist at Grand Rapids-based Pine Rest Mental Health Services.
“We have to be very responsible about our messaging,” he said, citing ““unpredictable, potential negative side effects” of the drugs.
“It has some potential, but before we can call it medicine, we have to do a lot more research,” he said.
Aspirin originally derived from the bark of the willow tree. But, Khan said, “That doesn’t mean we tell people to go eat bark of trees.”
What’s happening in Michigan?
Some Michigan cities have made moves since 2020 to increase access — or at least reduce legal barriers — to the drugs’ use.
Ann Arbor, Detroit, Hazel Park and most recently, Jackson, have decriminalized entheogenic drugs. That doesn’t make them legal, but it hamstrings law enforcement and prosecutors to pursue penalties against those who use them.
Luke Londo, the Hazel Park councilman who led the effort there, said he has used psychedelics for years to battle depression and anxiety.
He likened the use to that of a coffee drinker who uses the liquid to chase away mental fog or face a tough day.
Psychedelics offer “a positive lift … It reduces instances of breakthrough anxiety,” Londo told Bridge.
It’s that kind of testament that prompted Savit, in Washtenaw County, to instruct his prosecutors to stand down from prosecutions of psychedelic use.
“There is a lot of evidence which suggests that this can really be life changing for people,” he said.
“I’m not a researcher. I’m not a doctor,” he told Bridge. “I just read the evidence, and it really does seem to be something that has significant additional benefits, especially for those dealing with trauma, dealing with PTSD and the like.”
Related:
- March 29, 2022: Mushrooms and other psychedelics gain foothold in Michigan. What to know.
- Sept. 18, 2023: Can magic mushrooms help fibromyalgia? U-M wants to know, needs volunteers
- July 18, 2025: Michigan marijuana market cratering, amid oversupply, ‘difficult market’
- Feb. 12, 2026: Supporters tout benefits of kratom, but will it stall Michigan drug fight?
Not everyone’s on board. In 2021, Grand Rapids council voted to say enforcement isn’t a top priority, but it stopped short of fully decriminalizing the substances.
In Lansing, State Rep. Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, introduced a bill in June that would decriminalize the use of psilocin and psilocybin, the active ingredients in magic mushrooms, for the use in the treatment of PTSD.
It was immediately referred to the House Families and Veterans Committee but has not had a hearing.
How will Trump’s order change things?
Against the patchwork of Michigan laws, it can be difficult to sort through what has changed under Trump’s order.
In short: Not much — at least not yet.
Psychedelics remain illegal under federal law, for the most part.
What does Trump’s executive order do?
The order will accelerate research by directing $50 million in federal funds to make the drugs more accessible. It also directs the US Food and Drug Administration to fast-track reviews of drugs such as psilocybin and ibogaine, boost clinical trial participation and increase research and data-sharing.
Even the Michigan representative of the national group advocating for better access to psychedelics says such an order is limited.
It also can lead to unintended consequences, said Moudou Baqui, a Detroit-based board member of the national Decriminalize Nature, a grassroots organization that advocates — as Baqui describes on the organization’s website — “happy, healthy humans independent of pharmaceutical companies.”
Baqui worries the executive order also will drive up demand, piquing more Big Pharma interest that, in turn, could drive up costs or create demand for unsafe, blackmarket drugs.
“It’s a good and bad thing,” he told Bridge, referring to the order. “You create this gold rush — both for legitimate and illegitimate actors.”
What drugs are covered and why?
Trump’s order refers to “psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds.”
Psychedelics such as psilocybin, methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA, ketamine and ibogaine are increasingly being studied as potential treatments for mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and physical illnesses.
That’s because psychedelic drugs penetrate the central nervous system, disrupting some neural pathways, boosting others, and allowing the brain to become less rigid and more flexible. In therapy, they can help a mental health professional and a patient, for example, explore traumatic experiences by allowing the patient to feel more safe.
Other drugs, such as ketamine, are also grouped alongside, since they work in similar ways.
His order begins by referencing mental health and, in particular, suicides among military veterans. (It also blames the Biden administration and the pandemic for an increase in mental health issues.)
Other benefits of psychedelics are unclear as well.
At the Michigan Psychedelic Center at the University of Michigan’s researchers have studied psilocybin as a treatment for fibromyalgia, for example. Earlier this month, a small study out of Johns Hopkins suggested it might help smokers kick the habit.
But serious psychological harm can happen with misuse of psychedelics. Fear, depression, anxiety, and paranoia can occur and be long-lasting. Deaths are rarer, but happen by suicide and accidents or with the drugs’ use alongside other substances, according to the US Drug Enforcement Agency.
A severe overdose in ketamine, which acts like a conventional psychedelic, can lead to respiratory depression, coma, convulsions, seizures, and death due to respiratory arrest, according to the drug agency.
In fact, federal studies were previously halted on Ibogaine — one of the drugs named in the executive order — after it was shown to cause heart attacks and nervous system cell death, according to Michigan Poison Control, which has warned against the decriminalization of the drugs.
Research will illuminate benefits and dangerous downsides, guide safe manufacturing and establish dosing information, said Khan.
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