Denver Drops Charges Against Rabbi Ben Gorelick

The Denver District Attorney’s Office has dropped felony drug charges against Rabbi Ben Gorelik after voters approved a psilocybin legalization ballot measure in last month’s midterm elections. At a preliminary hearing on Dec. 8, prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against him and the chemist arrested in a police raid last winter, and the motion was filed “for justice.” said it was.

Denver District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Carolyn Tyler said the decision to dismiss the felony charges against the defendants was made “in light of the voters’ decision” to approve Proposition 122. Colorado voters , approved an initiative bill to legalize psilocybin for treatment.

“I don’t know what or why everything was dismissed” gorelic said denver post“All I can say at this point is that I am very, very, very grateful to the DA office for dropping this lawsuit. It’s been a long year for the community and for us. looks forward to returning to religious practice.

Gorelick is the founder of The Sacred Tribe, a Denver-based religious group that uses psilocybin and other methods as pathways to spiritual enlightenment. In January, police raided a Denver warehouse where he allegedly cultivated more than 30 varieties of psychedelic mushrooms.Gorelick was arrested the following month and charged with possession with intent to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance. rice field. June, he said. high times He intended to fight the charges for religious freedom, which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of at least eight years.

Group ends psychedelic service after raid

The Sacred Tribe temporarily ceased operations after a police raid earlier this year. The group then began gathering again for religious dinners and other events, without the use of psilocybin. ,” but added that she wasn’t surprised when the charges against Gorelick were dropped.

“With the psychedelic movement, the botanical medicine movement, and the passage of Prop 122, there is incredible momentum towards a whole new future that looks very different in terms of mental and spiritual health for many people,” Logan said. Told. “Ben’s heart was there from the beginning…I’ve known his heart all along.

Gorelic claims that Judaism has a long tradition of psychedelics. His one of those supporters, Ravizak Kamenez, who was appointed by the Israeli Orthodox rabbi, formed the psychedelic advocacy group His Shepha, and said that one day a powerful compound would emerge from Jewish spirituality. I hope to be accepted as part of it.

Kamenets participated in a study studying the effects of psilocybin on religious leaders. He supports the use of psilocybin for psychiatric purposes, but warns that psychedelics should only be used as part of approved research until legalized.

“I am one of the few people in this country who can say they have had legal experience with psychedelics.” Kamenets he said last year. “By allowing people to speak freely without worrying about being stigmatized, people are not just talking illegal things, they are starting to have more open conversations. People will listen more if they have the opportunity to hear the stories of those who have been there.”