DENVER ~ At the Psychedelic Science 2025 Conference in Denver today, Governor Jared Polis made a significant announcement. He revealed that he will be granting new pardons to individuals who were convicted at the state level for possessing psilocybin or psilocin. This decision was made after the passing of SB25-297, also known as the Colorado Natural Medicine Initiative, earlier this year. The bill gave Governor Polis the power to pardon a specific group of defendants and was passed after Colorado residents voted in 2022 to decriminalize natural medicine and establish regulations for it.

Governor Polis stated, "Colorado has been a leader in breaking through outdated laws surrounding cannabis, and now we are doing the same for natural medicine. These pardons will eliminate past state-level convictions for psilocybin and psilocin possession that would be legal today. By doing so, we are fulfilling the wishes of Colorado voters and moving towards more effective drug policies. We also hope to encourage other local municipalities to follow suit."

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This Executive Order applies to all state-level possession convictions for psilocybin or psilocin. The individuals who have these convictions do not need to apply for pardons as they will automatically be granted by the Governor's Office. However, no individual assessments have been conducted by the Governor's Office for those who have been pardoned through this process. If any Coloradan believes they have a conviction for psilocybin or psilocin possession that qualifies but was not included in this Executive Order, they can contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and apply for clemency. So far, four convictions have been identified by the State that will be pardoned through this Executive Order.

This is not the first time Governor Polis has taken such action. In 2020, he issued an Executive Order pardoning individuals with marijuana possession convictions of one ounce or less, resulting in 2,732 total pardons. The following year, after the legal amount of marijuana a person could possess was increased, Governor Polis granted another 1,351 pardons for possession convictions. These pardons have removed barriers for Coloradans whose past convictions are no longer considered illegal under current laws.

Governor Polis' decision to grant these pardons is a significant step towards reforming drug policies in Colorado and promoting the use of natural medicine. It also highlights the state's commitment to addressing outdated laws and providing justice for those who have been unfairly convicted in the past.

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