The District House is a members only benefit of District216. Come and go as you please, meet amazing members + founders, and interact with speakers on a variety of topics. We will be filming each speaker and releasing as episodes for The District216 Podcast.
Topic: “Legal and political issues surrounding plant medicine, such as decriminalization efforts and lobbying for policy changes.”
Guests Welcome: Until we reach a threshold of members, we are welcoming guests to purchase $50 tickets to each evening at The District House.
Speaker: Larry Norris from Decriminalize Nature
SPEAKER BIO
Larry Norris, PhD, studied biopsychology and cognitive science as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, and defended his doctoral dissertation at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). His dissertation research reviewed archived ayahuasca experience reports to identify transformational archetypes and insights that could help inform developing models of integration (meaning-making). Larry is the co-founder and executive director of Entheogenic Research, Integration, and Education (ERIE), located in Oakland, CA. ERIE is dedicated to the development of community education, research, and integration models related to entheogens and is currently offering workshops to cities across the US who are working to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi. Larry is also a co-founder and board member of Decriminalize Nature, which sprouted from Oakland in 2019. He advocates for the unalienable right to develop one’s own relationship with Nature and aims to support efforts to decriminalize entheogenic plants and fungi (e.g., ayahuasca, iboga, cacti, mushrooms).
About Decriminalize Nature
Decriminalize Nature (DN) is a 501(c)4 advocacy organization that sprouted from Oakland, CA, in 2019 and has grown into a nationwide movement. DN aims to improve human health and well-being by decriminalizing and expanding access to entheogenic plants and fungi through political and community organizing, education, and advocacy. The entheogens that we focus on are natural materials that grow from the ground and include mushrooms with psilocybin and psilocin, cacti containing mescaline, plant combinations similar to ayahuasca that contain DMT, and plants containing ibogaine. We focus on natural materials and advocate for a grow-gather-gift model to ensure each individual’s self-agency over their own healing process and the ability to grow their own and share in their community.
So far, 16 cities nationwide have passed policies related to entheogenic plant and fungi practices. Well over 40 active teams nationwide are educating their communities and engaging with their elected officials. DN’s model is open access. We provide the materials and mentorship necessary to support local leadership in proposing this idea to their elected officials. We encourage the residents of Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas to reach out to us and begin educating your community and elected officials, and destigmatizing these plants and mushrooms from 50+ years of misinformation.
There are many ways to get involved with Decriminalize Nature, whether creating a local team to propose policy, volunteering for the national organization, or contributing financially to the movement. If you would like to contribute, please do so here. We appreciate your support and couldn’t do it all without your help! Don’t hesitate to contact us at decriminalizenature.org or on social media at @decriminalizenature for more information.
We stand at a historical crossroads, a critical transition point in our relationship with nature and each other. Our entheogenic allies enable us to heal, understand, and mature our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the planet that birthed us. Join us in spreading awareness of these entheogenic plants and fungi. Support the movement to decriminalize our relationship with nature so we may shift the balance to rebuild a more cooperative, just, and caring world.
